Take It As Red

Reuters - Thu Jun 2, 2:35 PM ET

The Colima volcano, in Mexico, is seen here in a timed exposure as lava and hot rocks flow down its sides and lightning flashes over its crater.

Mexico's fiercest volcano this week fired its angriest blast in at least 15 years. Local villagers shrug off the danger of lava and falling rocks with stoic fatalism. The 12,540-foot volcano, also known as the Volcano of Fire, shot volcanic debris almost three miles into the sky since Monday, forcing emergency services to consider an evacuation of nearby villages.

Picture taken June 1, 2005. REUTERS/Eduardo Quiros

It's been pretty active in California and Mexico recently, at least seismologically speaking. This map, from the US Geological Survey, shows worldwide seismic activity over the past 30 days; you can see at first glancethere's a big cluster of dots denoting quakes and aftershocks in the California/Mexico region. The biggest and most recent quakes are the red dots and as you can see by the map, all the plate margins are pretty active right now. The Aceh quake and tsunami set off a shock wave that is still reverberating around the world. Who knows what will blow next?

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posted by Republic of Palau  # 7.6.05