Earthquakes, Eclipses, and Exasperation, and Exhaustion

Here are a few quick updates …

Earthquakes: yes, an earthquake in New Jersey. It happens sometimes on the east coast of the US, typically a legacy of the massive ice sheets that covered the area. it has taken thousands of years for the land to bounce back up from the weight of all that ice. There are ancient faults from the building of the Appalachian Mountains as well cris-crossing the area, mostly inactive, but still shifting from time to time. Although it shook people up (literally 😛 ) it doesn’t seem to have caused much obvious damage, however I expect there will be some hidden damage in weird places, given the way seismic waves propagate in eastern North America.

Eclipses: This Monday is a fantastic opportunity for a large number of Americans to witness one of the most amazing events nature has to offer, a total solar eclipse. Unfortunately it looks like a lot of areas may be cloudy. Remember that if you aren’t in the path of totality (the narrow swath where the moon entirely covers the sun) it will NOT be safe to look at it (or photograph – good way to ruin your camera/phone) at any time without special filters. And in the path, it is only safe for the few minutes when the sun is COMPLETELY covered. The sun has been pretty active lately; here is a view from the GOES satellite this afternoon showing a number of prominences, the arch-shaped jets of gas looping away from the sun, following magnetic fields:

Here is the NESDIS page on eclipses …
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news-events/total-solar-eclipse

Here is a National Weather Service link with lot more information on the clouds …
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/#page=ovw

And a NASA page on eclipse safety …
https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/safety/

Exasperation: I do have a 2024 hurricane season forecast post under construction. The TLDR is while some of the elements are shaping up for an above average season, it’s not clear since there are lots of complex factors involved. Beware the hype! Seasonal forecasts prior to May are not terribly accurate, especially when it comes to impacts.

Exhaustion: I have a family health issue to deal with, and some geopolitical shenanigans, so unless it is literally a catastrophe won’t be posting much for a while, but if you subscribe (free but donations appreciated) you’ll get the urgent stuff.