Los Angeles Earthquake

I figure you all know about the 4.7 earthquake that rattled the LA area yesterday.

Do you know about the "Did You Feel It?" page from the USGS Volcano website?

Click here to see how many people went to this page and reported having felt the quake. Apparently several thousand people reported to the USGS “Did you feel it?” page within twenty minutes of the earthquake.

Several maps show the intensity felt and the location of each "reporter." Fun to see if the maps indicate the location of the epicenter!

So, next time you feel a quake, go to this page and report what you felt!

And be sure to visit if you know a quake has occurred. Show your students what's going on in the World of Quakes!

Earth Science Week Contests

Click here for some great ideas for Earth Week Contests!

Or go here for the specific contests:

(1) Photography Contest. The photography theme for this year is: “How Climate Shapes My World.” All submissions must be postmarked or received electronically by 5 p.m. EST, Friday, October 16, 2009.

(2) Visual Arts Contest. A two-dimensional (flat) visual arts project no larger than 24 x 36 inches, dealing with the topic, "The Climate Where I Live." All mailed submissions must be postmarked no later than Friday, October 16, 2009.

(3) Essay Contest. The essays should focus on the topic "Climate Connections." All mailed submissions must be postmarked no later than Friday, October 16, 2009, and all electronic submissions must be received by 5 p.m. EST, Friday, October 16, 2009.

VORTEX2 Videos!!!

FINALLY! Found a good source of videos on VORTEX2!! I can't embed them, but here's a link. They have several GREAT videos. These are through the Weather Channel over at Truveo. Check it out!

NOTE: Be sure to scroll down the list of videos. There are tons more than you think!

Giant Trilobites Discovered in Portugal

Click here to visit the National Geographic site for details of this amazing discovery. Includes theories for the demise of Trilobites.
35 inches long!

Atlantis Launch Successful

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida (CNN) -- The space shuttle Atlantis blasted off successfully Monday afternoon on NASA's fifth and final repair visit to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Space shuttle Atlantis launched successfully from Florida Monday on its way to the Hubble telescope.

The spacecraft rocketed into mostly sunny skies right on schedule at 2:01 p.m. ET.

Atlantis will spend five days upgrading the Hubble, the orbiting observatory that's been scanning the universe for almost two decades.

For the seven members of the shuttle crew, that means added pressure.

"I think [this] is motivating us because we know there's nobody coming after us to do anything we don't get done," said Atlantis Commander Scott Altman. "This is it. We either get it done or it doesn't happen."