7.2 Earthquake off coast of Indonesia

A 7.2 earthquake was reported by the U.S Geological Survey off the coast of Indonesia. The quake was 96 miles deep, too deep to cause a tsunami in the Indian Ocean.




http://www.bostonherald.com/news/international/asia_pacific/view/2012121072-magnitude_earthquake_reported_off_indonesia/srvc=news&position=recent_bullet
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/12/10/72-quake-hits-off-coast-indonesia/

Cheatgrass making wildfires worse

Cheatgrass thrives in arid climates and grows as high as a horses knee. A major problem that comes with the growth of cheatgrass is that it burns a lot. It grows fast in spring and spreads out between native plants. By summer the grass has died and becomes a serious fire hazard.
Jennifer Blanch studies fires says that cheatgrass doubles the chance of fire in the Great Basin. When the grass dies it becomes a blanket of fuel. Ways to try and prevent fire from spreading would be to plant vegetation around the cheatgrass that is less flammable. They also mention a fungus called "black fingers of death" that kills cheatgrass, but what it could do with other plants could be a big risk if it's introduced to the area.



http://www.npr.org/2012/12/05/166574589/in-arid-west-cheatgrass-turns-fires-into-infernos

7.3 Earthquake in Japan

The northeast coast of Japan was hit with a 7.3 earthquake Friday. The earthquake resulted in a one meter (three foot) tsunami. Last year this same area was hit with a much larger earthquake and tsunami that caused a nucular crisis and killed thousands. This earthquake was farther out to sea, about 22 miles from Tokyo.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/07/world/asia/japan-earthquake/index.html?hpt=hp_t3