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Some residents in the Upper Midwest were surprised to be shaken by an earthquake last night.
The United States Geological Survey reported that the earthquake, which had an estimated magnitude of 4.3, was centered near Virgil, about 50 miles northwest of Chicago, at a depth of about three miles. There were no immediate reports of aftershocks… Amy Vaughan, a geophysicist with the agency, said that the tremor was only the second notable earthquake in more than 30 years to rattle the area. Even though the quake was relatively small, it was felt by residents as far away as southern Wisconsin…
One of the best sources for information on earthquakes is the U. S. Geological Survey; the map above shows that earthquakes are common along the Pacific coast, but in just the past week they have also been recorded near the New Madrid fault and in New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, and the Rockies. A comparable map of world earthquakes is available at the same link.
The U.S. Geological Survey has an extensive database of lava-related events in Hawaii. One hundred of the best images have been assembled on a web page and placed on a DVD. These were…
…selected from the collections of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory as enduring favorites of the staff, researchers, media, designers, and the public over time. They represent photographs of a variety of geological phenomena and eruptive events, chosen for their content, quality of exposure, and aesthetic appeal. The number was kept to 100 to maintain the high resolution desirable.
In the photo above a pair of “concerned scientists” decide to run from a “…surging ‘a‘a flow in Royal Gardens. The top of an ‘a‘a flow rides on the underlying mass and rolls over it like a tractor’s tread, advancing to the front of the flow.”
Link, via. Photo by J.D. Griggs, 7/2/83, JG2514 (click to enlarge).
