Eyjafjallajokull volcano

Hulme pupils witness the Eyjafjallajokull volcano first hand on the recent Geography Department trip to Iceland. Although still in the throat clearing stages of its eruption the sight was still spectacular. The party was able to visit the region during the excursion to the seaside town of Vik. Getting up really close would have involved a 6 hour ice trek up the galcier but the lack of crampons prevented anyone getting their eyebrows singed. Perhaps it was a lucky escape as the road was closed behind the bus on the return journey to Rejkavik .

Death toll rises in Costa Rica

At least 14 people are now known to have been killed in Costa Rica by a powerful earthquake which struck on Thursday, officials say.
The magnitude 6.1 tremor devastated the Poas Volcano National Park north of the capital San Jose, triggering landslides blocking roads and damaging buildings.
Red Cross officials said 10 of the victims were buried by a landslide at the popular La Paz waterfall.
Rescue workers fear more victims will be found as relief operations widen.

To read more click on this link - Costa Rica earthquake

To watch a video of the quake click on the link.

Tsunami Warning

Indonesia has launched a new tsunami early warning system, designed to give people in coastal areas enough time to escape tsunamis before they reach land.

For more details follow this link to the news article on the BBC.

Shakeout Day

On the 13th November over 5 million people in California will take part in the largest earthquake drill ever held.

Click this video link to show you the scenerio:



For more details follow this link to The Great Southern California Shakeout site.

How do you think you would cope in a 7.8 Earthquake? Why not have a go at the Beat the Earthquake Game.

Hurricane hits the Caribbean

Hurricane Paloma has strengthened to a Category Three storm and is lashing the Cayman Islands with winds of up to 185km/h (115mph.

For more information click this link to the BBC news page. To track Hurricane Paloma click this link to the National Hurricane Centre in Miami.

Man made eruption

The eruption of the Lusi mud volcano in Indonesia was caused by drilling for oil and gas, a meeting of 74 leading geologists has concluded.

Lusi erupted in May 2006 and continues to spew out boiling mud, displacing around 30,000 people in East Java.

Drilling firm Lapindo Brantas denies a nearby well was the trigger, blaming an earthquake 280km (174 miles) away.

Around 10,000 families who have lost their homes are awaiting compensation, which could run as high as $70m (£43m).

After debating new evidence at a conference in South Africa, most geologists voted drilling as the cause.

For more details follow this link to the BBC page.

Quake hits southern Pakistan

At least 135 people have been killed after an earthquake of 6.4 magnitude hit Balochistan province in south-western Pakistan, officials say.
Officials in Balochistan say they expect the toll to rise.
The tremor struck 70km (45 miles) north of Quetta at 0409 (2309GMT Tuesday) at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles), the US Geological Survey said.
Many houses collapsed during the quake and some were destroyed in landslides that followed it, officials said.

UK not involved in Kopernikus

One of Europe's flagship space projects looks as though it is going to proceed with the UK continuing to be a bit-part player, scientists and engineers fear.

The Kopernikus programme is dedicated to acquiring and collating satellite data on the health of the planet.

Although Britain says it recognises the project's high value, especially for monitoring the climate, it has so far declined to take a lead in the venture.

Industry and academia have called for a swift change in government policy.

Failure to adopt a more positive approach before a critical meeting of Europe's space ministers next month will put expertise and jobs in the UK at risk, they warn.

Norbert strikes land

Hurricane Norbert has struck Mexico's Baja California Sur peninsula with heavy rains and 103mph (165km/h) winds.
The storm made landfall near the city of La Paz, blowing down roofs and uprooting trees. Thousands of residents have fled to shelters.
Forecasters say Norbert will cross the Gulf of California, before making a second landfall on Mexico's north-western mainland.
It is expected to hit the agricultural states of Sonora and Sinaloa later.
Nearly 3,000 people were evacuated to temporary shelters on Mexico's Pacific coast as the storm came ashore, bringing with it 13ft (4m) waves.

It's nearly all over!

Back to school on Tuesday for all you pupils (the staff are in tomorrow!) and its official: the dullest August on record!

It could be worse we could be going to the Caribbean on holiday over the next few weeks - just as Hurricanes Gustav and Hanna get up a head of steam.

Keep an eye on their progress and any other hurricane developments by going to the National Hurricane Centre website: click on the link on the Geog Links below.

Britain goes deep.

Scientists are set to explore the world's deepest undersea volcanoes, which lie 6km down in the Caribbean.
Delving into uncharted waters to hunt for volcanic vents will be Autosub6000, Britain's new autonomously controlled, robot submarine.
Once found, the life, gas and sediment around the vents - the world's hottest - will be sampled and catalogued.
The research will be carried out by a British team aboard the UK's latest research ship, the James Cook.

For more information link to the National Oceanography Centre in Southhampton.

Judge Judy Rocked

An earthquake measuring 5.4 has caused buildings to shake across a wide area of southern California in the US. One of the buildings had the set of the t.v. show Judge Judy which was in the middle of recording a new programme.

The epicentre was 29 miles (46km) south-east of central Los Angeles, near Chino Hills in San Bernardino County.

For more information look at the USGS page by following the link under the web pages.

Japan Tremor

A powerful earthquake has struck off the eastern coast of Japan, with officials warning that some regions could be hit by a small tsunami.

Japan's Meteorological Agency measured the 6.6-magnitude quake just before noon off Fukushima prefecture.

The agency issued a tsunami warning for Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures.

Reports said buildings shook in Tokyo with the force of the quake, but there was not thought to be any serious damage or any casualties.

Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries and experiences thousands of tremors each year.

Japan is rocked

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes northern Honshu, Japan's main island killing 6 and injuring more than 140 people.

In this mountainous part of the island landslides triggered by the shaking earth covered homes and people.

Japan which is on the boundary of the Pacific Plate and Eurasian Plate is prone to earthquakes.

For more details about Japan's earthquake history click on the US Geolgoical website link in the Georgaphy link list below right.

Tornado rips through scout camp

Tornado season in the US runs through spring into early summer and unfortunately each year people are killed.

Yesterday was no exception when a Tornado ran through a scout camp in Iowa killing four people.

This year has been a particularly deadly one with Tornadoes ripping through many of the mid western states of the US; an area infamously called Tornado Alley.

To learn how Tornadoes form click on the link to the Weather Wiz Kids page.

Blowing in the wind

Scientists at the University of Florida have created the world's largest hurricane simulator, which is capable of producing hurricane force winds.
It is hoped it will make the homes of millions of people safer.

Watch the simulator work on the BBC Website - click the link.

Further devestation on the way?

With already 100000 people dead and another 1.5 million people destitute Burma is facing a possible hit from another Tropical Cyclone. This information has come from the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre.

Other sites where you can follow the predicted path of Tropical storms (Hurricanes, Typhoons, Tropical Cyclones or Willy Willies) are as follows:

The National Hurricane Centre in Miami

The Japan Meteorological Agency

Indian Meteorological Department

For more information about how Tropical Cyclones form, why and how they are named then look at our own Met office website.

In the beginning.

Unfortunately, it has taken the deaths of over 160000 people to trigger us into the modern era, but now we have arrived. The events of the last two weeks have been devestating for the people of southern Burma and south western China but for a geographer the tropical cyclone and earthquake are ideal case-studies for these natural hazards.

So for you lot in Year 9, 11, 12 and 13 take a look at the USGS website and BBC News site for information on the causes, effects and possible solutions to these forces of Mother Nature.