Solar Activity Picking Up, Possible S Hemi Quake

[GCANE]

Active sunspot 11193 has turned the limb and will be earth facing in the next few days.

There is a possibility of M and X class flares from it.

A strong and extended southern hemisphere coronal hole may disturb the Interplanetary Magnetic Field and possibly translate to a strong earthquake in the southern hemisphere.

Active faults could be a risk; most notably the Christchurch, New Zealand Area and offshore of Chile.

A geomagnetic storm occurred a few days ago and solar-wind speed is now diminishing.

A quake could occur when the SWS gets below 350 km/sec.

It is currently at about 400 km/sec.

[GCANE]

Hi Continued Electron-Flux Warning issued.


Space Weather Message Code: ALTEF3
Serial Number: 1786
Issue Time: 2011 Apr 15 1121 UTC

CONTINUED ALERT: Electron 2MeV Integral Flux exceeded 1000pfu
Continuation of Serial Number: 1785
Begin Time: 2011 Apr 14 1150 UTC
Yesterday Maximum 2MeV Flux: 1415 pfu

[GCANE]

Moderate HF absorption in the D-region of the ionosphere has been persistent over the last few days.

If it gets stronger, could become a precursor to a quake.

[GCANE]

Latest solar-flare probabilities

[GCANE]

A large perturbation in the magnetic-field amplitude occurred just before 12Z.

[GCANE]

M1.3 just fired

[GCANE]

Total Electron Column is swinging widely across the globe.

A 5.7 quake just occurred near Tonga.







http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/ ... 002skf.php

This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.
Magnitude 5.7

Date-Time
Friday, April 15, 2011 at 21:46:23 UTC
Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 10:46:23 AM at epicenter

Location 18.599°S, 175.294°W

Depth 216.5 km (134.5 miles)

Region TONGA

Distances
138 km (85 miles) W of Neiafu, Tonga
280 km (173 miles) N of NUKU`ALOFA, Tonga
335 km (208 miles) SSW of Hihifo, Tonga
2246 km (1395 miles) NNE of Auckland, New Zealand

[GCANE]

3 shallow quakes

4.7 & 5.2 Queensland

5.2 New Zealand South Island
16 km (9 miles) ESE of Christchurch, New Zealand

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/ ... 002svv.php

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/ ... 002stu.php

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/ ... 002su1.php

[GCANE]

Queensland shaken by largest quake to hit the region in 70 years


April 16, 2011 – QUEENSLAND

Several aftershocks have been felt by residents in parts of north Queensland following a 5.2-magnitude earthquake.

The quake, one of the largest to hit the state in many years, was recorded 60 kilometres west of Bowen just after 3.30pm (AEST) Saturday.

The rumblings were felt in several towns throughout the region, but police say there are no reports of damage or injuries.

There have been several aftershocks, with one registering a magnitude 4.

Burdekin resident Karon Mugica says her home shook violently. “My husband and I looked at each other and he’s never looked at me like that before we were quite frightened, we just didn’t know what it was, whether it was an explosion,” she said.

Burdekin Shire Council chief executive Ken Holt says the earth was rumbling at his Ayr home. “For a while I thought the roof may fall in so I actually ran outside,” he said.

Townsville resident Juanita Bruce Urquhart told ABC News Online the tremor did not last long. “Walls shook and windows rattled. Duration no more than eight to 10 seconds. No damage apparent,” she said.

Sarah Fitzgerald lives at Kuttabul, north of Mackay, and also felt the tremor. “It felt like something was running into the house,” she told ABC News Online. “I wasn’t sure what had happened until I read the news. It is all a little scary. “You hear about these things but it’s a little close to home.

Now I didn’t think we had earthquakes here.” Geoscience Australia seismologist David Jepsen says Saturday’s earthquake was a rare event and the state’s biggest in more than 70 years.

–ABC News.au


http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011 ... ion=justin

[GCANE]

Solar activity increases: Here comes the Sun and it may be anything but ‘alright.’


April 16, 2011 – M-FLARE:

The magnetic canopy of sunspot 1190 erupted on April 15th, producing an M-class solar flare.

The brief blast did not, however, hurl a cloud of plasma toward Earth. NOAA forecasters estimate a 55% chance of more M-flares during the next 24 hours.

–Space Weather


The sun is becoming more active and sunspot cluster regions on the Sun are increasing.

As we approach the solar maximum (2012-2013)- anything can happen and the danger from massive flaring and CME, coronal mass ejections, hurled toward the planet increases.

A severe solar storm on the magnitude of the 1859 Carrington Event or larger could neutralize nearly electrical appliance on Earth- computers, internet, cell phones, satellites, ATM’s, hospitals, water-treatment plants, air-conditioning, electrical grids- we could lose it all in a flash and studies show a full recovery from an extremely severe solar storm could take 1 to 5 years.

-The Extinction Protocol


Back in 2008, the solar cycle plunged into the deepest minimum in nearly a century.

Sunspots all but vanished, solar flares subsided, and the sun was eerily quiet.

“Ever since, we’ve been waiting for solar activity to pick up,” says Richard Fisher, head of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC. “It’s been three long years.”

Quiet spells on the sun are nothing new.

They come along every 11 years or so — it’s a natural part of the solar cycle.

This particular solar minimum, however, was lasting longer than usual, prompting some researchers to wonder if it would ever end. News flash: The pot is starting to boil. “Finally,” says Fisher, “we are beginning to see some action.”

As 2011 unfolds, sunspots have returned and they are crackling with activity.

On February 15th and again on March 9th, Earth orbiting satellites detected a pair of “X-class” solar flares–the most powerful kind of x-ray flare.

The last such eruption occurred back in December 2006.

Another eruption on March 7th hurled a billion-ton cloud of plasma away from the sun at five million mph (2200 km/s).

The rapidly expanding cloud wasn’t aimed directly at Earth, but it did deliver a glancing blow to our planet’s magnetic field.

The off-center impact on March 10th was enough to send Northern Lights spilling over the Canadian border into US states such as Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.

“That was the fastest coronal mass ejection in almost six years,” says Angelos Vourlidas of the Naval Research Lab in Washington DC. “It reminds me of a similar series of events back in Nov. 1997 that kicked off Solar Cycle 23, the solar cycle before this one.” “To me,” says Vourlidas, “this marks the beginning of Solar Cycle 24.” The slow build-up to this moment is more than just “the watched pot failing to boil,” says Ron Turner, a space weather analyst at Analytic Services, Inc. “It really has been historically slow.”

–Science Daily

[GCANE]

Pacific Ring of Fire growing more active – volcanic arcs/trenches awakening

At least five countries located on the Pacific Ring of Fire have experienced earthquakes greater than a magnitude of 5 over the past 24 hours.





http://www.irishweatheronline.com/news/ ... 11949.html



A 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit north-eastern Australia on Saturday afternoon. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake took place at 3.30pm local time (0530 GMT) about 124 kilometres southeast of Townsville, Queensland. The quake was measured at a depth of 10 kilometres. Queensland was hit by another 5.4 magnitude quake on 16 March last.

Meanwhile, Christchurch in New Zealand has been hit by more aftershocks this afternoon, leaving several parts of the city without power. The strongest of the tremors measured 5.2 on the Richter Scale. The country’s second largest city was hit by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in February. 181 people were killed.

Elsewhere, Japan was rattled by a 5.9 magnitude aftershock on Saturday afternoon but there were no initial reports of damage and no risk of a tsunami.

Taiwan was hit by a quake measuring 5.8 on the Richter Scale. The quake struck 220km east of Keelung City. Tonga, an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, also experienced a 5.7 magnitude earthquake last night.

[RobWESTPACWX]

This is startling me more or more, I was a skeptic at first. But the overall frequency increasing world wide is rather surprising.

[GCANE]

This is startling me more or more, I was a skeptic at first. But the overall frequency increasing world wide is rather surprising.

I was skeptical at first myself, but then started tracking this around January.

I was thinking in the back of my mind that there most be some sort of effect on the earth's core and mantel with respect to the magnetic field.

After looking at this for a few months, I did in fact notice a correlation between solar activity and seismic activity.

I started watching Solarwatcher and was surprised on his forecast accuracy.

http://www.youtube.com/user/SolarWatcher
http://www.youtube.com/user/thebarcaroller

A factor that confirms this is that there was a lot of solar and geomagnetic activity just before the 9.0 Sendai quake.

Some parameters that seem to be important are:

Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) angle
Total Electron Column (TEC) anomaly
Absorption of High Frequency Radio Waves in the D-region of the ionosphere.
Magnetic field impulses at the poles.
Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) emissions including PC1 pulsations.

[GCANE]

Second 5.2 earthquake rattles Australia in 48 hours


April 17, 2011 – AUSTRALIA

This is the second 5.2 earthquake to strike the Australia area in 48 hours.

The latest quake struck just off the coast of Northwest Australia at a depth of about 13 km.

On April 16, a 5.2 earthquake rattled Queensland.

It was the largest earthquake to strike the region in more than 70 years.

The Ring of Fire is kinetic and growing more turbulent as tectonic plate agitation increases.


http://quakes.globalincidentmap.com/map ... ?id=105616

[GCANE]

Geomagnetic Storm underway with large negative TEC anomaly & strong negative IMF


Space Weather Message Code: SUMSUD
Serial Number: 116
Issue Time: 2011 Apr 18 0705 UTC

SUMMARY: Geomagnetic Sudden Impulse
Observed: 2011 Apr 18 0654 UTC
Deviation: 24 nT
Station: Boulder


Space Weather Message Code: WARK04
Serial Number: 1721
Issue Time: 2011 Apr 18 0739 UTC

WARNING: Geomagnetic K-index of 4 expected
Valid From: 2011 Apr 18 0740 UTC
Valid To: 2011 Apr 18 1600 UTC
Warning Condition: Onset

[GCANE]

Solar radiation alerts go up in Mexico

http://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/index.php/sociedad/21061

Mexico, April 16 .- The solar radiation in the valley of Mexico increased by one hour from 8 to 10 level, so it is reported "very high", said the Atmospheric Monitoring System of the City of Mexico (Simat).

In response, the agency of the Ministry of Environment Federal District recommended in its report at 13:00 hours to take precautions to avoid damage to health.

The unit maintains its recommendations to the public as to avoid as much as possible exposure to sunlight and wear sunscreen, long sleeve shirts and caps or hats.

Regarding air quality, the agency noted it is regular in the five areas of the Valley of Mexico, since the level of contaminants is less than 100 points according to the Metropolitan Index of Air Quality. (With information agencies / JPL)


http://www.milenio.com/node/696556

Increased solar radiation to "extremely high" in Mexico City
In his report at 15:00 hours, the Air Quality Monitoring System explained that the level of ultraviolet attendants reached 11 units in two areas of the Valley of Mexico, and he urged people to take precautions.

Mexico .- In two areas of the Valley of Mexico is recorded solar radiation "extremely high", so the Atmospheric Monitoring System Mexico City urged people to take precautions to avoid damage to health.

The body of the Ministry of Environment Federal District detailed in his report at 15:00 hours the level of ultraviolet (UV) reached 11 units.

Therefore reiterated its recommendation to the population to use cream with sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher, wear long sleeve shirts and light colored, use a cap or hat and sunglasses with UV filter.

Also urged to avoid direct exposure to sunlight and if possible carry out any activity under the shade.

Regarding air quality, the system explained that the most polluted areas are the southwest with 109 points in the Metropolitan Index of Air Quality (Imeca) for ozone, and the center with 101 units for the same pollutant.

The remaining parts of the valley of Mexico have regular conditions, with 99 points of ozone in the Southeast, 89 in the northwest and 80 in the northeast.

The levels of other pollutants such as nitrogen and sulfur dioxides and carbon monoxide and suspended particles remain below the norm in all areas, concluded

[GCANE]

A large disturbance in the magnetic field over Alaska is being monitored.

The Aurora has been activated.

I wouldn't be surprised if a large Japanese aftershock occurs shortly.

http://www.asf.alaska.edu/program/gdc/p ... r/liveplot

[GCANE]

UPDATED:
Upgraded to 6.6, depth = 90.4 km


SHALLOW
Magnitude 6.4 - SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/ ... 002ty7.php

http://quakes.globalincidentmap.com/map ... ?id=105749


This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude 6.4

Date-Time
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 13:02:54 UTC
Tuesday, April 19, 2011 at 01:02:54 AM at epicenter

Location 34.162°S, 179.883°E

Depth 8.4 km (5.2 miles)


Region
SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS
Distances
552 km (343 miles) ENE (59°) from Auckland, New Zealand
910 km (565 miles) NNE (31°) from WELLINGTON, New Zealand

[GCANE]

5.1 on the northern tip of Honshu.

Looks to be in a different location away from the aftershocks.


http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/ ... 140_40.php

[GCANE]

Earth-directed Coronal Mass Ejection released from the sun on April 18

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcyUSQPZ ... ideo_title