Volcanoes have been around for many centuries and will continue to exist for many more to come. Many people have their ideas of what they believe volcanoes are. Most believe that it is basically a mountain that shoots out lava, destroying anything and everything nearby. This assumption is actually proven accurate. Volcanoes are considered one of the most dangerous natural disasters; they can erupt suddenly, destroying everything in its way. People tend to be so afraid of volcanoes that most of them don’t realize that there is one concept far more terrifying than just a volcano: a super volcano. Most have never even heard of them, but it has been proven that they are much worse than just normal volcanoes. Super volcanoes are known for being larger and more powerful than your typical volcano. According to National Geographic Magazine, a super volcano is a term used which describes explosions with exceptional violence and volume. The USGS states within the magazine article that super volcanoes are known for ejecting more than 1,000 cubic kilometers of pumice and ash. Super volcanoes are known to be approximately ten times larger and more powerful than an average volcano. This magazine also makes a known analogy that compares volcanoes and super volcanoes in a better perspective. It states that “volcanoes form mountains, super volcanoes erase them; Volcanoes kill plants and animals for miles around; super volcanoes threaten whole species with pure extinction by changing the climate across the entire planet. In order to assess the meaning of a super volcano, we must look at the different impacts it can have on the climate, how they are known for flaring up, the most current form of measurement, and even a little bit of history to compl...
... middle of paper ...
...lcanic Area, South America: Evidence from InSAR." Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 174.4 (2008): 337-44. Print.
Reid, Mary R., Jorge A. Vazquez, and Axel K. Schmitt. "Zircon-scale Insights into the History of a Supervolcano, Bishop Tuff, Long Valley, California, with Implications for the Ti-in-zircon Geothermometer." Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 161.2 (2011): 293-311. Print.
Best, M. G., E. H. Christiansen, and S. Gromme. "Introduction: The 36-18 Ma SouthernGreat Basin, USA, Ignimbrite Province and Flareup: Swarms of Subduction-related Supervolcanoes." Geosphere 9.2 (2013): 260-74. Print.
Jones, Morgan T., R. Stephen J. Sparks, and Paul J. Valdez. "The Climactic Impact of Super Volcanic Ash Blankets." (2007): 553-64. Print.
"Scientists Solve Supervolcano Mystery." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 08 Jan. 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
Marshak, S. (2009) Essentials of Geology, 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, ch. 11, p. 298-320.
Many of us know Mount Shasta to be a beautiful mountain and a popular tourist location in California. However, this mountain is much more than that, this mountain is actually a volcano. Volcanoes come with a number of hazards and a volcano of this size is of no exception. Previous eruptions on Mount Shasta have given us an idea of the power this volcano has and the damage it may do. With this information scientists are able to predict what may happen should another explosion occur.
"NPS: Nature & Science» Geology Resources Division." Nature.nps.gov » Explore Nature. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. .
Wood and Kienle, 1990, Volcanoes of North America: United States and Canada: Cambridge University Press, 354 p., p. 158-160, Contribution by Patrick Pringle.
Harris, Ann G., Esther Tuttle, and Sherwood D. Tuttle. "Katmai National Park and Preserve." Geology of National Parks. 4th ed. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Pub., 1990. 441-48. Print.
Tarbuck E., Lutgens F., Tasa D., 2014, An Introduction to Physical Geology, 5th Ed, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
Many will attest to the grandeur of the natural feature that exists in northern Arizona, but the formation of the Grand Canyon has befuddled geomorphologists to this day. This confusion can be attributed to the Kaibab Plateau, an anomaly considering the Colorado River traverses it seamlessly. Four prevalent hypotheses have been proposed since the 19th century, starting with the lake overflow proposition first brought up by John Newbury and then reinforced by Eliot Blackwelder. Newbury argued that a structure must have ponded an ancient lake causing an overspill to cut into the Grand Canyon. This argument holds that the river must have come after the plateau’s existence. Unbeknownst to Newbury, the structure would be the Kaibab Plateau.
What is a super volcano, what is a volcano? A volcano itself is a hill or mountain with vents to the crusts of the earth that let magma sit under or in the mountain. “A super volcano is any volcano capable of producing a volcanic eruption with an ejecta volume greater than 1,000 km3 (240 cu mi). This is thousands of times larger than normal volcanic eruptions. Super volcanos are on a much bigger scale than other volcanoes. Unlike composite volcanoes, with their steep sides, they are difficult to spot.” (Internet Geography, geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk) An average volcano in the world would just cause local damage, but this super volcano could end life on earth. Not just with the eruption but the ash would cause a volcanic winter blocking the sun to long and then even more the ash would choke everything out and collapse roofs. Yea Rainier would kill thousands of people, but Yellowstone would literally kill billions plus of people. In comparison, Rainier is a little fly and Yellowstone is a Griffin {The big eagle lion bird thing}. Yellowstone has the capability to erupt 1,000 times stronger than Rainier ever could.
Boom! A once ice-capped mountain peak explodes as ash fills the air. “‘Vancouver, Vancouver, this is it!’”Those were the last words of expert geologist David Johnston (Gunn 561). In 1980, Mount Saint Helens of the state of Washington erupted, filling the air with ash and causing mudflows powerful enough to lift tons. It decimated everything in its path. The eruptions, mudflows, and ash caused great damage on the landscape, yet it gave us information on how catastrophes happen and how they affect society and the surrounding landscape. The data acquired can also help us understand the way the landscape was formed. Mount Saint Helens caused much damage, but also helped people understand the science behind it.
3. The information given to the viewer on the evidence of the coming volcanic activity seemed to be pretty accurately based on the knowledge of volcanoes presented in this course. The evidence included an increase in seismic activity/ earthquakes; caldera swelling and irregular growth; bulges above the caldera; vegetation death; and the release of toxic gases such as sulfur dioxide. These symptoms have been present on and around volcanoes that have erupted in the past, and are considered indicative of volcanic activity.
...ays. In Williams, A. L., Pinches, G. M., Chin, C. Y., McMorran, T. J. and Massey, C.I., Geologically Active. Taylor and Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-0-415-60054-7, 3609-3616.
The designation “large igneous province” (LIP) was introduced to embody the range of recognized, immense, crustal emplacements of mafic (Mg,Fe-rich) extrusive and intrusive rock related to the decompression of hot, melting, buoyant mantle ascending from the Earth’s interior (Coffin and Eldholm, 1991). This alteration of mass and energy is also thought to have occurred in specific cycles of geologic time in contrast to normal crustal...
Since the beginning of modern science, volcanoes have drawn the attention of scientists around the globe. However, it wasn’t until about 25 years ago that our understanding of the physical and chemical processes that drive volcanic eruptions increased drastically. Due to our advances in geochemical and petrological sciences, we have been able to more accurately conclude as to why and how a volcano erupts. As a generalization, volcanologists primarily focus on the science behind how magma forms and moves to Earth’s surface, and how the specific chemical properties of magma (and the lithosphere though which it moves) contribute to eruptive activity. Volcanic ash is also significant in the volcanology, differing slightly with each eruption. Different eruptions possess different properties, such as composition and thickness of the erupting magma, the force of the eruption, and what gases are present, that make each eruption unique (3).
Fresh volcanic ash, made from small-grained rock, may be abrasive, acidic, gritty, gassy and odorous. whereas not instantly dangerous to most adults, the acidic gas and ash will cause respiratory organ harm to tiny infants, to older adults and to those plagued by severe metabolism diseases. Volcanic ash can also harm machinery, as well as en...
inferred for the reservoir (4). The magma ascent to the surface occurred through a conduit of possibly 70 to 100 m in diameter (5). A thermal model predicts that such a reservoir should contain a core of partially molten magma (6) that can be detected by high-resolution seismic tomography.