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A new study suggests that two recent earthquakes may indicate a literal seismic shift in our understanding of tectonic plate movements. Massive earthquakes under the Indian Ocean that took place last spring are the largest of their kind ever recorded. The 8.7 magnitude quake, followed by a 8.2 magnitude aftershock, could signal the formation of a new plate boundary under the Earth.

"New Zealand's second largest city was struck by disaster in February 2011 - and debate still rages as to whether it should ape its old character or develop a new one"

Japan has acquired some new territory in the Pacific Ocean following a powerful volcanic eruption. A new island has emerged from the sea, 1,000km south of the capital Tokyo. Video Footage of the eruption

short film clip available

"According to news today on mbl.is there is now more magma in Hekla volcano then before the 2000 eruption. The news says that since the year 2006 there has been more magma in Hekla magma chamber then before the last eruption in the year 2000. This has not meant an eruption so far. Hekla volcano magma chamber have the depth of around 10 to 20 km. This means this inflation that is now taking place does not appear clearly on the surface, but changes are being measured by GPS system that Icelandic Meteorological Office has. This is also appearing on GPS instruments that geological department University of Iceland has. Even if inflation is now more in Hekla volcano then during the eruptions in the year 1991 and 2000 it does not mean that next eruption is going to be bigger. Since the size of the eruption depends on how much of the magma is mobile in the magma chamber. That amount remains unknown until eruption takes place and even then not all of the mobile magma might erupt."

10 months after the last hazard newzealand hit by a 5.8 earthquake and a series of aftershocks. No casualties

An eruption occurred in the Red Sea in December 2011. According to news reports, fishermen witnessed lava fountains reaching up to 30 meters (90 feet) tall on December 19. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites observed plumes on December 20 and December 22. Meanwhile, the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite detected elevated levels of sulfur dioxide, further indicating an eruption

"Researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) explain how a recent discovery could help tsunami-prone areas reduce the impact of future disasters. Before the Japanese tsunami of 2011, the inland reach of such an event had been drastically underestimated. Soil samples from affected areas have proved to be the key to designing measures that can mitigate future disasters "