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Breaking News

China may have discovered gold reserves worth $83 billion.

Earthquake News

British Isles

Headlines

Nothing significant to report.

• March 24th, 1.3 recorded in Lairg, Sutherland, Scotland
• March 23rd, 0.7 recorded in Tupsley, Herefordshire
• March 9th, 1.3 + 2.8 recorded Pubil, Perthshaire, Scotland
• February 16th, 1.3 recorded in Balquhidder, Perthshire, Scotland
• February 4th, 0.9 recorded in Eryri, Gwynedd, Wales
• January 27th, 0.9 recorded in Eryd, Gwynedd, Wales
• January 22nd, 0.7 recorded in Malin Sea, Republic of Ireland
• January 7th, 0.8 recorded in Cardiff, Wales

• December 29th, 0.7 recorded in Silverdale, Lancashire
• December 20th, 0.8 recorded in Silverdale, Lancashire
• December 19th, 2.5 recorded in Silverdale, Lancashire
• December 3rd, 3.3 recorded in Silverdale, Lancashire
• Dercember 1st, 1.0 recorded in Newport, Gwent, Wales
• November 29th, 3.0 recorded in Killin, Perthshire, Scotland
• November 22nd, 2.5 recorded in Killin, Perthshire, Scotland
• November 2nd, 0.4 recorded in Irish Sea
• October 20th, 3.6 + 2.7 + 3.7 + 2.4, Recorded at Loch Lyon, Perthshire, Scotland
• October 2nd, 1.0 recorded on the Isle of Man
• August 31st, 1.6 recorded in Llwyndyrus, Gwynedd, Wales
• August 26th, 1.6 recorded on Llyn Peninsular, Gwynedd, Wales
• August 25th, 1.2 recorded in Burnley, Lancashire
• August 19th, 1.3 recorded in Llangynidr, Powys, Wales
• August 18th, 2.2 + 1.1 + 1.1 + 0.5, recorded in Melladalock, Argyll & Dumfries, Scotland
• August 18th, 1.5 recorded in Wamphray, Dunfries & Galloway, Scotland
• August 18th, 2.1 recorded in Thornborough, Buckinghamshire
• August 18th, 1.3 recorded in Kents Bank, Cumbria
• August 15th, 0.9 + 1.5 recorded in Annat, Argyll & Dumfries, Scotland
• August 8th, 1.9 recorded in Taynuilt, Argyll & Dumfries, Scotland
• August 1st, 3.1 recorded in Inchlaggen, Highlands, Scotland
• July 24th, 1.3 + 0.8 recorded in Argkle & Bute, Scotland
• July 2nd, 2.5 recorded in Knucklas, Powys, Wales
• June 16th, 1.4 + 0.9 recorded in Comrie, Perthshire, Scotland
• June 13th, 1.0 recorded in Comrie, Perthshire, Scotland
• June 7th, 3.0 recorded in North Sea
• June 1st, 2.2 recorded in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland
• May 16th, 2.5 recorded in Litton, Yorkshire
• May 13th, 1.2 recorded in Cardiff, Wales
• April 27th, 1.7 recorded in Glendarvel, Argylle & Bute, Scotland
• April 26th, 0.4 recorded in Seaville, Cumbria
• April 22nd,1.2 recorded in Mallaig, Scotland
• April 20th, 0.2 recorded in Bute, Scotland
• April 20th, 0.5 recorded in Kilbride, Scotland
• April 19th, 0.4 recorded in Seaville, Cumbria
• April 16th,1.0 recorded in Bailrigg, Lancashire
• April 9th, 0.2 recorded in Ardencaple, Argyll & Bute, Scotland
• April 9th, 1.0 recorded in Bailrigg, Lancashire
• April 8th, 0.4 + 0.8 recorded in Balintyre, Perthshire, Scotland
• April 8th, 1.5 recorded in Llwyncroes, Carmarthenshire, Wales
• April 8th 1.1, recorded in Sound of Jura, Argyll & Bute, Scotland
• April 7th, 1.8 + 0.6 + 1.0 recorded at Schiehallion, Perthshire, Scotland
• April 2nd 1.71 recorded at Schiehallion, Perthshire, Scotland
• 18th March, 2.0 recorded in Coniston, North Yorkshire
• 18th March, 1.5 recorded in Warrington, Cheshire
• 15th March, 1.4 recorded under North Sea
• 14th March, 1.9 recorded under Irish North Sea
• 5th March, 0.9 recorded under Irish Sea
• 23rd February, 0.1 + 0.7 recorded in Kippen, Scotland
• 22nd February, 1.6 recorded at Ridleywood, Wrexham, Wales
• 22nd February, 0.9 + 1.6 recorded in Kippen, Scotland
• 21st February, 1.2 recorded in Kippen, Scotland
• 18th February, 1.3 recorded in Kippen, Scotland
• 18th February, 1.3 recorded in Kippen, Scotland
• 15th February, 0.1 + 1.1 recorded in Littton, North Yorkshire
• 13th February, 1.1 recorded on Islay, Scotland
• 9th February, 0.9 recorded at Boyton, Cornwall
• 5th February, 2.2 + 1.6 + .5 recorded at Oban, Scotland
• 5th February, 2.0 recorded in Storridge, Worcestershire
• 1st February, 0.5 recorded in Rattingthorpe, Shropshire
• 1st February, 0.5 recorded in Bradley, North Yorkshire
• 27th January, 3.4 recorded in North Sea (Fladden Ground)
• 26th January, 3.0 recorded in North Sea (Norfolk Banks)
• 22nd January, 2.8 recorded in North Sea near Shetland Islands, Scotland
• 5th January, 0.9 recorded in Penrith, Cumbria
• 5th January, 1.2 recorded in Blairlogie, Scotland
• 5th January, 1.4 recorded in Shelton, Cumbria
• 5th January, 1.3 recorded in Irish Sea
• 5th January, 2.9 recorded in Kinloch, Scotland
• 4th January, 1.5 recorded in Greatgate, Staffordshire
• 2nd January, 0.4 recorded in Bute, Scotland
• 1st January, 0.7 recorded in Melbourne, Derbyshire

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
- Significant earthquake activity this week incudes Caspian Sea (7), India (6) and USA (4).

• April 12th, Magnitude 4.2 Pacific Ocean (Blanco Fracture Zone)
• April 12th, Magnitude 4.0, Peru
• April 12th, Magnitude 4.2, USA (California)
• April 12th, Magnitude 3.2 + 4.6 + 3.0, Caspian Sea
• April 12th, Magnitude 3.0, Uzbekistan
• April 12th, Magnitude 4.9, Indian Ocean (Andaman Sea)
• April 12th, Magnitude 4.6, Afghanistan
• April 12th, Magnitude 5.6, Indian Ocean (Cocos Basin)
• April 12th, Magnitude 4.6 + 4.3 + 3.0, India
• April 12th, Magnitude 4.0, Burma
• April 11th, Magnitude 5.2, Iran
• April 11th, Magnitude 3.3, Caspian Sea
• April 11th, Magnitude 4.3, Tajikistan
• April 11th, Magnitude 4.7, India
• April 11th, Magnitude 3.4, USA (California)
• April 11th, Magnitude 4.5, Pakistan
• April 11th, Magnitude 3.1, Macedonia
• April 10th, Magnitude 4.8, China
• April 10th, Magnitude 3.6, Greece
• April 10th, Magnitude 4.5 + 4.1, Burma
• April 10th, Magnitude 4.1, Philippines
• April 10th, Magnitude 3.7, India
• April 9th, Magnitude 3.3 + 3.6, Georgia
• April 9th, Magnitude 4.9, Indonesia (Adonara)
• April 9th, Magnitude 3.1, India
• April 9th, Magnitude 4.4, Canada (British Columbia)
• April 8th, Magnitude 3.2 + 3.0 + 5.3, Caspian Sea
• April 8th, Magnitude 3.7, Canada (Alberta)
• April 7th, Magnitude 3.3, Italy
• April 7th, Magnitude 4.8, India
• April 7th, Magnitude 4.0, Pacific Ocean (North East Pacific Basin)
• April 6th, Magnitude 4.5, Mediterranean Sea (Levantine Basin)
• April 6th, Magnitude 3.5, USA (California)
• April 6th, Magnitude 4.3, USA (New Mexico)
• April 6th, Magnitude 5.4, Philippines
• April 6th, Magnitude 4.8, Turkey
• April 5th, Magnitude 3.1, USA (California)
• April 5th, Magnitude 5.0, China
• April 5th, Magnitude 3.9, USA (Hawaii)
• April 5th, Magnitude 3.7, Black Sea
• April 5th, Magnitude 3.7, India
• April 5th, Magnitude 5.5, Australia (South Australia)
• April 5th, Magnitude 5.7 + 4.8, Taiwan
• April 5th, Magnitude 3.5, Nepal
• April 5th, Magnitude 5.1, Japan (Bonin Islands)
• April 5th, Magnitude 4.2, Indian Ocean (Andaman Sea)
• April 4th, Magnitude 3.7, Kazakhstan
• April 4th, Magnitude 5.2, Turkey
• April 4th, Magnitude 3.1, Caspian Sea
• April 4th, Magnitude 5.9, Philippines
• April 4th, Magnitude 5.3, Indian Ocean (Mid Indian Ridge)
• April 4th, Magnitude 3.3, USA (California)
• April 4th, Magnitude 4.4 + 3.0, India
• April 4th, Magnitude 5.0, Indonesia (Talaud Islands)
• April 4th, Magnitude 5.4, Indonesia (Mentawai Islands)
• April 3rd, Magnitude 5.9, Afghanistan
• April 3rd, Magnitude 4.3 + 3.0 + 3.4, Atlantic Ocean (Puerto Rico Trench)
• April 3rd, Magnitude 3.1, Malaysia (Strait of Malacca)
• April 2nd, Magnitude 7.4 + 5.5 + 5.2, Molucca Sea
• April 2nd, Magnitude 4.3 + 4.1 + 4.1 + 4.6 + 4.2 + 4.0 + 3.8 + 3.7, Mexico
• April 2nd, Magnitude 4.6, USA (California)
• April 1st, Magnitude 5.0, Japan
• April 1st, Magnitude 4.5, Canada (Alberta)
• April 1st, Magnitude 6.0, Peru
• April 1st, Magnitude 3.4, India

• March 31st, Magnitude 3.1, China
• March 31st, Magnitude 4.4 + 5.1 + 4.7, Kazakhstan
• March 31st, Magnitude 3.1, USA (California)
• March 31st, Magnitude 3.9, Greece
• March 31st, Magnitude 5.0, Puerto Rico
• March 30th, Magnitude 5.2, Indonesia (Banda Sea)
• March 30th, Magnitude 7.0, Vanuatu
• March 30th, Magnitude 3.8, Albania
• March 30th, Magnitude 4.5, Tajikistan
• March 30th, Magnitude 3.1, Ital
• March 30th, Magnitude 3.1, Pakistan
• March 30th, Magnitude 3.2, USA (Alaska)
• March 30th, Magnitude 3.2, Chile
• March 29th, Magnitude 3.9, Gulf of Mexico
• March 29th, Magnitude 5.1, Japan
• March 29th, Magnitude 4.8, Canada (British Columbia)
• March 29th, Magnitude 3.0, Kyrgyzstan
• March 29th, Magnitude 3.1, India
• March 29th, Magnitude 3.9, Romania
• March 29th, Magnitude 6.0, Indonesia (Banda Sea)
• March 29th, Magnitude 4.7, Taiwan
• March 29th, Magnitude 4.3, Greece
• March 29th, Magnitude 4.3, Tibet
• March 29th, Magnitude 6.5, Indonesia (Maluku)
• March 29th, Magnitude 3.3 + 3.1, USA (Alaska)
• March 28th, Magnitude 3.2, Ukraine
• March 28th, Magnitude 3.4, New Zealand
• March 28th, Magnitude 4.3, Indian Ocean (Andaman Sea)
• March 28th, Magnitude 5.1, Mexico
• March 28th, Magnitude 3.1, USA (Kansas)
• March 28th, Magnitude 3.8, Fiji
• March 28th, Magnitude 3.1, Australia (Western Australia)
• March 28th, Magnitude 3.3, USA (California)
• March 28th, Magnitude 4.5, Nepal
• March 27th, Magnitude 5.9, Pacific Ocean (West Caroline Basin)
• March 27th, Magnitude 4.1, USA (California)
• March 27th, Magnitude 4.7 + 3.9, India
• March 27th, Magnitude 5.3, Pakistan
• March 27th, Magnitude 3.0 + 3.0, USA (Hawaii)
• March 27th, Magnitude 3.9, New Zealand
• March 27th, Magnitude 3.2, Pacific Ocean (Gulf of Alaska)
• March 27th, Magnitude 3.2, Tibet
• March 26th, Magnitude 3.9, Tajikistan
• March 26th, Magnitude 6.4, Pacific Ocean (Japan Trench)
• March 26th, Magnitude 4.9, Greece
• March 26th, Magnitude 4.1, Italy
• March 26th, Magnitude 4.3, Turkey
• March 26th, Magnitude 4.7, Taiwan
• March 26th, Magnitude 4.0, Nepal
• March 26th, Magnitude 4.0, Kyrgyzstan
• March 26th, Magnitude 5.7, Nicaragua
• March 26th, Magnitude 3.0, USA (Hawaii)
• March 26th, Magnitude 3.9, Antigua & Barbuda
• March 26th, Magnitude 4.2, Burma
• March 25th, Magnitude 4.3, Canada (British Columbia)
• March 25th, Magnitude 3.1, Caspian Sea
• March 25th, Magnitude 5.0, Aegean Sea
• March 25th, Magnitude 4.2, Japan
• March 25th, Magnitude 3.1, USA (New Mexico)
• March 24th, Magnitude 7.6, Tonga
• March 24th, Magnitude 3.0, Kyrgyzstan
• March 24th, Magnitude 3.1, USA (California)
• March 23rd, Magnitude 4.4, Iceland
• March 23rd, Magnitude 3.7, USA (New Mexico)
• March 23rd, Magnitude 4.3, USA (Alaska)
• March 22nd Magnitude 3.1, USA (New Mexico)
• March 22nd Magnitude 3.0 + 3.0, USA (Alaska)
• March 22nd Magnitude 4.0, Pacific Ocean (Cascadia Subduction Zone)
• March 22nd Magnitude 6.2 + 6.3 + 5.6 + 6.2, Pacific Ocean (Tonga Trench)
• March 22nd Magnitude 3.0 + 3.5, Kyrgyzstan
• March 22nd Magnitude 5.4, Pacific Ocean (East Pacific Rise)
• March 22nd Magnitude 5.0, Indian Ocean (Cocos Basin)
• March 21st Magnitude 5.1, New Zealand (Kermadec Islands)
• March 21st Magnitude 4.1, India
• March 21st Magnitude 4.5 + 4.6, Afghanistan
• March 21st Magnitude 6.7 Atlantic Ocean (North Mid-Atlantic Ridge)
• March 21st Magnitude 4.6 + 4.3, Italy (Aolian Islands)
• March 21st Magnitude 3.1 + 3.3, Japan
• March 21st Magnitude 3.0 + 3.5 + 3.2 + 3.0, USA (Alaska)
• March 20th Magnitude 7.0, South Shetland Islands
• March 20th Magnitude 5.1 + 4.6, Taiwan
• March 20th Magnitude 6.6, Antarctica
• March 20th Magnitude 6.1, New Caledonia
• March 20th Magnitude 6.1, Vanuatu
• March 20th Magnitude 3.6, India
• March 20th Magnitude 3.0, Kyrgyzstan
• March 20th Magnitude 3.0 + 3.7, USA (California)
• March 20th Magnitude 4.6 + 3.7 + 4.1, Greece
• March 19th Magnitude 5.0, Indian Ocean (Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge)
• March 19th Magnitude 3.9, Italy
• March 19th Magnitude 3.0, Thailand
• March 19th Magnitude 4.0, Tajikistan
• March 19th Magnitude 4.5, Pakistan
• March 18th Magnitude 4.4, Mediterranean (Alboran Sea)
• March 18th Magnitude 4.3, Japan (Izu Islands)
• March 18th Magnitude 4.2, Indonesia (Maluku)
• March 18th Magnitude 4.4, Haiti
• March 18th Magnitude 3.6 + 3.5, Philippines
• March 18th Magnitude 3.7, Burma
• March 17th Magnitude 5.8 + 4.7, Cuba
• March 17th Magnitude 3.4 + 3.7, USA (California)
• March 17th Magnitude 4.0, Turkey
• March 16th Magnitude 5.4, New Zealand (Balleny Islands)
• March 16th Magnitude 4.8, Greece (Crete)
• March 16th Magnitude 4.3, Pacific Ocean (Blanco Fracture Zone)
• March 16th Magnitude 3.1, Belgium
• March 16th Magnitude 3.1, Caspian Sea
• March 15th Magnitude 3.3, USA (California)
• March 15th Magnitude 5.4, Taiwan
• March 15th Magnitude 4.0, Japan
• March 15th Magnitude 4.3, Afghanistan
• March 15th Magnitude 4.5, Burma
• March 14th Magnitude 5.3, Pacific Ocean (Guatemala Basin)
• March 14th Magnitude 4.4, Burma
• March 14th Magnitude 4.2, Afghanistan
• March 14th, Magnitude 3.2, Malaysia (Styrai of Malacca)
• March 14th, Magnitude 3.6, USA (Nevada)
• March 14th, Magnitude 5.2, South Sandwich Islands
• March 14th, Magnitude 3.6, Greece (Crete)
• March 14th, Magnitude 4.0, Pakistan
• March 14th, Magnitude 3.9, Antigua & Barbuda
• March 14th, Magnitude 3.2 + 3.4 + 4.1, USA (Alaska)
• March 14th, Magnitude 4.0, Japan
• March 13th, Magnitude 5.3, Turkey
• March 13th, Magnitude 4.0, Pakistan
• March 13th, Magnitude 6.2, Chile
• March 13th, Magnitude 4.3 + 3.4, USA (Alaska)
• March 13th, Magnitude 7.8, Russia (Kamchatka)
• March 13th, Magnitude 5.0, Japan

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

Volcano News

• Alert raised to Level I on Mount Bulusan, Philippines.
• Following a major increase in seismic 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 Shiveluch, Russia (March 2026)
• Mount Mayon, Philippines (March 2026)
• Kanlaon, Philippines (March 2026)
• Kilauea, Hawaii (March 2026)
• Mount Karangetang, Indonesia (December 2025)
• Kilauea, Hawaii (December 2025)
• Hayli Gubbi, Ethiopia (November 2025)
• Mount Semeru, Indonesia (November 2025)
• Taal, Philippines (November 2025)
• Mount Semeru, Indonesia (October 2025)
• Taal, Philippines (October 2025)
• Kilauea, Hawaii (October 2025)
• Lewotobi Laki-Laki, Indonesia (October 2025)
• Kilauea, Hawaii (August 2025)
• Klyuchevskoy, Russia (August 2025)
• Klyuchevskaya Sopka, Russia (August 2025)
• Karymsky, Russia (August 2025)
• Bezymianny, Shiveluch and Avachinsky, Russia (August 2025)
• Shiveluch and Avachinsky, Russia (August 2025)
• Avachinsky, Russia (August 2025)
• Krashennikov, Russia (August 2025)
• Lewotobi Laki-Laki, Indonesia (August 2025)
• Klyuchevskaya Sopka, Russia (July 2025)
• Sundhnuksgigar, Iceland (July 2025)
• Lewotobi Laki-Laki, Indonesia (July 2025)
• Kilauea, Hawaii (June 2025)
• Mount Ile Lewotolok, Indonesia (June 2025)
• Lewotobi Laki-Laki, Indonesia (June 2025)
• Mount Raung, Indonesia (June 2025)
• Fuego, Guatemala (June 2025)
• Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy (June 2025)
• Mount Bulusan, Philippines (May 2025)
• Kanlaon, Philippines (April 2025)
• Sundhnuksgigar, Iceland (April 2025)

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

• 3 gold miners killed and several injured in Pentukan, Gumayan Province, Philippines by a rockfall caused by a major earthquake. The Philippine Government have suspended all mining operatioons in the area.
• 6 coalminers trapped following an earthquake in Hegang, China.
• 7 evacuated and 1 miner still missing after a tremor causes a roof collapse at the Knurow Coalmine in Poland.
• Major oil & gas find by BP in the Bumerangue Oil Field off the coast of Brazil
• 6 dead and 9 injured at the El Teniente Copper Mine in Chile following a collapse caused by a Magnitude 4.2 earthquake. El Teniente is the world's largest copper mine.
• 12 miners escape, 3 are rescued but 6 stilll missing following a flood at an illegal coal mine in Assam, India.
• Potential major gold find in China. See Breaking 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 tremor.
• 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

• Major Rockfall in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight, closes road. No injuries or damage to property has been reported.
• NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover has discovered a plain covered in rocks of pure sulphur near Mount Sharp. An intriguing discovery given that there is no evidence that Mount Sharp has ever displayed volcanic activity.
• 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 landed in Utah, USA on 24th September 2023 with its' cargo of rock samples from the Bennu asteroid. See Newsflash
• NASA's Perseverance Rover collects its' 20th rock sample.
• 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.
• 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

Articles

• Space is the final frontier and not just for the Starship Enterprise! - See London's Geological Museums - (yes, plural!)
• So you think you might have found a meteorite? - Learn from our experience
• The Coalfields of East Kent The History of an Industry Lost to Time