Scientists using a new form of analysis say that an earthquake south of Los Angeles would cause "stronger-than-expected ground movement" in the city. Since it was already expected that Los Angeles will be totally wiped off the fucking map, we suggest that L.A. residents begin calmly making their way out.
A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan today, precipitating what estimates say will be a 1-meter tsunami headed for the Fukushima coast. The U.S. Geological Survey says there is a "low likelihood" for fatalities or economic loss from this tsunami, according to the New York Daily News.
A death toll in the hundreds is expected following a massive earthquake in southeast Iran near the border of Pakistan on Tuesday. Measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, the quake is the country's largest in decades, and its tremors reportedly caused buildings to sway as far away as New Delhi and Qatar.
A 7.6-magnitude earthquake has hit off the coast of the Philippines, triggering tsunami warnings in Indonesia and Belau.
Yet another earthquake hit the Emilia Romagna region of Italy on Tuesday morning, killing at least ten people around Modena and burying several others in rubble. Last Sunday, a 6.0 magnitude quake killed seven and destroyed 300,000 wheels of cheese; several historic buildings in Cavezzo and other towns have since collapsed.
The Atlantic has an amazing collection of exact before-and-after photos documenting the reconstruction of Japan in the wake of last year's quake that should, if we're calculating this right, occupy exactly enough time for you to make it to the end of the work day. [The Atlantic, image via Getty/AFP/Atlantic]
The end of the world is apparently kicking off in Oklahoma! This weekend the Sooner State was rocked by two earthquakes (spurring a mass bird and bug exodus); today, it was on the receiving end of a somewhat more conventional natural disaster: tornados. Storm chaser Reed Timmer captured this way-too-up-close tornado photo from through his windshield near Tipton, Okla.; 17 counties in the state are under a tornado watch and the AP reports that the Oklahoma State University extension office was destroyed. Sooners, you need to move out of your state before a tsunami hits it. But wait until the tornados pass.
Oklahoma got hit by a record-breaking 5.6-magnitude earthquake last night—its second in as many days—and while there were no injuries or major damages, it could be felt as far away as Wisconsin. And as if two earthquakes in Oklahoma wasn't end-days enough, here's a video from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That big green splotch? That's all the birds and bugs in the area taking to wing in numbers so big they got picked up by the radar. [NewsOK, radar graphics via NOAA]
Drug approval! Earthquake danger! Child risks! Ending aging! Cancer marathon! Texas therapy! Pneumonia vaccination! Robot walking! And a whole new way of looking at regulation! It's your Friday Health Watch, where we watch your health—with a heavy heart!
The National Park Service has released some security footage from last month's DC earthquake, and it is absolutely terrifying. The scene goes from laid-back texting park ranger to full-on panic in about five seconds flat.
In what will surely be the greatest press release of ths week, the National Zoo offers a catalog of how various animals reacted to yesterday's earthquake. In it, we discover that the range of animal quake reactions is roughly the same as the range of human quake reactions, from startled shrieking to baleful hiding:
