January 31, 2001

Several small-to-moderate sized eruptions occurred during the past week on Mexico's Popocatepetl Volcano. A pyroclastic flow halted 8 km (5 miles) from the town of Santiago Xalitzintla. ( Volcano World) The volcano remains on Yellow Alert Phase III with a restricted area extending 12 kilometers (about 8 miles) out from the summit.

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake has struck in easternmost Democratic Republic of Congo in central Africa, near the border with Uganda. (National Earthquake Information Center). There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

Mozambique in southern Africa has been hit simultaneously with drought and flooding, with drought threatening the southern part of the country with massive starvation, and flooding destroying crops and displacing people in the central part of the country. (Environmental Network News)

Another aftershock of magnitude 4.8 shook western India. (National Earthquake Information Center)

The Red Cross has estimated that as many as 50,000 people may have died in last Friday's India earthquake; the Indian defense minister said the total may rise as high as 100,000. At least 200,000 people remain homeless. (CNN.com)

An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 shook the South Sandwich Islands region between South America and Antarctica. (National Earthquake Information Center)

A deep earthquake with magnitude of 5.0 shook the Flores Region, east of Java, in Indonesia. (National Earthquake Information Center)

January 30, 2001

A major aftershock to last Friday's magnitude 7.9 earthquake rattled western India with a magnitude of 4.5. (National Earthquake Information Center)

January 29, 2001

Mt. Mayon volcano in the Philippines has been raised to a Level 3 alert, meaning an eruption is anticipated in the next few weeks. Activity has increased dramatically in the past week. (Volcano World)

An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 struck 110 km (70 miles) SSW of Rabaul, in eastern Papua New Guinea, north of Australia. (National Earthquake Information Center)

Another major aftershock of last week's El Salvador earthquake rattled central America with a magnitude of 4.7. (National Earthquake Information Center)

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck southern Sumatra Island in Indonesia. (National Earthquake Information Center)

An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 rattled the Easter Island microplate in the eastern South Pacific Ocean. (National Earthquake Information Center)

An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 rocked the Irian Jaya region of Indonesia. (National Earthquake Information Center)

January 28, 2001

A decision was announced that the tanker that ran aground in the Galapagos Islands, spilling well over a hundred thousand gallons of oil, will be left in place to become an artificial reef. (Reuters).

The repeated recent earthquakes in central America have set off fears of possible volcanic eruptions. (Earth Alert)

January 27, 2001

A major aftershock to Friday's earthquake in India rocked western India with a magnitude of 5.8. (National Earthquake Information Center)

An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 struck Andreanov Island, in the outer Aleutian Islands of Alaska. No damage or injuries were reported. (National Earthquake Information Center)

An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 struck in the Ryukyu Islands, south of the main Janapanese archipelago. No damage or injuries were reported. (National Earthquake Information Center)

An earthquake with a focal depth of over 100 km and magnitude of 5.5 occurred with an epicenter east of the main Andean crest in northern Peru (National Earthquake Information Center

A deep earthquake with a focus of over 200 km and magnitude of 4.8 rocked the northernmost part of the Argentine Andes. (National Earthquake Information Center)

A shallow earthquake (focal depth of about 5 km) with magnitude 3.3 rattled the Hebgen Lake area of southwestern Montana, near the Idaho-Wyoming border. (National Earthquake Information Center. Hebgen Lake itself was created by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in 1959, in which 28 people lost their lives.

January 26, 2001

Despite popular tendencies to link similar events, scientists have cautioned that there is no linkage between what seem to be a spate of earthquakes around the world. (Reuters).

Western India has been devastated by an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 (National Earthquake Information Center). Initial reports are that at least 650 people have been killed, a total that is expected to rise as relief and rescue operations kick into high gear. Additional coverage is available through Reuters; CNN.com and CBSNews.com There were hundreds of aftershocks, of which at least four exceeded magnitudes of 5.0 (National Earthquake Information Center)

An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 struck northeastern Ohio, with an epicenter in Lake Erie (National Earthquake Information Center). Ohio is not normally an earthquake-prone area. (The Cleveland Plain Dealer has an extended story on the 'quake.)

An earthquake of magnitude 4.7 struck offshore near the southern Mexico - Guatemala border (National Earthquake Information Center; there were no reports of damage.

An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 struck northwest of the previous one, off the coast of Oaxaca province, Mexico. (National Earthquake Information Center).

An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 struck in the Solomon Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean (National Earthquake Information Center).

January 25, 2001

Aftershocks from last weekend's killer earthquake in El Salvador continue, with one today having a magnitude of 5.3 (National Earthquake Information Center).

Merapi Volcano in Indonesia has been reported to be producing numerous pyroclastic flows, ash, glowing lava flows, and lava avalanches (Volcano World.

January 24, 2001

Mexico's Popocatepetl Volcano continued to eject ash and lava (CNN.com) in an eruptive event that began on the 22nd (Volcano World).

Merapi Volcano on Java, Indonesia, erupted, sending clouds of ash into the sky and streams of lava down the flanks from the summit in what authorities have termed a minor eruption. Hundreds of thousands of people have been warned to be ready to evacuate as scientists closely monitor the volcano (Associated Press, via CNN.com; see Smithsonian Institution Preliminary Notices of Volcanic Activity for more discussion of Merapi and other Indonesian volcanoes that have been active in the past week.)

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck southwest of Kodiak Island, Alaska, near the Alaska Peninsula. There were no initial reports of any damage. (National Earthquake Information Center)

A very shallow (focal depth 5 km) earthquake of magnitude 3.5 rattled a sparsely populated area of north-central Nevada. There were no reports of damage. (National Earthquake Information Center)

A shallow earthquake of magnitude 5.1 struck in the Santa Cruz Islands region of the southwest Pacific Ocean. (National Earthquake Information Center)

January 23, 2001

Three aftershocks of magnitude 5.0, 4.3, and 4.0 struck about 170 km (105 miles) southwest of Port Hardy, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, following an earlier earthquake of magnitude 5.2 at the same site. There were no reports of damage. (National Earthquake Information Center)

An earthquake of magnotude 5.0 occurred on the Reykjanes Ridge, 1000 km (650 miles) south of Greenland, in the Atlantic Ocean. (National Earthquake Information Center)

An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 struck near the coast of Guatemala in Central America, not far from the spicenter of last Sunday's devastating 6.7 El Salvador earthquake. (National Earthquake Information Center)

An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 struck southern Sumatra, in Indonesia. (National Earthquake Information Center)

Two earthquakes of magnitude 4.9 and 5.3 struck the Bonin Islands, south-southeast of Honshu, Japan. No damage was reported.

An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 occurred just off the Pacific Antarctic Ridge in the southern Pacific Ocean, about 4000 km (2500 miles) east of New Zealand, halfway to South America. (National Earthquake Information Center)

January 22, 2001

Mexico's Popocatepetl Volcano ("El Popo") shuddered from a magnitude 2.8 earthquake that preceeded an eruption sending a column of ash several kilometers skyward. Several pyroclastic flows reached as far as 4-6 km (2.5-4 km) from the summit; the volcano remains on Alert Level 3. (Volcano World)

Ecuador declared a national emergency as the ship that ran aground the previous day spilled more than half its 240,000-gallon cargo of oil into the Pacific Ocean, less than a half-mile from the Galapagos Islands. (Reuters; CNN. com)

January 21, 2001

An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 shook the northern end of the island of Mindanao, Philippines (National Earthquake Information Center

A second earthquake of magnitude 5.1 occurred on the mid-Atlantic Ridge NE of the Azores Islands, in almost precisely the same location as the one the previous day. (National Earthquake Information Center)

A boat carrying oil to the world-famous Galapagos Islands ran aground and has spilled out at least 1000 gallons in the ecologically sensitive home to numerous unique species. (Reuters )

January 20, 2001

A shallow undersea earthquake of magnitude 5.1 rattled northern Vancouver Island and adjacent mainland British Columbia in western Canada (National Earthquake Information Center)

An undersea earthquake of magnitude 5.2 occurred on the mid-Atlantic Ridge about 680 km (425 miles) NE of the Azores Islands (National Earthquake Information Center)

January 19, 2001

An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 jolted the Santa Cruz Islands in the southwestern Pacific. (National Earthquake Information Center)

An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 rattled eastern Java in Indonesia (National Earthquake Information Center)

Mt. Karangetang in Indonesia joined those placed on Level 2 alert for a possible volcanic eruption. (Volcano World)

January 18, 2001

Soufriere Hills Volcano on Montserrat, in the eastern Caribbean, has been reported to have entered into a second episode of prolonged and vigorous dome growth (Smithsonian Institution Preliminary Notices of Volcanic Activity).

An earthquake of magnitude 5.6 struck southeastern Uzbekistan in the former Soviet Union. (National Earthquake Information Center)

A shallow earthquake with a magnitude of 5.0 was centered on the East Pacific rise in the south-central Gulf of California, Mexico (National Earthquake Information Center)

An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 occurred on the mid-Indian Ridge in the Indian Ocean (National Earthquake Information Center)

An earthquake of magnitude 5.6 occurred off the coast of southern Sumatra, Indonesia (National Earthquake Information Center)

An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 occurred to the south off the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia (National Earthquake Information Center)

An earthquake of magnitude 4.0 jolted the region surrounding Goldfield, Nevada, near the California border (National Earthquake Information Center)

An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 rattled northern Chile (National Earthquake Information Center)

January 17, 2001

A minor earthquake of magnitude 2.5 rattled central Manhattan Island, New York City. ( National Earthquake Information Center; Reuters, via CNN.com)

Merapi Volcano, on the island of Java in Indonesia, was placed on a Level 2 alert and local residents were warned they may have to evacuate. In the previous week, ash plumes have been flung 1.5 km (5000 feet) into the sky and a minor eruption of lava was reported on the western flank of the volcano. (Volcano World )

An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 struck the Kermadec Islands region, in the southwestern Pacific northeast of New Zealand. ( National Earthquake Information Center)

January 16, 2001

A major earthquake struck southern Sumatra, Indonesia, with a magnotude of 6.8. ( National Earthquake Information Center) Within 24 hours, it was followed by at least five major aftershocks with magnitudes greater than 5.0.

Mt. Mayon volcano in the Philippines was reported to be increasing significantly beyond normal background levels, and a Level 2 volcano alert was issued by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. (Volcano World) (See also Smithsonian Institution Preliminary Notices of Volcanic Activity.)

Aftershocks continue to follow the major El Salvador earthquake of the 13th, including one today with a magnitude of 5.7 . (National Earthquake Information Center)

January 15, 2001

An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 occurred on the Mid-Indian Ridge, part of the mid-oceanic rise and ridge system in the Indian Ocean. ( National Earthquake Information Center)

A minor earthquake of approximate magnitude 3.1 rattled Wellington, New Zealand. ( National Earthquake Information Center)

At least four more aftershocks with magnitudes of 5.0 or greater rattled the El Salvadoran coast. (National Earthquake Information Center)

January 14, 2001

Two very shallow earthquakes of magnitudes 4.3 and 4.1 rocked Southern California northwest of Los Angeles. There were no immediate reports of damage. (National Earthquake Information Center)

An earthquake of magnitude 5.8 occurred in the sea south of Japan, 370 km (230 miles) SW of Iwo Jima; no damage or tsunami were reported. ( National Earthquake Information Center)

A shallow earthquake of magnitude 5.2 occurred just off the southern coast of Java, Indonesia. No reports of significant damage or injuries were received. ( National Earthquake Information Center)

Indonesian authorities issued evacuation alerts to hundreds of thousands of residents on the country's main island of Java on Thursday after experts predicted that Mount Merapi Volcano could experience a major eruption. (EarthAlert )

A major aftershock to yesterday's El Salvador earthquake occurred with a magnitude of 5.4, with epicenter 90 km (55 miles) SSE of the national capital, San Salvador. ( National Earthquake Information Center) A second aftershock of magnitude 5.2 occurred less than six minutes later. (National Earthquake Information Center)

January 13, 2001

A major earthquake of magnitude 7.6 rocked much of Central America from the epicenter off the coast of El Salvador and was felt as far away as Mexico City, some 1000 km (600 miles) distant. ( National Earthquake Information Center) At least 300 are known dead and as many as 1200 people are reported missing. Reuters; C NN.com)

Most of the missing were buried beneath an enormous landslide that sent a wall of mud crashing into a suburb of the national capital. (Reuters)

January 12, 2001

A shallow earthquake of magnitude 5.4 struck near the coast of Peru. ( National Earthquake Information Center)

A deep earthquake with magnitude 5.2 occurred near Tonga in the Southwestern Pacific. ( National Earthquake Information Center)

A shallow earthquake of magnitude 5.6 occurred on the island of Luzon, about 200 miles north of Manila, in the Philippine Islands. ( National Earthquake Information Center)

January 11, 2001

An earthquake of magnitude 5.8 struck undersea about 120 miles (190 km) SSW of Port Hardy, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. No damage is expected. (National Earthquake Information Center)

The region around Mt. Mayon in the Philippines has been placed on Level 2 alert as the volcano shows signs of renewed activity. (Smithsonian Institution Preliminary Notices of Volcanic Activity) The volcano has recorded some 45 significant eruptions since 1616; over a half-million people live within a 15-km (10-mile) radius of the summit crater. (Ph ilippine Volcano Observatory)

January 10, 2001

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.7 occurred about 65 miles (110 km) southwest of Kodiak, Alaska or about 315 miles (510 km) south-southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. No reports of damage, casualties or tsunamis were received immediately, although shaking was felt as far away as Anchorage. (Reuters; CNN.com) The 'quake was followed four hours later by three major aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 4.6-5.2. (National Earthquake Information Center)

January 9, 2001

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake rumbled through southern Mexico near the Guatemala border in the state of Chiapas. There were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries. ( National Earthquake Information Center)

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake rattled windows in southern Shikoku Island, Japan. (National Earthquake Information Center)

Three earthquakes of magnitudes 4.7 , 4.9 , and 5.5 shook the Fiji Islands over a half-hour period. (National Earthquake Information Center)

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake rocked the southwestern Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. ( National Earthquake Information Center)

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake rattled western Chihuahua Province in Mexico, just south of the Texas border. ( National Earthquake Information Center)

January 8, 2001

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred beneath the sea some 250 km (155 miles) SE of Mindanao Island, Philippines. ( National Earthquake Information Center)

January 7, 2001

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake rattled central Chile between Valparaiso, on the coast, and Santiago, the national capital. ( National Earthquake Information Center) This was followed 8 minutes later by a second earthquake measuring 4.8 in magnitude with nearly the same epicenter.

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurred about 100 miles (160 km) south of the coast of Jawa, Indonesia. There were no initial reports of damage or injuries. ( National Earthquake Information Center)

January 6, 2001

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck southeast of Mindanao, Philippines, the fourth earthquake of magnitude 5 or greater in the same area in a 72-hour period. (National Earthquake Information Center)

OPEC oil ministers announced a plan to cut production by 1.5-2.0 million barrels per day to boost prices. ( Associated Press)

January 5, 2001

Earthquakes of magnitude 5.1 and 5.0 struck beneath the sea floor southeast of Mindanao, Philippines. (National Earthquake Information Center)

January 4, 2001

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck the west coast of Honshu, Japan, 60 km (35 miles) northeast of Nagano. ( National Earthquake Information Center)

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao, Philippines. (National Earthquake Information Center)

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