← Back to the summary for 29 Sep
The detail behind the day
The Pacific is unusually warm.
Earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or more
Strongest first. Magnitude is a log scale: each whole step is about 32 times more energy. Depth is how far below the surface the quake began; shallow ones shake the ground harder.
| Time (UTC) | Magnitude | Depth | Where | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13:06 | 5.6 | 10 km | southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge | Open ocean |
| 12:40 | 5.4 | 10 km | near Pangai, Tonga | Tonga |
| 03:23 | 5.3 | 10 km | near Tadine, New Caledonia | New Caledonia |
| 10:42 | 5.0 | 10 km | near Tadine, New Caledonia | New Caledonia |
| 14:14 | 4.9 | 153 km | near Pante Makasar, Timor Leste | Timor-Leste |
| 06:38 | 4.9 | 35 km | South Sandwich Islands region | Open ocean |
| 15:17 | 4.8 | 114 km | South Sandwich Islands region | Open ocean |
| 11:27 | 4.8 | 10 km | near Port-Vila, Vanuatu | Vanuatu |
| 11:36 | 4.8 | 10 km | near Petrolia, CA | United States |
| 20:45 | 4.7 | 10 km | near Dicabisagan, Philippines | Philippines |
| 16:13 | 4.7 | 57 km | near Fangale’ounga, Tonga | Tonga |
| 13:26 | 4.7 | 10 km | near Wuwei, China | China |
| 10:44 | 4.7 | 10 km | near Tadine, New Caledonia | New Caledonia |
| 22:17 | 4.6 | 10 km | Carlsberg Ridge | Open ocean |
| 15:31 | 4.6 | 10 km | West Chile Rise | Open ocean |
| 11:38 | 4.6 | 10 km | near Tadine, New Caledonia | New Caledonia |
| 09:23 | 4.6 | 10 km | near Tadine, New Caledonia | New Caledonia |
| 04:16 | 4.6 | 33 km | South Sandwich Islands region | Open ocean |
| 10:22 | 4.5 | 133 km | near Alianza Cristiana, Peru | Peru |
| 08:21 | 4.5 | 18 km | near Ocós, Guatemala | Guatemala |
| 05:01 | 4.5 | 10 km | near Tadine, New Caledonia | New Caledonia |
| 01:00 | 4.5 | 10 km | near Tadine, New Caledonia | New Caledonia |
| 00:05 | 4.5 | 35 km | near Atlasovo, Russia | Russia |
Where most of them struck
6 more happened out at sea, away from any country’s borders.
Counting smaller ones too, 74 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more were logged worldwide. How many small quakes are recorded depends on how many seismometers are nearby, so this number is not compared with other years.
Source: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. Magnitudes and places can be revised by USGS for weeks after an event.
Volcanoes
32 more volcanoes on NASA’s activity tracker
| Alert | Volcano |
|---|---|
| NASA tracker | Aira Volcano, Japan |
| NASA tracker | Ambae Volcano, Vanuatu |
| NASA tracker | Bezymianny Volcano, Russia |
| NASA tracker | Dukono Volcano, Indonesia |
| NASA tracker | Fuego Volcano, Guatemala |
| NASA tracker | Ibu Volcano, Indonesia |
| NASA tracker | Ivao Group Volcano, Russia |
| NASA tracker | Kanlaon Volcano, Philippines |
| NASA tracker | Kikai Volcano, Japan |
| NASA tracker | Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii |
| NASA tracker | Krasheninnikov Volcano, Russia |
| NASA tracker | Langila Volcano, Papua New Guinea |
| NASA tracker | Lewotobi Volcano, Indonesia |
| NASA tracker | Lewotolok Volcano, Indonesia |
| NASA tracker | Marapi Volcano, Indonesia |
| NASA tracker | Masaya Volcano, Nicaragua |
| NASA tracker | Mayon Volcano, Philippines |
| NASA tracker | Merapi Volcano, Indonesia |
| NASA tracker | Nevados del Chillan Volcano, Chile |
| NASA tracker | Popocatepetl Volcano, Mexico |
| NASA tracker | Puracé Volcano, Colombia |
| NASA tracker | Reventador Volcano, Ecuador |
| NASA tracker | Rincon de la Vieja Volcano, Costa Rica |
| NASA tracker | Sabancaya Volcano, Peru |
| NASA tracker | Sangay Volcano, Ecuador |
| NASA tracker | Santa Maria Volcano, Guatemala |
| NASA tracker | Semeru Volcano, Indonesia |
| NASA tracker | Sheveluch Volcano, Russia |
| NASA tracker | Stromboli Volcano, Italy |
| NASA tracker | Suwanosejima Volcano, Japan |
| NASA tracker | Telica Volcano, Nicaragua |
| NASA tracker | Titan Ridge Volcano, Papua New Guinea |
Colour codes are the aviation scale: green is normal, yellow an advisory, orange a watch, red a warning. USGS rates US volcanoes only; the others come from NASA’s tracker of volcanoes with recent activity reports.
Sources: USGS Volcano Hazards Program, NASA EONET and USGS earthquakes for Campi Flegrei and Vesuvius.
Space weather
| Kind of event | Highest level reached |
|---|---|
| Geomagnetic storm | None |
| Radio blackout | None |
| Solar radiation storm | None |
Source: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center.
Climate readings
| Measure | Latest value | Reading date | How it compares | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific sea temperature (Niño 3.4) | +3.1 °C against normal | Week to 23 Sep | 4th highest weekly reading since 1981 | NOAA CPC |
| Arctic sea ice extent | 5.4 million km² | 29 Sep | 20% below the 1981–2010 average; 17th lowest of 44 years for the date | NSIDC |
| Antarctic sea ice extent | 16.8 million km² | 29 Sep | 9% below the 1981–2010 average; 1st lowest of 44 years for the date | NSIDC |
| Carbon dioxide, Mauna Loa | 425.8 ppm | 29 Sep | 1.5 ppm higher than a year earlier | NOAA GML |
| Antarctic ozone hole | 24.4 million km² | 29 Sep | 10th largest for the date since 1979; thinnest part 124 Dobson units | NASA |
These move slowly, so the latest reading may be a few days old. The summary page draws each one as a chart.