Tsunami Warning

There was a false tsunami warning on the US East Coast, the Gulf of Mexico and in the Caribbean yesterday.  The causes of tsunamis can vary.  One of of the causes can be underwater avalanches and volcanoes. In 1929, an earthquake off Canada’s east coast triggered an underwater landslide that shifted nearly 50 cubic miles (200 cubic kilometers) of rocks and sediment. That avalanche, in turn, generated powerful waves reaching 10 to 26 feet (3 to 8 meters) high that struck the coast of Newfoundland — killing 28 people There have been more than 15 landslides surrounding the Hawaiian Islands. They are among the largest known on Earth.  Mind your the most recent is thought to have occurred 100,000 years ago.  There is evidence today that large blocks of land on the island of Hawaii are beginning to slide.  This generates large earthquakes in the process. Australia's Great Barrier Reef is the location of the largest undersea landslide - 32 cubic kilometres' in volume.  This was more than 300,000 years ago. They found this while using 3E multi beam mapping of the deep Great Barrier Reef seafloor.  Instead of being relatively flat, there were eight knolls, some over 100 metres high and 3 km long. Our picture today shows the Niagara Blossom Trail Series.  We can look forward to this experience in May.

Countdown to Christmas - the Landscape in December

It is the countdown to Christmas and everyone is busy shopping, going to concerts, baking, and going to special events.  These activities seem to be excellent distractions from the loss of our beautiful fall colours and glowing landscapes.  

These two pictures show the entrance to one of the Royal Botanical Gardens hiking trails.  They were taken just over a month apart, and with similar light in the sky.  But how the autumn colours make everything glow and how the winter sky and sombre reduced colour palatte makes for a stark comparison.

Of course, we will next experience Winter in Niagara.  The colour palette will reduce to the point where the images are black and white naturally.  It is a significant contrast to the many colours and hues of summer and autumn.  Of course, we then experience the cycle anew and our glorious spring returns.