[b]The Day-Date-Moon Ticker[/b]
[b]M13/6.0M, T14/GS48, W15/GS42,6.0M[/b], Th16, [b]F17/GS31,V9.1, Sa18/6.3M, Su19/GS32,MC(2), M20/GS30,MC, T21/GS39,MC(2), W22/6.3M,GS33,MC(7), Th23/X5[/b]

[b]Earth and Sun Digest for October 23, 2003
SOLAR SALUTE: AN X5-CLASS FLARE AND TWO CME'S, MORE COMING
...at a Glance (with time ticking)[/b]
(Source data can change without notice or correction.)

Earthquakes of 5.0 to 5.9M thru Wednesday--9 (J-0, SP-1); [b]two quakes of 6M or greater: 10/22 6.3M EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G., 10/18 6.3M MOLUCCA SEA[/b]
California (includes Nevada) earthquakes in past week--294; none of 4M or greater
[b]Volcanic ash over 5 mi (8 km)--Ecuador[/b]
Sunspot No. high--144 on 21 October
[b]Smallest to largest daily total area of sunspots--90 on 16 October to 1950 on 22 October[/b]
(100 equals a Planet Earth area.)
[b]X-Class Solar Flares: X5 on 23 October; last M-Class flares (5+/day) 7 on 22 October (see ticker for fewer MC, if any)[/b]
[b]Planetary Geomagnetic Indices: high of 39 on 21 October; last set of K-Indices of 4 or more (5 or more/24 hours): 13 through 22 October[/b]

[b]Moon for October[/b] per Astronomy Magazine
2 first quarter, 10 full, 13 apogee, 18 last quarter, 25 new, 26 perigee
The moon is at [b]perigee[/b] (222,791 miles near) on 26 October.[/center]

The following quoted from today's www.spaceweather.com :
[b]SOLAR EXPLOSIONS[/b]: Solar activity is high. An intense X5-class solar flare erupted today (Oct. 23rd at 8:35 UT) from sunspot 486 near the sun's southeastern limb. The explosion hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) into space. See the movie at www.spaceweather.com . Although the CME was not Earth-directed, it could deliver a glancing blow to our planet's magnetic field as early as Oct 24th (although the 25th is more likely).

[b]Another CME[/b] was already en route when this morning's explosion occured. Pictured at the above website, it was launched on Oct 22nd by an explosion near sunspot 484. Forecasters expect it to arrive on Oct. 24th and possibly trigger a strong geomagnetic storm. Sky watchers at middle latitudes should be alert for auroras.

[b]Recent Volcanic Eruptions[/b]
Highlighted if at least one eruption is over 8 km

COLIMA western México 19.514°N,103.62°W; summit elev. ~3,850 m
on 16 October ash to a height of ~6 km, on 18 October an ash plume to ~7.3 km

DUKONO Halmahera, Indonesia 1.70°N, 127.87°E; summit elev. 1,185 m
an ash plume on 15 October to ~3 km

FUEGO Guatemala 14.47°N, 90.88°W; summit elev. 3,763 m
a 33-minute-long explosive eruption on 17 October, producing a gas-and-ash plume to ~5.3 km

KILAUEA Hawaii, USA 19.43°N, 155.29°W; summit elev. 1,222 m
during 15-20 October a few areas of surface lava visible upslope of Kilauea's coastal flat

KLIUCHEVSKOI Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia 56.06°N, 160.64°E; summit elev. 4,835 m
on 9, 10, and 11 October gas-and-steam plumes with little ash to 5.3 km, similar plumes on 12 and 16 October, Strombolian activity on the night of 10-11 October

MAYON southeastern Luzon, Philippines 13.257°N, 123.685°E; summit elev. 2,462 m
the week before 13 October SO2 emissions increased

REVENTADOR Ecuador 0.078°S, 77.656°W, summit elev. 3,562 m
lahars on 13, 14, and 19 October

SANTA MARÍA Guatemala 14.756°N 91.552°W; summit elev. 3,772 m
as of 17 October moderate explosions accompanied by block-and-ash flows, on 16 October a strong explosion forming a pyroclastic flow

SOUFRIÈRE HILLS Montserrat, West Indies 16.72°N, 62.18°W; summit elev. 1,052 m
during 10-17 October lahars during periods of heavy rainfall, sulfur-dioxide emissions increasing from 600-900 tons per day at the beginning of the week to a peak of 1,900 tons on 13 October, descending to 720 tons on 16 October; low-level ash plumes occasionally seen

[b]TUNGURAHUA Ecuador 1.47°S, 78.44°W; summit elev. 5,023 m
during 15-19 October moderate-to-slight gas-and-ash emissions to 6.5 km, on 17 October ash to 9.1 km, on the night of 18 October incandescent blocks rolling down the W side of the crater, Strombolian activity on the night of 19 October[/b]

Ash data is summarized from the weekly GVN/USGS report at
http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/
All ash elevations are in km above sea level (a.s.l.).

The earthquake data that follows are taken from U.S. Geological Survey tables available through http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/bulletin.html .

EARTH

FIVE Index of Global earthquakes of 5.0 magnitude or greater

DATE-(UTC)-TIME LAT LON DEP MAG Q COMMENTS
yy/mm/dd hh:mm:ss deg. deg. km

READ UP for latest report.

03/10/23 10:54:3951.54N176.55E33.0 5.6RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
03/10/23 07:58:2823.74S179.73E547.6 5.2SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
03/10/23 07:53:5611.51N141.55E33.0 5.5STATE OF YAP, MICRONESIA
03/10/23 00:25:4549.95N88.21E10.0 5.0RUSSIA-MONGOLIA BORDER REGION
03/10/22 11:45:286.09S147.79E33.0 6.3EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G.
03/10/22 02:30:398.45N102.93W10.0 5.8NORTHERN EAST PACIFIC RISE
03/10/21 21:31:012.50S140.55E10.0 5.2NEAR NORTH COAST OF IRIAN JAYA
03/10/20 16:50:1658.01S26.27W147.3 5.6SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
03/10/20 16:14:462.48S139.57E10.0 5.0NEAR NORTH COAST OF IRIAN JAYA
03/10/18 22:27:130.52N126.05E33.0 6.3MOLUCCA SEA
03/10/17 17:19:535.01S102.44E33.0 5.8SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
03/10/17 12:57:0936.03N22.34E43.3 5.5SOUTHERN GREECE
03/10/17 05:30:2050.14N87.69E10.0 5.1SOUTHWESTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA
03/10/16 12:28:0825.90N101.33E33.0 5.6YUNNAN, CHINA
03/10/16 12:28:0825.89N101.34E33.0 5.6YUNNAN, CHINA


United States Quakes this past week
with quakes that might be felt:

03/10/23 15:34:4040.62N122.41W22.9 3.3NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
03/10/23 15:32:0951.51N176.59E33.0 4.8RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
03/10/23 10:54:3951.54N176.55E33.0 5.6RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
03/10/23 08:16:2450.86N129.18W10.0 4.0VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA REGION
03/10/22 23:23:1865.58N158.90W26.0 3.6NORTHERN ALASKA
03/10/22 06:07:5639.67N111.31W1.1 2.9UTAH
03/10/22 00:11:3165.43N167.38W3.0 4.1NORTHERN ALASKA
03/10/22 00:04:0332.34N115.24W30.5 3.6BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
03/10/20 20:53:5132.15N115.43W7.0 3.2BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
03/10/20 19:37:3253.85N165.28W62.0 3.8FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
03/10/20 17:50:0937.91N122.16W9.0 3.4SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIF.
03/10/20 09:09:2236.66N121.28W9.2 3.1CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
03/10/19 15:32:5237.91N122.15W9.8 3.5SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIF.
03/10/19 14:35:2637.90N122.15W7.3 2.5SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIF.
03/10/18 14:13:2536.03N117.79W3.0 2.9CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
03/10/18 07:38:5935.21N120.80W2.3 3.4CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
03/10/18 07:27:1835.21N120.80W2.5 3.4CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
03/10/18 07:04:4119.59N70.72W10.0 4.5DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
03/10/18 03:03:0419.98N70.47W10.0 4.3DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
03/10/18 00:58:4518.47N67.68W21.2 2.7MONA PASSAGE
03/10/16 05:55:1019.80N70.39W10.0 4.1DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
03/10/16 03:20:5419.67N70.67W10.0 4.7DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
03/10/16 00:36:0221.89N142.95E247.0 4.3MARIANA ISLANDS REGION


MEDITERRANEAN REGION, Continued

03/10/20 06:26:5138.72N44.59E10.0 4.9TURKEY-IRAN BORDER REGION
03/10/18 10:59:0251.62N6.98E10.0 2.8GERMANY
03/10/17 12:57:0936.03N22.34E43.3 5.5SOUTHERN GREECE
03/10/16 22:44:4136.49N22.98E33.0 4.7SOUTHERN GREECE


Monthly Summary of Earthquakes of 6 or greater Magnitude
in the World, per USGS/NEIC Preliminary Global Report

YEAR: 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03

May 3 15 17 8 9 6 9 5 8 7 16 with two 7M's
June 1 11 12 12 3 3 3 22 10 14 12 with one 7M
July 2 10 12 7 5 9 8 9 10 5 15 with one 7M
August 2 14 16 6 7 8 9 12 8 12 8 with two 7M's
September 4 8 8 9 7 4 12 7 10 13 18 with two 7M's, one 8M
October 4 12 21 9 6 3 4 8 11 21 (9)

Yr total 19 110 160 109 76 63 103 109 112 133 (113)


SUN

Sunspot numbers for the past week:
10/15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
29 28 66 91 89 113 144 117
Planetary geomagnetic A Indices for same period
42 26 31 27 32 30 39 33 7

Solar data from http://www.sec.noaa.gov/

[b]SPECIAL NOTE[/b]

[b]What is a Lahar?[/b]

Lahar is an Indonesian word for a rapidly flowing mixture of rock debris and water that originates on the slopes of a volcano. Lahars are also referred to as volcanic mudflows or debris flows. They form in a variety of ways, chiefly by the rapid melting of snow and ice by pyroclastic flows, intense rainfall on loose volcanic rock deposits, breakout of a lake dammed by volcanic deposits, and as a consequence of debris avalanches. per USGS photoglossary

Comments and questions are always welcome.

Donald J. Boon, editor, [email]donaldboon@comcast.net[/email]