Earth & Space Weather

Life found in the sediments of an Antarctic subglacial lake for the first time

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Earthsky.org - 9/19/13,

the-lake

The possibility that extreme life forms might exist in the cold and dark lakes hidden kilometres beneath the Antarctic ice sheet has fascinated scientists for decades.

This is because parts of the ice sheet are melting and retreating at unprecedented rates as the temperature rises at the poles.
The group targeted Lake Hodgson on the Antarctic Peninsula which was covered by more than 400 m of ice at the end of the last Ice Age, but is now considered to be an emerging subglacial lake, with a thin covering of just 3–4 metres of ice.

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Volcanoes, lagoons, monks and cathedrals in the high Andes

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Digital Journal-By Igor I.Solar Sept 9,2013

Quipiaco is a highland lagoon  usually frozen in winter  surrounded by gentle hills offering breatht...

Image by Igor I Solar

Antofagasta - Among the most interesting expeditions to the Andes Mountain range is the trip to the “Salar de Tara” (Tara Salt-flats). The amazing scenery includes towering volcanoes, beautiful lagoons, incredible rock formations, and varied wildlife.

Quipiaco Lagoon

To get to ”Salar de Tara” one must travel from San Pedro de Atacama, in the region of Antofagasta in Chile, through the international route to Jama Pass which connects northern Chile with the city of Jujuy in Argentina. The route passes near Lincancabur Volcano (5,916 meters) and runs along the border between Chile and Bolivia before passing through the “Aguada de Quipiaco” (Quipiaco Lagoon). Quipiaco is a stunning highland lagoon, normally frozen in winter, surrounded by gentle hills offering breathtakingly beautiful landscapes.

 
About 50 kilometers away from the border, in the middle of the Andes highlands, the route to Tara leaves the main road to enter unmarked paths through the desert sands that are navigable only by experienced guides using 4x4, GPS-equipped vehicles.

Pakana Monks

Hotspot Volcanoes: Earthquake Risk in Hawaii

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Insurance Journal-By Khosrow Shabestari and Claire Pontbriand | September 9, 2013

hawaii_volcano

It was June 15, 1990, when Mount Pinatubo, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, awoke from its 500-year slumber to produce the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century.

Nearly a year before, Luzon was shaken by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake epicentered about 60 miles northeast of the volcano. Thousands of smaller earthquakes also occurred in the months leading up to the eruption as magma moved toward the surface from more than 20 miles below the volcano. Like most volcanoes, Mount Pinatubo is located along the boundary of tectonic plates. It is here where massive pieces of the Earth’s rigid outer shell, or lithosphere, converge or diverge, producing most seismic and volcanic activity.

But volcanoes and seismic hazards exist as well in the interior of tectonic plates. The Hawaiian Islands, for example, sit well within the interior of the vast Pacific Plate. On Hawaii, earthquakes accompany the movement of magma within and under active volcanoes such as Mauna Loa, Kilauea, and Hualalai, and sometimes release the strain that accumulates along the flanks of these volcanoes.

~ Space Weather Update~ SUNSET SKY SHOW~ Emerging Coronal Hole

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SUNSET SKY SHOW: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look west. Venus and the slender crescent Moon are gathering in the twilight sky for a beautiful conjunction. Sky watchers across North America will see them only 1o to 3o degrees apart, while observers in far-South America will witness a full-fledged occultation. The Moon will pass directly in front of Venus. It's a nice way to end the day. Astronomy alerts: text, voice.

RIM FIRE FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE: The Rim Fire overlapping Yosemite National Park has now burned more than a quarter of a million acres (390 sq. miles), and according to the US Forest Service it may continue to grow, thanks to low humidity and other conditions. Smoke from the wildfire is affecting an even greater area. On Sept. 1st, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus sent a camera to the edge of space for a wide-angle shot of the smokey plumes:

Don’t miss the moon and Venus tonight!

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Earthsky.org - 9/8/13, Deborah Byrd

View larger. | Here are the moon and Venus last night - September 7 - as captured by EarthSky Facebook friend Ken Christison in North Carolina.  Thank you, Ken!  On Sunday evening - September 8 - the moon will appear much closer to Venus.  The Americas, in particular, will get a dramatically close view of the pair.

Tonight – Sunday, September 8, 2013 – there will be a very close pairing of the moon and Venus, especially as seen from the Americas. The moon and Venus will be seen from around the world, but, since the moon is moving in orbit around Earth, its distance from Venus on our sky’s dome will vary throughout that day. North and South America, and Europe, are all well placed for viewing this event. These are the brightest nighttime objects in Earth’s sky. They will be beautiful, no matter where you are on the globe.

Start looking for the moon and Venus about 30 minutes after sunset on September 8. Look west. Don’t wait too late because, especially from latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, Venus soon follows the sun below the western horizon.

3 rescued from Alaskan volcano after helicopter ices over

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FOX NEWS-

Associated Press

Two researchers and their pilot were rescued Friday from a remote Alaska volcano after freezing rain left thick ice on their helicopter's blades.

Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said the rescue came at about 5 p.m. Friday. The three were caught in a freezing rainstorm Wednesday evening.

Pilot Sam Egli, United States Geological Survey geophysicist John Paskievitch, and University of Alaska-Fairbanks researcher Taryn Lopez were not injured.

They were attempting to monitor volcano equipment when "the weather moved in," Egli said. The work is part of an assignment to also repair permanent monitoring equipment on volcanoes in the area known as the Valley of 10,000 Smokes.

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