yellowstone might blow

[renegade600]

see this (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17629668/)

One of the largest supervolcanoes in the world lies beneath Yellowstone National Park and scientists say activity there is increasing.

Though the Yellowstone system, which spans parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, is active and expected to eventually blow its top, scientists don’t think it will erupt any time soon. Supervolcanoes can sleep for centuries or millennia before producing incredibly massive eruptions that can drop ash across an entire continent.

If this thing blows, north america will be no more. Do you think its anything to worry about?

[Pi rules]

Do you think its anything to worry about?
I'm more into physics, chemistry, and biology than geology & volcanology (vulcanology?), but I don't think that we have to worry for at least a few hundred thousand years. There are other supervolcanoes around, too. More info here (http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/supervolcano/supervolcano.html).

[Snurfen]

Err, they say that about the San Andreas fault too. Cataclysmic events like these to can be predicted sometimes, but often those calculations are plus or minus a few thousand years.

Pi, I'd imagine it should be "volcanalagy". "Vulcanology" must either be the study of Mr Spock, or the study of how to bond rubber to rubber. Hmmmmmm.
(Cue a certain Aussie coming on after spending an hour checking it out on several resources and correcting us!).

[Ned Seagoon]

Cue a certain Aussie coming on after spending an hour checking it out on several resources and correcting us!

He's not around, but will I do?

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanology

Volcanology (also spelled vulcanology) is the study of volcanoes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanoes), lava (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lava), magma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magma), and related geological (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology) phenomena. A volcanologist is a person who studies in this field. The term volcanology is derived from the Latin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_language) word vulcan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan), the Roman god (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_mythology) of fire.

[Snurfen]

Much nicer coming from you Nedski!

[Pi rules]

Thanks, I wasn't sure, so I guess both are sort of correct. I did think of Spock when typing vulcanology, but knew (thanks to school) about about the word vulcan.

[Amiduffer]

Is it going to happen before or after the next big comet/asteroid plows into the planet, or the next ice age buries the northern hemisphere under a couple miles of ice? :hmm:

I think a television show mentioned that the last eruption caused a mass extinction of animal life because of the cooling. When I was in Southern Idaho, in some areas, where the soil was exposed so that the layers are visable, you can see a period where there was some heavy volcanic activity because there was a layer of one inch of ash.

[ggross]

wow, lots of amazing information here.

[oracle128]

Pi, I'd imagine it should be "volcanalagy". "Vulcanology" must either be the study of Mr Spock, or the study of how to bond rubber to rubber. Hmmmmmm.
(Cue a certain Aussie coming on after spending an hour checking it out on several resources and correcting us!).
"Nowhere am I so desperately needed as among a shipload of illogical humans." - Spock

Besides, I never spend more than 3 minutes checking my sources.

[Snurfen]

Ooops, hit a nerve?

Amiduffer, I predict it will happen at exactly the same moment as that asteroid, and the San Andreas fault, and that big cliff falling into the sea in the Canary Islands.

Give or take 10,000 years ;)

[renegade600]

Ooops, hit a nerve?

Amiduffer, I predict it will happen at exactly the same moment as that asteroid, and the San Andreas fault, and that big cliff falling into the sea in the Canary Islands.

Give or take 10,000 years ;)

lets not forget the new madrid fault that will literally split the US and the Tectonic plates in asia causing a crack so large, the pacific ocean will shift

[Harrie]

Lot of excitement to look forward to! :rotflmao:

[lufbra]

Err, they say that about the San Andreas fault too.

Don't forget about the Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch fault too, but I hear that if anything catastrophic happens, the sheep will be saved!! :p

[Vercades]

MSNBC's track record with me isn't too good..

[Tom]

"Nowhere am I so desperately needed as among a shipload of illogical humans." - Spock


A vast improvement over your "Warning Will Robinson! Warning!" line you used to use Oracle.

[oracle128]

Don't believe I've ever used that line...

[Tom]

Insufficient superfluity in that, and there is no real adverbial phrase use. But it shows promise. I think you are a shoe-in for the Loebner prize this year.

[Snurfen]

Don't believe I've ever used that line...

Hmmmmm, I seem to remember something very similar being used by you some time back...................


Back to Yellowstone, has anyone seen the destruction caused by previous blows? About 8 years ago, I had the good fortune to visit Crater Like (http://www.nps.gov/archive/crla/home.htm) (wow, how did they dream that name up?) in Oregon, that'd brought home to me the power of a pyroclastic cataclysm - and they estimate yellowstone is 15-20 times the size of it.

Now that could mean it's got a much larger blow-hole to errupt through, or equally possible is it could blow in several places at lower pressure. However, one Crater Lake going off would be bad news, let alone two or three in quick succession.

[renegade600]

Now that could mean it's got a much larger blow-hole to errupt through, or equally possible is it could blow in several places at lower pressure. However, one Crater Lake going off would be bad news, let alone two or three in quick succession.

I wonder if scientists would try to relieve pressure and create minor eruptions outside of the major erruption areas if a major eruption is imminent.

[ggross]

I wonder if scientists would try to relieve pressure and create minor eruptions outside of the major erruption areas if a major eruption is imminent.

eh no worrys with everyone working towards nukes now by the time this all happens we will have been nuked and been exposed to nuclear radiation and we will be able to withstand the lava cause of freak mutation, now people just need to know how to swim :D

[renegade600]

now people just need to know how to swim :D

the only question is swimming in water or lava?:rotflmao:

[ggross]

a lil of both :-)

[oracle128]

Insufficient superfluity in that, and there is no real adverbial phrase use. But it shows promise. I think you are a shoe-in for the Loebner prize this year.Since when do ChatBots quote Star Trek?

Hmmmmm, I seem to remember something very similar being used by you some time back...................If it was, Forum Search hasn't heard of it.

[English Bob]

Insufficient superfluity in that, and there is no real adverbial phrase use. But it shows promise. I think you are a shoe-in for the Loebner prize this year.
Since when do ChatBots quote Star Trek?
You blokes are so frigging funny.:rotflmao:
As for that volcano blowing, just a future episode on BBC Discovery. :happy:

[DonBB]

now people just need to know how to swim


In Arizona bay?

[Snurfen]

In Arizona bay?

:rotflmao: very good!

[renegade600]

:rotflmao: very good!

actually if the san andres fault goes big time, Arizona bay could be very likely - the new san diego.