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Breaking News NASA's Perseverance Rover Collects 20th Rock Sample.

Earthquake News

British Isles

2024
• 10th November, 0.9 recorded in Comrie, Perthshire, Scotland
• 3rd October, 1.4 recorded in Prestigne, Powys, Wales
• 1st October, 0.9 + 2.2, recorded in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland
• 16th September, 1.2 recorded in Pwllheli, Gynedd, Wales
• 7th September, 1.3 recorded in Pont Plas, Gynedd, Wales
• 2nd September, 1.3 recorded in Llangaffo, Anglesey, Wales
• 21st July, 2.0 recorded under Irish Sea
• 30th May, 1.2 recorded near Bromyard, Herefordshire
• 20th May, 1.5 recorded near Church, Stretton, Shropshire
• 20th May, 1.3 recorded in Morvern, Scotland
• 2nd May, 1.1 recorded in Donegal, Republic of Ireland
• 27th April, 1.7 recorded in Channel Islands
• 22nd April, 1.0 recorded in Llangrig, Powys, Wales
• 22nd April, 2.3 recorded in Cor Caron, Ceredigion, Wales
• 19th April, 2.5 recorded at Belper, Derbyshire
• 17th April, 1.5 recorded at Newport, Shropshire
• 13th April, 0.9, recorded in Irish Sea
• 28th March, 1.0 recorded in St Clears, Carmarthenshire, Wales
• 23rd March, 3.2 recorded in North Sea near to the Shetland Islands
• 7th March, 1.8 recorded at Winster, Derbyshire
• 3rd March, 2.0 recorded under Irish Sea
• 3rd March, 0.9 recorded at Llangwyn, Conwy, Wales
• 2nd March, 0.5 recorded in Llanbedr, Gwynedd, Wales
• 28th February, 3.7 recorded in Gruhywel, Powys, Wales
• 27th February, 1.4 recorded in Morvern, Scotland
• 15th February, 1.5 recorded in Snowdonia, Wales
• 14th February, 1.2 recorded on Isle of Islay, Scotland
• 8th February, 1.3 recorded in Bethesda, Gywnedd, Wales
• 1st February, 2.8 + 1.4 recorded in Morvern, Scotland
• 29th January, 1.1 recorded in Morvern, Scotland
• 29th January, 3.3 recorded in Mordart, Scotland
• 29th January, 1.1 recorded in Isle of Mull, Scotland
• 28th January, 1.6 recorded in Constantine, Cornwall
• 25th January, 1.2 recorded in Llangynog, Carmarthenshire, Wales
• 18th January, 2.9 recorded in English Channel off Sussex
• 17th January, 1.4 recorded at Morvern, Scotland
• 17th January, 1.1 recorded at Treshnish Islands, Scotland
• 13th Januaru, 0.5 recorded Pontypridd, Wales
• 16th January, 3.9 recorded at Shetland Islands, Scotland
• 2nd January, 2.5 recorded in Peak District, Derbyshire

2023
• 24th December, 2.0 recorded in Argyll, Scotland
• 20th December, 1.8 recorded at Capel Carmel, Gwynedd, Wales
• 11th December, 1.6 recorded on Isle of Islay, Scotland
• 10th December, 1.3 recorded in Donegal, Eire
• 9th December, 2.1 recorded at Morvern, Scotland
• 19th November, 2.7 recorded at Mounts Bay, Cornwall
• 30th October, 1.3 recorded in Anglesey, Wales
• 22nd July, 2.0 recorded in Blaina, Blaenau Gwent, Wales
• 28th June, 3.3 recorded in Tean, Staffordshire
• 20th June, 0.4 recorded in Celtic Sea, Cornwall
• 6th May, 2.5 recorded in Donegal, Irish Republic
• 29th March, 2.2 recorded at Horncastle, Lincolnshire
• 28th February, 1.2 recorded at Bringsty, Herefordshire
• 25th February, 1.7 recorded in Isles of Scilly
• 23rd February, 3.7 recorded at Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, Wales
• 12th February, 3.7 recorded under North Sea off the coast of Norfolk
• 9th February, 2.3 recorded in Bicknacre, Essex
• 4th February, 0.9 recorded in Llanwynmawr, Wrexham, Wales
• 3rd February.1.5 recorded in Blackpool, Lancashire
• 18th January, 3.2 recorded in Treshnish Islands, Argyl & Bute, Scotland
• 10th January, 1.7 recorded in Treshnish Islands, Argyl & Bute, Scotland

2022
• 27th December, 2,0 recorded at Llanbedr, Powys, Wales
• 27th October, 2,0 recorded at Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys, Wales
• 25th October, 0.4 + 0.5 recorded at Portreath, Cornwall
• 25th October, 0.5 recorded at Penpol, Cornwall
• 12th October, 1.8 recorded in Llanwst, Conwy, Wales
• 18th September, 1.5 recorded at Portmadog, Gwynedd, Wales
• 24th August, 0.6 recorded on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales
• 15th August, 1.0 recorded at Llanalehaearn, Gwynedd, Wales
• 14th August, 0.5 recorded at Delamere Forest, Cheshire
• 31st July, 1.0 recorded at Lochearnhead, Stirlingshire, Sotland
• 25th July, 0.9 recorded in Donegal, Irish Republic
• 10th June, 0.1 recorded in Constantine, Cornwall
• 30th May, 3.8 recorded in Wem, Shropshire
• 30th May, 2.1 recorded in Arran, Scotland
• 29th May, 2.3 recorded in Sale, Manchester
• 27thth May, 2.2 reorded in Ramsgill, North Yorkshire
• 6th May, 2.3 recorded in Northamptonshire
• 20th April, 1.7 recorded in Wester Ross, Scotland
• 13th April, 0.8 recorded in Trewen, Powys, Wales
• 4th April, 1.0 recorded in Conwy, Wales
• 31st March, 1.1 recorded at Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire
• 22nd March, 2.7 + 2.5 + 2.2 recorded at Shetland
• 21st February, 2.8 recorded at Walsall, West Midlands
• 1st February, 0.4 + 0.3 + <0.1 recorded at Carnmenellis, Cornwall
• 9th January, 2.2 recorded in Filby, Yorkshire
• 1st January, 2.3 recorded in Durness, Scotland

For a list of all recent UK earthquakes visit UK Earthquakes

World Earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 and over that have hit the headlines around the world in the last month.

Headlines
- Cuba rocked by two major earthquakes
- Significant earthquake activity this week includes USA (10), Indonesia (6), Antigua & Barbuda (5) along with India & Australia (with 3 each).

• November 17th, Magnitude 4.2, Afganistan
• November 16th, Magnitude 3.0, Australia (Victoria)
• November 16th, Magnitude 3.5 + 3.4, USA (California)
• November 16th, Magnitude 3.8 + 4.4, Antigua & Barbuda
• November 16th, Magnitude 3.2, USA (Missouri)
• November 16th, Magnitude 3.2, USA (Oklahoma)
• November 16th, Magnitude 4.0, Philippines
• November 15th, Magnitude 6.6, Papua New Guinea (New Ireland)
• November 15th, Magnitude 4.2, India
• November 15th, Magnitude 5.0 + 4.0 + 3.7, Antigua & Barbuda
• November 15th, Magnitude 3.3, USA (California)
• November 15th, Magnitude 3.5, USA (Bering Sea)
• November 15th, Magnitude 3.4, USA (Oregon)
• November 15th, Magnitude 3.3, Indonesia (Java)
• November 15th, Magnitude 4.8 + 5.3, Indonesia (Begkulu)
• November 15th, Magnitude 3.9, Indonesia (Java Sea)
• November 15th, Magnitude 3.7, Venezuela
• November 14th, Magnitude 4.0, Australia (Southern Ocean)
• November 14th, Magnitude 3.7, USA (Texas)
• November 14th, Magnitude 5.4, Taiwan
• November 14th, Magnitude 4.3, USA (Nevada)
• November 13th, Magnitude 5.2, Afganistan
• November 13th, Magnitude 5.0, Mexico
• November 13th, Magnitude 5.1, Indonesia (Java Sea)
• November 12th, Magnitude 4.1, Australia (New South Wales)
• November 12th, Magnitude 3.4, Portugal
• November 12th, Magnitude 3.0 + 3.6, India
• November 11th, Magnitude 3.4, USA (Texas)
• November 11th, Magnitude 5.1, Indonesia (Banda Sea)
• November 11th, Magnitude 4.2, Philippines
• November 10th, Magnitude 5.9 + 6.8, Cuba
• November 10th, Magnitude 3.4, Spain
• November 10th, Magnitude 4.6, Tajikistan
• November 10th, Magnitude 5.0, Indonesia (South Papua)
• November 9th, Magnitude 4.0, Italy
• November 9th, Magnitude 3.3, India
• November 9th, Magnitude 5.6, Panama
• November 9th, Magnitude 3.0, Armenis
• November 9th, Magnitude 4.0, Indonesia (Sumatra)
• November 9th, Magnitude 4.7 + 4.3, Philippines
• November 8th, Magnitude 6.2, Chile
• November 8th, Magnitude 5.0, Turkey
• November 7th, Magnitude 5.7, Japan
• November 7th, Magnitude 7.1, Philippines
• November 7th, Magnitude 4.7, Burma
• November 7th, Magnitude 4.0, Nepal
• November 7th, Magnitude 5.3 + 4.9, Canada (Yukon)
• November 7th, Magnitude 3.4, Caspian Sea
• November 7th, Magnitude 3.5, USA (California)
• November 7th, Magnitude 5.5, Taiwan
• November 7th, Magnitude 3.6, Venezuela
• November 6th, Magnitude 5.8, Indian Ocean (Cocos Basin)
• November 6th, Magnitude 3.7, Spain
• November 6th, Magnitude 6.1, Papua New Guinea (New Ireland)
• November 6th, Magnitude 3.5, Greece
• November 6th, Magnitude 4.2, Philippines
• November 5th, Magnitude 5.7, Peru
• November 5th, Magnitude 4.8, USA (Hawaii)
• November 5th, Magnitude 5.1, Philippines
• November 4th, Magnitude 3.2, USA (California)
• November 4th, Magnitude 3.3, USA (Arizona)
• November 4th, Magnitude 4.7, Afganistan
• November 4th, Magnitude 5.0, Caribbean Sea (Pueto Rico Trench)
• November 3rd, Magnitude 5.2 + 4.2, Greece
• November 3rd, Magnitude 5.6, Argentina
• November 3rd, Magnitude 4.2, Iraq
• November 3rd, Magnitude 3.6, USA (California)
• November 3rd, Magnitude 3.7, USA (Missouri)
• November 3rd, Magnitude 4.6, Iran
• November 3rd, Magnitude 3.4, India
• November 3rd, Magnitude 4.9, New Zealand
• November 2nd, Magnitude 3.9, Greece
• November 2nd, Magnitude 5.6, Argentina
• November 2nd, Magnitude 4.8, Kazahkstan
• November 2nd, Magnitude 3.7, USA (Missouri)
• November 2nd, Magnitude 3.2, USA (Nevada)
• November 2nd, Magnitude 3.6, India
• November 2nd, Magnitude 4.4 + 4.5, Philippines
• November 2nd, Magnitude 3.4, USA (Hawaii)
• November 1st, Magnitude 4.8, USA (Hawaii)
• November 1st, Magnitude 5.0, USA (Oregon)
• November 1st, Magnitude 4.5, Afganistan
• November 1st, Magnitude 3.0, USA (Texas)
• November 1st, Magnitude 5.1, Indonesia (Papua)

• October 31st, Magnitude 4.5, China
• October 31st, Magnitude 3.0, Spain
• October 31st, Magnitude 4.2, Egypt
• October 31st, Magnitude 3.3, India
• October 30th, Magnitude 6.0, USA (Oregon)
• October 30th, Magnitude 6.0, Pacific Ocean (Bismark Sea)
• October 30th, Magnitude 3.7, Philippines
• October 30th, Magnitude 3.5, Kyrgyzstan
• October 30th, Magnitude 6.0, Papua New Guinea
• October 29th, Magnitude 3.2, USA (California)
• October 29th, Magnitude 4.1, Indian Ocean (Bay of Bengal)
• October 29th, Magnitude 4.9, Indonesia (Masohi Island)
• October 29th, Magnitude 3.5, Kyrgyzstan
• October 28th, Magnitude 4.1, Canada (British Columbia)
• October 28th, Magnitude 5.0, Turkey
• October 28th, Magnitude 3.6, USA (California)
• October 27th, Magnitude 3.7, India
• October 27th, Magnitude 4.5 + 4.9 + 4.8, Taiwan
• October 27th, Magnitude 3.3, USA (California)
• October 27th, Magnitude 3.5, USA (Oregon)
• October 27th, Magnitude 5.6, Russia (Kamchatka)
• October 26th, Magnitude 5.5, China
• October 26th, Magnitude 3.5, Greece (Kefalonia)
• October 26th, Magnitude 3.4, Spain (Canary Islands)
• October 26th, Magnitude 3.6, USA (California)
• October 26th, Magnitude 4.0, Kyrgyzstan
• October 26th, Magnitude 3.4, USA (Colorado)
• October 26th, Magnitude 4.1, Tibet
• October 26th, Magnitude 3.2, Jordan
• October 26th, Magnitude 5.8, Guatemala
• October 26th, Magnitude 4.5, Nepal
• October 25th, Magnitude 4.0, Albania
• October 25th, Magnitude 3.5, Spain (Canary Islands)
• October 25th, Magnitude 4.9, USA (California)
• October 25th, Magnitude 3.0, Algeria
• October 25th, Magnitude 5.8, Mexico
• October 25th, Magnitude 5.5, Turkey
• October 25th, Magnitude 4.2, India
• October 25th, Magnitude 5.3, Tonga
• October 25th, Magnitude 5.0, Indonesia (Papua)
• October 25th, Magnitude 3.2, Georgia
• October 24th, Magnitude 4.5, Canada (Alberta)
• October 24th, Magnitude 5.3, Japan
• October 24th, Magnitude 3.9, USA (California)
• October 24th, Magnitude 5.8, Iran
• October 24th, Magnitude 6.2, Russia (Kuril Islands)
• October 24th, Magnitude 3.0 + 4.0, Kyrgyzstan
• October 24th, Magnitude 5.0 + 5.4, Turkey
• October 24th, Magnitude 3.0, Spain
• October 23rd, Magnitude 4.6, Ethiopia
• October 23rd, Magnitude 3.6 + 4.1 + 4.4 + 3.9, USA (California)
• October 23rd, Magnitude 3.1, Caspian Sea
• October 23rd, Magnitude 4.89, Mexico
• October 23rd, Magnitude 3.9 + 4.2, Philippines
• October 23rd, Magnitude 3.7, Vietnam
• October 22nd, Magnitude 3.8, India
• October 22nd, Magnitude 5.1, Indonesia (Maluku)
• October 21st, Magnitude 5.8, Indonesia (Maluku)
• October 21st, Magnitude 3.1, Canary Islands
• October 21st, Magnitude 4.4, USA (California)
• October 21st, Magnitude 4.3, South China Seas (Taiwan Strait)
• October 21st, Magnitude 5.0, USA (Alaska)
• October 20th, Magnitude 5.7, Argentina
• October 20th, Magnitude 3.1 + 3.6, USA (California)
• October 20th, Magnitude 4.7, Chile
• October 20th, Magnitude 4.8, Indonesia (Aceh)
• October 20th, Magnitude 5.3 + 4.8, Indonesia (Sulawesi)
• October 20th, Magnitude 4.1, Indonesia (Papua)
• October 20th, Magnitude 3.6, Indonesia (Sumatra)
• October 19th, Magnitude 3.5, USA (Alaska)
• October 19th, Magnitude 3.0, USA (Oklahoma)
• October 19th, Magnitude 3.0, USA (California)
• October 19th, Magnitude 5.1, Greece (Crete)
• October 19th, Magnitude 3.1, Caspian Sea
• October 19th, Magnitude 3.6, Uzbekistan
• October 19th, Magnitude 3.2, Philippines
• October 18th, Magnitude 4.4, Greece (Cephalonia)
• October 18th, Magnitude 5.0, USA (Oregon)
• October 18th, Magnitude 3.1, Portugal
• October 18th, Magnitude 5.1, Japan
• October 18th, Magnitude 3.6, India
• October 18th, Magnitude 4.1, Bangladesh

For a list of all recorded earthquakes, visit the United States Geological Survey website:World Earthquakes

Volcano News

• Alert raised to Level 3 on Mount Lokon, Indonesia
• The Hawaiian seamount about 19 miles south of Kilauea known as Lō‘ihi (the Hawaiian word for "Long" because of its shape) has been renamed Kama‘ehuakanaloa (“Kama‘ehu,” the red island child of Haumea - "earth" - and Kanaloa - "sea").
• Alert raised to Level 2 on Kanlaon, Philippines
• Scientists have found that 80 grams of gold (worth $6,000) is spewed out each day by Mount Erebus on Antarctica. However, because of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty 1991 it cannot be exploited and lies where it falls.
• A new volcanic island has formed off the coast of Iwo Jima, Japan. It has yet to be named.
• Alert raised to Orange on Kilauea, Hawaii
• Following a major increase in activity, scientists believe an eruption of Campi Flegrei in Italy may be imminent. This volcano last erupted in 1538 AD.

Volcanos Active in the Last Year

• Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, Indonesia (November 2024)
• Taal, Philippines (October 2024)
• Ebeko, Russia (August 2024)
• Sundhnukar Crater, Iceland (August 2024)
• Shiveluch, Russia (August 2024)
• Mount Etna, Italy (July 2024)
• Stromboli, Italy (July 2024)
• Mount Kanlaon, Philippines (June 2024)
• Kilauea, Hawaii (June 2024)
• Mount Ibu, Indonesia (June 2024)
• Mount Ibu, Indonesia (May 2024)
• Ruang, Indonesia (May 2024)
• Ruang, Indonesia (April 2024)
• Fagradalsfjall, Iceland (March 2024)
• Fagradalsfjall, Iceland (February 2024)
• Mount Merapi, Indonesia (January 2024)
• Fagradalsfjall, Iceland (January 2024)
• Fagradalsfjall, Iceland (December 2023)
• Mount Merapi, Indonesia (December 2023)

Fossil News

• The most complete British dinosaur fossil found in a century has been unearthed on the Isle of Wight. A herbivore weighing in at 900Kg and the size of an american Bison, 149 bones have so far been recovered. The dinosaur has been named Comptonatus chasei in honour of the late paleontologist Nick Chase who found the first evidence of the fossil in 2013.
• Closed in 2002 because the cave paintings were being damaged by bacterial and fungal erosion, the Altamira Caves in Spain have now re-opened to the public on a very limited basis, i.e. only on Fridays and only for 5 people on each day by prior booking (there is understandingly rather a long waiting list). The guided tour lasts 35 minutes. The nearby Altamira National Museum and Research Centre has a complete and exact replica of the original cave that can be visited.
• Massive 5 mile wide impact crater discovered off the coast of West Africa has been dated to the same period of the Chicxulub impact and may have contributed to the end Cretaceous extinction event.
• Hundreds of dinosaur footprints, some so well preserved that scaly skin impressions are in evidence have been found in an open cast clay mine in Borkowice, Poland.
• Massive asteroid strike in Australia may have ended "Snowball Earth" - the period 650 mya when almost the entire planet was covered in ice.
• New evidence suggests that Pleistocene climate change may have been triggered by a comet impact in South America.
• Platypus fossil discovered in China.
• New research suggests Archaeopteryx could fly but only for short distances, similar to the Pheasant of today.
• Chalk deposits may have been formed by the same annual algal blooms currently observed in the South Atlantic.
• Jack (John R.) Horner retires from the Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, Montana after 20 years as curator.
• A new hominid species, which has been named "Homo naledi", has been discovered in a cave 50 km (30 miles) northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa. The fossil remains are of 15 separate individuals and date from 2 million years ago.
• First elasmosaur fossils found in Alaska.
• Mammoth tusks found on beach at Herne Bay.
• A whale fossil with teeth twice as long as those of a T. Rex has been discovered in the Ocucaje Desert of southern Peru. The fossil dates from 12 million years ago and is an ancestor of the Sperm Whale of today. Named Leviathan melvillei - after Herman Melville, the author of the novel Moby Dick - the find was unique in that the entire skull, including the lower jaw and 10 well preserved teeth, were found.
• A nearly complete skeleton of a previously unknown sauropod has been found in southern Utah, USA. Named Seitaad ruessi, the 10-15 foot long fossil dates from 185 million years ago. "Seitaad" is the Navajo word for a sand monster and "ruessi" is in honour of the naturalist Everett Ruessi, who disappeared in southern Utah in 1934.
• Russian scientists have decoded genetic material from a human ancestor that lived in Siberia 40,000 years ago. The DNA does not match either modern homo sapiens or neanderthals and indicates the existence of a new off-shoot in the human tree of evolution. This branch of humans are being named "Denisovans".

Mining News

• 51 miners dead, dozens more injured and 17 trapped underground after a gas exposion at the Tabas coal mine in Iran.
• 5 miners killed in coal mine collapse in Quang Ninh, Vietnam.
• Missing miner found alive after being buried for 2 days in the Rydutowy Coal Mine following an earthquake that killed one miner and injured 17 others.
• 3 miners killed but 12 rescued at the Myslowice-Wesola coalmine in Poland after a collapse following an earth ttremor.
• At least 13 gold miners trapped underground after a collapse at a mine in Zeysk, Russia.
• 4 miners killed and 7 injured in a coal mine gas explosion in Vietnam.
• 4 dead and 2 injured in a landslide at the Dantewada Iron Ore Mine in India.
• 1 miner killed and 1 injured by flooding at the Zapolyarnaya coalmine in Russia.
• Netherlands to close their Groningen Gas Field following concerns over the number of earthquakes that may be connected to the extraction operation.
• Norway to issue record number of Arctic oil and gas exploration licence blocks in the Norwegian Sea.
• Norway to offer new licences to drill for oil and gas in the Arctic Ocean.
• West Cumbria Mining to extend Woodhouse Colliery near Whitehaven with potential output of additional 3.1m tonnes per year.
• Greece issues licences to ExxonMobil and Total for first offshore oil and gas exploration off the island of Crete.
• At 552 carats the largest diamond ever found in Canada is unearthed at the Diavik Mine in North West Territories.
• British Geological Survey say that the earthquakes recorded in Surrey, England are unlikely to be linked to fracking. [Ed: Wasn't this what the US Geological Survey initially told the residents of Oklahoma?]
• New Zealand plans to drill wells offshore to harvest fresh water from an underground aquifer.
• Huge offshore gas deposit found off the coast of Egypt prompts Cyprus to start exploration programme along its southern coastline.
• A 709 carat egg-sized diamond has been discovered in the eastern Kono region of Sierra Leone. This is the second largest diamond ever found in West Africa - the largest being a 968.9 carat stone found also in Sierra Leone in 1972.
• A giant jade stone weighing 175 tonnes has been uncovered by miners in Myanmar. The stone is 4.3m (14ft) high and 5.8m (19ft) long, and is reportedly worth an estimated $170m (£140m) and was was found in a mine in the jade-producing Kachin state, in the north of the country.
• Major new oil and gas discovery made in West Texas with projected reserves of 3 billion barrels of oil and 75 trillion cubic feet of gas.
• Offshore oil and gas deposits found off Guyana.
• USGS confirms that Oklahoma earthquakes are caused by fracking. Studies of similar tremors in Alberta, Canada, seem to confirm this. Indications are that it may be the storage of wastewater underground that causes the quakes rather than the fracking itself.
• Better relations between United States and Cuba could lead to development of major new offshore oil deposits under the Caribbean.
• Offshore oil discovered at the Russian Universitetskaya-1 Platform in the Arctic. With estimated reserves of up to 100 million tonnes of oil and 338 billion cubic metres of gas, the field is located in the Kara Sea, an area of water bordered by Novaya Zemlya, Severnaya Zemlya and Siberia.
• Offshore gas found in the Nile Delta.
• Oil finally comes to the surface in Kazakhstan fields following $50bn cost and 10 years development.
• Offshore gas find in Gabon, West Africa.
• Oil exploration planned in Morocco, Malta and Spain.
• Cuban offshore oil exploration put on hold due to "difficult" geology.
• Cyprus to exploit offshore gas reserves.
• Aggresive exploration for offshore oil commences in Caribbean.
• BP plan to drill 5 test wells in the Claire Field off the Shetland Islands.
• A new venture is being planned to recover the minerals contained within the millions of manganese nodules on the Pacific Ocean floor.
• Offshore oil may provide Ireland with up to 143,000 barrels a day, making the Repubic self sufficient and saving 5bn euro a year in imports.
• UK Department of Energy & Climate Change gives go ahead for exploration of shale gas reserves having imposed new controls to stem seismic events triggered by "fracking".
• China to undertake research into developing large shale gas deposits over the next two years.
• Trillions of carats of diamonds have been discovered in the 100-kilometer (60-mile) wide Popigai crater in eastern Siberia, Russia. Produced by the impact of a giant meteorite 35 million years ago, the diamonds are industrial grade and not suitable for jewellery.
• North Dakota has passed Alaska to become the second largest produced of oil in the United States. Texas is still in pole position.
• Oil discovered in the Lake Albert rift basin of Uganda with estimated reserves of 2.5 billion barrels. Production is expected to commence in 2012.
• Drilling for oil and prospecting for zinc to begin in arctic Greenland commences as the icecap melts and exposes rock.
• Major find of rare earth elements have been discovered in Pennsylvania, USA.
• Large shale gas field goes on line in Pennsylvania, USA.
• A new on-shore production well has commenced operations at Singleton, near Chichester, West Sussex. Since the start of operations in 1989, this oilfield has produced almost 4 million barrels of oil.
• A new oil field has been discovered in the Barents Sea with estimated reserves of half a billion barrels.
• New oil and gas field discovered off Mexico's Gulf coast.
• 4.5 trillion feet of natural gas reserves have been proven in Patagonian shale deposits in southern Argentina.
• Drill cores have indicated the possibility of major new uranium-copper-gold deposits in South Australia.
• A huge gas and oil field has been discovered off the coast of Lebanon. Estimates range up to 122 trillion cubic feet of gas and 1.7 billion barrels of recoverable oil. If accurate, this would make the field one of the world's largest.
• Gold discovered in the Komana region of Mali, West Africa, with estimated reserves of 1.25 million ounces.

Other News

• China's Chang'e 6 lunar sample return mission to the far side of the Moon was completed successfully bringing back almost 2kg (68.27 oz) of material including surface soil, and subsurface samples.
• Two cavers exploring the disused Phoenix United Copper/Tin mine in Cornwall - closed since 1914 - have been rescued after becoming stranded on underground ledges.
• At magnitude 4.7, NASA's Insight lander records the strongest earthquake so far on Mars.
• OSIRIS-REx probe due to land in Utah, USA on 24th September 2023 with its' cargo of rock samples from the Bennu asteroid.
• NASA's Perseverance Rover collects its' 20th rock sample. See Breaking News
• Cliff collapse in Swanscombe, Kent closes A226 main road between Dartford and Gravesend. See Local News
• Largest earthquake so far recorded by Nasa on Mars at Magnitude 5.0 (May 2022).
• NASA Asteroid Dart probe hailed a success. See Newsflash
• A further two earthquakes on magnitude 4.1 and 4.2 have been recorded on Mars.
• Two people have been arrested for causing "incalculable damage" to the Publi Geode Crystal Cave in Almeria, Spain.
• Magnitude 4.2 earthquake recorded on Mars.
• The Nasa InSight Lander has recorded earthquakes of magnitude 3.3 + 3.1 in Cerberus Fossae on Mars.
• Meteorites predicted to have fallen near Cheltenham after large bolide lights up Western Europe.
• Minor landslide at Bluewater Shopping Centre, Dartford, England.
• Meteor explodes over the Indonesian island of Bali.
• Hyabusa-2 Space Probe Successfully returns asteroid samples.
• 20 households evacuated due to safety concerns following a cliff collapse at Eastchurch on the Isle of Sheppey, England.
• A meteor found in North West Africa has been proven to be identical in physical & chemical make-up to rocks brought back by the Apollo astronauts. It will go up for auctin at Christie's with a £2m estimate.
• Meteor explodes over Croatia.
• Magnitude 2.5 earthquake recorded on Mars.
• Meteor explodes over Greenland with force "like nuclear bomb".
• Man in Michigan, USA, discovers that the 23lb rock he has been using as a doorstop for decades is actually a nickel-iron meteorite, one of the largest ever found in the State.
• Curators from Museums in North America, Europe, Russia, Morocco and Japan attend first ever workshop and conference hosted by The Vatican on extra terrestrial objects.
• Bolide (extremely bright meteor) impacts outside Detroit, Michigan, USA. Fragments have been found and are currently being studied. The Bolide caused a 2.0 magnitude earthquake in the area but it is unclear whether this was as a result of the shock wave as it travelled through the atmosphere or from the actual impact.
• Fireball recorded over Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
• 100kg meteor impacts in Finland after fireball seen across Norway, Finland and Norway.
• Giant 30 tonne meteorite discovered at Campo del Cieto, Argentina.
• Small meteorite explodes over the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. No fragments yet found.
• The two newly discovered moons of Pluto have been named as Vulcan and Cerberus.
• Substantial meteorite activity over Russia, Cuba and California in the wake of the Asteroid 2012 DA14 that passed Earth within 17,200 miles.
• A meteorite weighing 8oz hit a doctor's surgery in Virginia, USA. No-one was hurt. The meteorite has been donated to the Smithsonian Institute.
• A pioneering project to drill geothermal wells outside the city of Basel, Switzerland, has been scrapped following concerns that the drilling is causing small earthquakes in the area.

Did You Know?

• That there used to be a coalmine in Wembley, Middlesex? See Odds & Ends