https://www.scmp.com/rss/523200/feed The latest news and top stories on US Geological Survey, headquartered in Reston, Virginia state. It is dedicated to studying the Earth, its natural hazards and resources. Its main areas of activity span biology, geography, geology and hydrology, providing crucial data on ecosystems, water and mineral resources, and natural hazards. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck in Indonesia’s Northern Maluku Sea on Thursday, killing one person, damaging buildings and triggering tsunami waves, authorities and witnesses said, though monitoring agencies said the likelihood of further casualties was low. Indonesia’s meteorology agency BMKG said tsunami waves were reported in five locations, the highest at 0.75 metre (2.46 feet) in North ‌Minahasa in North Sulawesi and about 50 aftershocks were monitored, the largest at a magnitude of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348725/tsunami-warning-indonesia-philippines-malaysia-after-maluku-sea-quake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348725/tsunami-warning-indonesia-philippines-malaysia-after-maluku-sea-quake?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:45:58 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Satellite images are beginning to be released, giving a glimpse into the toll of the Iran war, with ships ablaze in an Iranian port and destroyed buildings at an American base. Information has so far been scarce about the damage being done across the Middle East, particularly when it’s inside closed military facilities, since the start of the war on February 28. The images come from Planet Labs PBC, a San Francisco-based firm used by media outlets, including Associated Press. Planet Labs has put... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346987/satellite-images-reveal-damage-widening-middle-east-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346987/satellite-images-reveal-damage-widening-middle-east-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 06:15:30 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim The US war against Iran may have handed Beijing some fresh rare-earths leverage over Washington, with roughly three weeks until US President Donald Trump’s expected visit to China. Washington’s heavy reliance on the Chinese minerals for its advanced weapon systems means China could dictate how long US strikes on Iran can go on, according to sources and analysts. Sources told the South China Morning Post, on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, that Washington had only... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346123/could-chinas-rare-earth-supplies-dictate-how-long-us-strikes-iran-go?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346123/could-chinas-rare-earth-supplies-dictate-how-long-us-strikes-iran-go?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 15:00:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A strong earthquake rattled southern and central Mexico on Friday, interrupting President Claudia Sheinbaum’s first press briefing of the new year as seismic alarms sounded. At least two people died. The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.5 and its epicentre was near the town of San Marcos in the southern state of Guerrero near the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco, according to Mexico’s national seismological agency. There were more than 500 aftershocks. The state’s civil defence agency reported... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3338583/1-dead-12-injured-65-magnitude-quake-shakes-mexico-city-and-beach-resort?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3338583/1-dead-12-injured-65-magnitude-quake-shakes-mexico-city-and-beach-resort?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 20:05:25 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Recent moves by the United States – including President Donald Trump’s meeting with leaders of resource-rich Central Asian countries and the expansion of a US government critical minerals list – signal an urgency in Washington to reduce its reliance on rare earths from China before tensions with Beijing flare up again, analysts said. Despite China’s Ministry of Commerce on Sunday suspending export controls on “dual-use items” related to several key minerals for a year as part of the US-China... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3332221/us-stepping-global-rare-earths-hunt-despite-china-trade-agreement-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3332221/us-stepping-global-rare-earths-hunt-despite-china-trade-agreement-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 15:00:10 +0000 dpa dpa Several countries as well as the European Union have offered their condolences after a powerful earthquake struck northern Afghanistan, killing 20 people and injuring hundreds, according to official reports. The country’s national disaster management authority said 20 people have died and 643 were wounded, revising down earlier figures reported by the state-run news agency Bakhtar, which had put the death toll of the overnight quake at 27, with more than 700 injured. Pakistan, India, Iran,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3331402/international-condolences-pour-after-afghanistan-earthquake-kills-20?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3331402/international-condolences-pour-after-afghanistan-earthquake-kills-20?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 23:20:15 +0000 Agencies Agencies A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook northern Afghanistan before dawn on Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 300 others, a health official said. Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, provided the updated death and injury toll. The US Geological Survey said the quake’s epicentre was located 22km (14 miles) west-southwest of the town of Khulm, and that it struck at 12.59am at a depth of 28km. The USGS issued an orange alert in its PAGER... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3331265/magnitude-63-earthquake-shakes-northern-afghanistan-casualties-feared?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3331265/magnitude-63-earthquake-shakes-northern-afghanistan-casualties-feared?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 01:29:47 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings The US government has drafted an expansion of its critical-minerals list to head off what an official said were potential “supply-chain disruptions”, in a move that experts say could help onshore more production of semiconductor chips, automotive systems and solar panels instead of relying on China. The US Department of the Interior released the draft 2025 List of Critical Minerals on Tuesday, adding 51 mined commodities such as copper, lead, potash, silicon and silver. This marks the second... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3323661/us-expanding-critical-minerals-roster-guide-investment-reduce-reliance-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3323661/us-expanding-critical-minerals-roster-guide-investment-reduce-reliance-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 14:00:12 +0000 Reuters Reuters One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck Russia’s Far East early on Wednesday, triggering four-metre (13-foot) tsunami waves and sparking evacuation orders in Hawaii and across the Pacific. The shallow earthquake damaged buildings and injured several people in the remote Russian region, while much of Japan’s eastern seaboard – devastated by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2011 – was ordered to evacuate. A resident in the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky said the shaking... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3320062/tsunami-warnings-issued-after-magnitude-8-quake-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3320062/tsunami-warnings-issued-after-magnitude-8-quake-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jul 2025 00:20:03 +0000