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12 posts tagged california
A case of mad cow disease was discovered in California this week.
This is the fourth known case in U.S. history and the first since 2006. Authorities claim the cow was not meant to enter the nation’s food supply.
Mad cow disease is fatal to bovines and can be similarly fatal to humans who eat tainted beef.
The infected cow was found during an Agriculture Department program that tests about 40,000 cows a year.
According to the USDA, there were 90.8 million head of cattle in the U.S. as of January 1, 2012. So, one of 40,000 out of 90.8 million possible cattle was found to have mad cow disease.
There were quite a few cows left untested. We’re just saying.
A meteor was seen and heard over Nevada and northern California on Sunday.
People reported seeing a ball of fire across about a 600-mile swath over cities like Reno, North Las Vegas, San Francisco and Sacramento.
No earthquakes were recorded at the same time, around 8am PT, but thousands reported hearing a loud boom that shook windows and set off alarms.
Scientists say the fireball occurred because the meteor exploded as it passed into our atmosphere, and witnesses call it a dazzling display of green, white and red colors.
Seen just hours after the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower, a meteor seen during daylight hours would likely be the size of a softball.
Northern California started the week with a rumble.
First, a 4.4 magnitude temblor hit near Santa Rosa Sunday evening. Midday Monday, a moderate 5.6 quake struck northern California.
The epicenter was a rural area near the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, about 240 miles north of San Francisco and 60 miles south of the Oregon border.
The USGS published the following probability for aftershocks:
- 28% chance of aftershocks 5.0 and larger in the next 7 days
- 5-10% an aftershock will equal or surpass the 5.6 main quake
- 100% chance that 12-40 small aftershocks (3-5 magnitude)
To the south, Costa Rica was hit by a 5.8 magnitude quake early Monday off the Pacific coast.
Source 
Thursday was a shaky day for the western US.
Early in the morning, Hawaii and Alaska were struck by 2.6 magnitude temblors within just minutes of each other.
Yesterday evening, Mexico was hit by a 4.3 off Baja, California. The quake was followed relatively quickly by a 3.0 in Santa Barbara and a 3.1 magnitude near Joshua Tree.
Alaska closed out the day with another 2.6 in the central part of the state. Thursday’s strongest quake in the state was a 4.0 centered near Akutan.
Late in the day and far away, but on the Pacific-Antarctic ridge, a 5.2 struck deep under water.
While none of Thursday’s quakes were particularly strong, the pattern of activity, especially the pairing of the Alaskan and Hawaiian quakes, may be signs of bigger Pacific quakes to come in the near future.
