Swarm of Quakes Jolts Yellowstone

(NEWSER) - The recent rash of earthquakes at Yellowstone National Park has geologists intrigued but unworried; that’s not the case with online doomsayers who think the park's volcano is getting ready to blow, the AP reports. About 900 quakes, most undetectable by humans, hit in the week following Christmas. “Something is brewing,” went a post on the aptly named Armageddononline.org, “especially considering that Yellowstone is over 40,000 years overdue for a major eruption.” More»

Team detects seismic waves up to 10 hours before Calif. tremor

(NEWSER) - Researchers could be closer to predicting earthquakes hours before they happen, with an article in the journal Nature detailing how scientists detected seismic changes in rocks as much as 10 hours before two small California temblors. “Hurricane [warnings] give you an idea of what could be done,” one researcher told the BBC of such a breakthrough—still perhaps years away in daily application. More»

Some blame fracking, amid sketchy evidence

(NEWSER) - Scientists aren’t entirely sure what caused the earthquakes that rocked Oklahoma last week , but many in the state are wondering whether it might have something to do with the oil wells and fracking operations that dot the state, the LA Times reports. Oil companies scoff at the notion—“To try to blame it on an industry that’s been around for hundreds of years is pretty far-fetched,” the head of one group said—and scientists say it’s unlikely, but they’re looking into it. More»

Apes starting climbing seconds before ground started shaking

(NEWSER) - In a mysterious phenomenon that has been observed since ancient times, animals at the National Zoo in Washington, DC, appear to have sensed Tuesday's earthquake before humans did. Seconds before the ground began to shake, gorillas and orangutans dropped their food, grabbed their young, and climbed as high as they could. The zoo's 64 flamingos huddled together, and an elephant made an unusual low-pitched noise just before the earthquake was felt, zookeepers tell the Washington Post . More»

5.2, 6.0 shakers rock city already destroyed by massive quake

(NEWSER) - Two new serious earthquakes rattled tremblor-weary Christchurch today, sending boulders plunging down hillsides and injuring residents. The 5.2 and a 6.0 quakes struck just 20 minutes apart around lunch time, sending panicked New Zealanders into the streets. Two men were rescued from rubble that collapsed on top of them as they were salvaging windows from a church damaged by February's massive 6.3 quake, reports AP . City officials were concerned the tremors may have further damaged Christchurch cathedral, devastated in the last quake, but it was still too dangerous to approach the building for inspection. "Thank God we had evacuated the red zone," said the mayor, referring to the city center which remains closed. More»