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mmmmbarium
tagged & banned
Joined: 27 Dec 2005
Posts: 385
Location: Hell on Earth |
8 meter earth split in Ethiopia, anyone heard of this yet?
 Fri Jan 06, 2006 3:53 am
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"A continental rifting process that normally takes millions of years to form has developed over a span of seven weeks in the Afar region of Ethiopia.
It was a close study, using radar interferometry, of an earth rupture developing into a rare axial rift zone -- a possible future ocean basin.
Scientists from Ethiopia and Britain made four expeditions to the Da'ure locality in the Afar Depression between mid-September and early October to collect geophysical and geological data, said Atalay Ayele of the Geophysical Observatory of the Addis Ababa University (AAU).
It started with a series of quakes that were first recorded Sep 14 in Da'ure, an area in the lowlands of western Ethiopia that stretches from the central part of the country to the Dahlak Islands of Eritrea in the Red Sea.
The volcanic activity, recorded at N 12.651 degrees longitude and E 40.519 degrees latitude, spewed ash for three continuous days and eventually numerous cracks appeared on the ground, spreading fear among the pastoral inhabitants.
Unsettled by the phenomena of rumbling tremors, they approached the regional authorities to ask the federal government in Addis Ababa to look into it.
The government asked experts in the field at the AAU to investigate the phenomena, and if need be ask for assistance from universities abroad, which is where the British scientist got involved.
"We were thus involved in a collaborative undertaking with earth scientists from Britain to undertake further study to collect data in and around the Da'ure locality," said Atalay.
An image of the locality taken by a NASA satellite orbiting the earth showed that an area of 60 km had developed an eight-metre opening.
"This was a fast opening rate within a span of about two months, from Sep 14 to early November, an exciting event in scientific terms," said Atalay.
"Compare this to the very slow movement of the plate tectonic affecting the crust of the earth in the Afar region, which is about 17 mm per year," he explained.
Cindy Binger of Royal Holloway, University of London, presented the findings at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.
Atalay said there were no immediate concerns about the Afar region, noting that it would take a couple of million years before the area turns into an ocean basin.
For scientists researching the phenomena, the Afar region is a natural laboratory where the transition between oceanic rift and continental rift is visible on land. Such transition is also evident in Iceland.
"The events we witnessed in Afar for about seven weeks have enabled us to look into the possible, faster rate of rifting in the region," said Atalay.
"What we saw was a microcosm of a process of an earth split that takes millions of years to evolve into an ocean basin," he declared"
http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=202515&cat=Science |
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KNOW-THIS
Joined: 14 Jul 2003
Posts: 3694
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Fri Jan 06, 2006 7:47 am
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I'm not sure if I've heard of that exact tear or not but I do believe that I've come across similar accounts. In between the rise in earthquakes, volcanoes, storms, meteors, the reversing magnetic field and everything else, the earth is highly volatile right now. I'm afraid that if the conditions continue to worsen like this, the face of the earth may no longer be a very hospitable environment for its inhabitants, namely us.
There has also been a lot of random sink holes opening up in many unusual places as well. In some areas, entire lakes have disappeared overnight. How weird would that be? The earth is a shaking and a shifting…
Missouri lake goes down the drain again
quote:
Last week, however, residents noticed that the water was dropping again, by at least a foot a day, Colella said.
The lake must drain completely before a geologist can determine exactly what the problem is, he said.
"Last year, I knew what to do," Colella said. "This year, I'm not sure. I don't think people have the stomach for another $1,000 assessment."
It doesn't sound as if the lake emptied because of crust movement but you just never know.
Here's probably a better example.
Vanishing lake baffles Russians
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Residents of a village in central Russia are trying to solve the mystery of a lake that disappeared overnight.
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"It looks like somebody has pulled the plug out of a gigantic bath," said the TV's correspondent, next to a deep debris-filled hole.
Local officials in Nizhny Novgorod region say the lake was probably sucked into an underground cave.
The name of the village - which lies about 250 km (155 miles) east of Moscow - roughly translates as "boggy".
quote:
The lake's disappearance may have been caused by subsidence allowing the water to drain into a cave system or underground river, local official Dmitry Klyuev said.
According to Mr Klyuev, several houses were swallowed up in similar circumstances 70 years ago.
That's got to be strange!
Sinkhole Devours Portland, Tenn. Home, Belongings
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While Troy and Yvonne Givens slept, on Nov. 29, a large sinkhole opened up under their Portland, Tenn. home, swallowing their house, possessions and family heirlooms.
Advertisement
The Givens' awoke early that day to discover that much of their house had fallen into a giant hole.
The large sinkhole began underneath the Givens' utility room, which was converted from a garage. It moved outward to the back of the house, but continued to spread, moving to the front and causing the porch to fall.
How much would that suck?
_________________
"You find me offensive? I find you offensive, for finding me offensive" |
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Et in Arcadia ego
Joined: 07 Jun 2005
Posts: 2166
Location: The Void |
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Fri Jan 06, 2006 2:05 pm
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quote:
Originally posted by KNOW-THIS
There has also been a lot of random sink holes opening up in many unusual places as well.
I can't explain away a dissapearing Lake, but being a Florida native I'm pretty familiar with sinkholes and what cause them. At least down there, the majority are caused by collapsed aquifers that had originally contained water. Road paving and home foundations block the Aquifer's ability to keep itself replenished. When the Aquifer dries up, and surprise, surprise, there's a house above it..
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"If the President has commander-in-chief power to commit torture, he has the power to commit genocide, to sanction slavery, to promote apartheid, to license summary execution." |
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