Officials investigate cause behind massive earth-split in Brazil

March 26, 2013 – BRAZIL – The cause of massive land collapse in Brazil is being investigated. The prosecutor Douglas Roberto Ribeiro de Magalhaes Chegury is investigating the cause of environmental disasters in the cities of Santo Domingo and Campos Belos, Goias in the Northeast. Since yesterday (14/3), surveys are being carried out by the technical-skills expert prosecutors in places, where geological disasters, were generated by the collapse of land. This information will educate the public civil inquiries, which will proceed through the Prosecutor’s Office and Justice of São Domingos Campos Belos to liability for damages. According to Chegury, in early February, shortly after becoming aware of the environmental disaster in the Serra Geral, which divides the states of Goiás, Tocantins and Bahia; the civil investigation was initiated due to public outcry. The prosecutor has even visited the disaster site, and collected samples of water and land that could be contaminated with chemicals and pesticides. With the collapse, the flood of mud, stones and earth opened up a crater approximately 7 km, running almost 200 meters to the east of the Mosquito River, a major Northeastern Goiás and Tocantins Southeast. The prosecutor also informed the public that another investigation was initiated in Santo Domingo for determining liability for any environmental damage over the Serra Geral, similar to what happened in Upper Landing. On site, there was a landslide that hit the east of the São Vicente, which passes Terra Ronca State Park; the most extensive areas of environmental preservation of Goiás, with approximately 60 000 hectares, endangering fish species endangering the Sao Vicente cave complex. – Mp.gov (translated) http://www.mp.go.gov.br/portalweb/1/noticia/616c772dff7c71ce4cc6954fdbc88594.html

March 25, 2013 –LUEPP, ARIZONA – It’s not something you see every day on the Navajo Nation, but a crack in the earth has been forming for a long time now and no one seems to have a clear answer. It just sits east of Flagstaff on Luepp Rd and about one mile west of Leupp gas station. It’s gotten so big, that they had to fence it in. According to the U.S. geological survey, they say earthquakes come and go in the northern parts of Arizona, which also covers the reservation, it’s not big enough to rattle down buildings but with the recent collapse of highway 89 near Page, some local residences wonder what mother nature has in mind for the vast reservation. On March 18, we reached out to the Navajo Nation land and geology department, they did not have a particular person to give us an answer, so no one was readily available to explain what that huge gash was in the earth. Just one mile west of Leupp gas station on the Navajo reservation sits a huge crack in the earth that is unexplained and is fenced in and it's getting bigger. www.thenavajopost.com. –Navajo Post