Earthwatch: A Diary of the Planet

Earthquakes

Powerful aftershocks continued to rock western India’s devastated Gujarat state in the wake of the country’s most deadly and destructive earthquake in living memory. As survivors continued to be pulled from the rubble days after the disaster, officials feared that the death toll could eventually surpass 100,000. The shaking also caused extensive damage and numerous deaths in neighboring parts of Pakistan.

Earth movements were also felt in Indonesia, Japan and Iran.

Silent Slaughter

Ivory poachers in India’s Corbett National Park have turned to a gruesome technique to kill elephants silently in order to avoid using firearms and escape detection. The Hindustan Times reported that the poachers have fed nails and shrapnel mixed with dough or molasses to the huge beasts in the park, which stretches from northern India to Nepal. Park warden Brijendra Singh told reporters, “It is clear the [elephant are] killed for ivory. It is an utterly despicable way of killing a harmless animal.”

Eruptions

After weeks of increased activity at Indonesia’s Mt. Merapi volcano, a second volcano on the island of Java began threatening eruptions. Mt. Kelud volcano in East Java was placed on “beware” status on Jan. 19 after the temperature of the crater lake soared to 116 degrees Fahrenheit and its color changed to a paler shade. Kelud’s last eruption, in February 1990, was also preceded by a rise in temperature of its crater lake.

Meanwhile, Merapi’s lava dome collapsed, sending pyroclastic bursts and continuous flows of lava down the mountain’s flanks. Lava and volcanic debris gushed into the River Sat, and ash blanketed five nearby communities.

Killing Cold

Residents of Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul celebrated the heaviest snowfall in three years, at least 110 people in refugee camps in the western part of the country died from the ensuing bitter cold. The deaths occurred when the temperature fell to 13 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. The heavy snowfall was welcomed by Afghans living in a war- and drought-ravaged economy. Dry conditions have killed herds of livestock and decimated crops. Between 300 and 500 people fleeing the country’s worst drought in 30 years have been arriving daily at the camps since mid-December in search of food and water.

Snake Craze

Intensive snake hunting to satisfy a growing Chinese craze for snake meat is causing huge losses for farmers whose fields are now overrun by mice. The Xinhua news agency reported that the soaring popularity of snake meat has resulted in a burgeoning rodent population. Many of the nation’s 200 snake species are threatened with extinction. The report warned that the Chinese New Year, which ushered in the Year of Snake, will spur an even greater demand for the meat. Conservationist Huang Zhujian said, “Mice species that are usually held in check by snakes are running wild.”