Current Events

  • Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm rep...Read more

    x

    Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm

    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm repeatedly. Daily levels of CO2 can vary due to weather, and there are seasonal trends as well. The level of atmospheric greenhouse gases continues to increase, now over 120 ppm since the Industrial Revolution began. For more on the Keeling Curve, see http://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/. Find out more about greenhouse gases and warming.
  • Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley
    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Io...Read more

    x

    Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley

    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. On May 20th, a massive tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, devastating communities - destroying over 100 homes and hitting two elementary schools and a hospital - with many casualties and deaths. Our thoughts are with our friends and colleagues suffering from these storms. For more on the May 20th storms, see the NOAA Storm Prediction Center Storm Report.
  • Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education
    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of ...Read more

    x

    Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education

    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of sustainability. Here is a link to the one-page bill: http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/hb2366_00_0000.pdf. See report on Bloomberg News.

Haiti Earthquake January 2010
News story originally written on January 13, 2010

A major earthquake causing widespread devestation and extensive loss of life struck the nation of Haiti on January 12, 2010. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.0. Haiti is on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea.

The island of Hispaniola lies along the boundary between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates. There are several geologic faults running through the region. The earthquake occured in an area called the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone.

Last modified February 1, 2010 by Lisa Gardiner.

Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!

Our online store includes fun classroom activities for you and your students. Issues of NESTA's quarterly journal, The Earth Scientist are also full of classroom activities on different topics in Earth and space science!

Windows to the Universe Community

News

Opportunities

You might also be interested in:

Cool It! Game

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

What Is an Earthquake?

The expression "on solid ground" is often used to describe something as stable. But sometimes the solid ground underfoot is not stable. It moves as Earth’s tectonic plates move. Sometimes it moves gradually....more

Plate Tectonics

Many forces cause the surface of the Earth to change over time. However, the largest force that changes our planet’s surface is the movement of Earth's outer layer through the process of plate tectonics....more

Scientists Return to Haiti to Assess Possibility of Another Major Quake

A team funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) is returning to Haiti this week to investigate the cause of the January 12, magnitude 7 earthquake there. The geologists will collect crucial data...more

Several tornadoes hit Arkansas, 24 killed

Several severe thunderstorms hit the U.S. over the weekend, wreaking havoc on the Midwestern and Southern states. Fourteen tornadoes hit Arkansas on Saturday, March 1, 1997, killing 24 people and injuring...more

Severe thunderstorms cause flooding, deaths

Several severe thunderstorms hit the U.S. over the weekend, wreaking havoc on the Midwestern and Southern states. Storms on Saturday, March 1, have killed at least 21 in Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee,...more

Tornadoes strike in Tennessee and Kentucky

Twelve tornadoes hit Tennessee early Saturday morning, injuring at least 44 people. Two people were killed when six more tornadoes touched down in Kentucky. The tornadoes came from a broad band of severe...more

Most recent global image of ozone concentration

NASA's instrument Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) aboard Japanese Advanced Earth Orbiting Satellite (ADEOS) has provided the most recent image showing the total ozone concentration. Ozone is a...more

Shop Windows to the Universe

Ready, Set, SCIENCE!, by the National Research Council, focuses on K-8 science classsrooms. Check out the other publications in our online store, as well as classroom materials.

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation and NASA, our Founding Partners (the American Geophysical Union and American Geosciences Institute) as well as through Institutional, Contributing, and Affiliate Partners, individual memberships and generous donors. Thank you for your support! NASA AGU AGI NSF