Volcano Threatens Life on Earth

namuras · 26-09-2003 9:26am #1

Quote from AOL news:

Volcano Threatens Life on Earth

"A SUPERVOLCANO simmering beneath one of the planet's areas of outstanding natural beauty has been branded a threat to mankind.

The massive explosive force lies beneath America's Yellowstone National Park - and scientists believe it is ready to erupt.

The volcano is so huge that when it does blow all life will be extinguished within a 300-mile radius, leaving vast swathes of the US devastated.

Thousands of tons of ash and sulphur dioxide will be thrown up into the atmosphere causing acid rain, blocking out sunlight and plunging the world into a bleak frozen era that will threaten all life on earth.

And scientists are warning the 'extinction-level event' is long overdue.

Professor Bill McGuire, of the Benfield Greig Hazard Research Centre, at University College, in London, said: "The Yellowstone supervolcano has been on a regular eruption cycle of 600,000 years.

"The last eruption was 640,000 years ago, so the next is long overdue."

US geologists have discovered a bulge beneath Yellowstone Lake which is 2,000 feet long and has forced the lake bed to rise by 100 feet.

Part of the park has been closed to visitors as ground temperatures have also soared - sparking fears the volcano is set to blow.

Liz Morgan, one of the geologists monitoring the site, said: "The inflated plain is a potential and serious hazard and possible precursor to a large hydrothermal explosion."

What do you make of this? An event that could occur, or hype?

Wook · 26-09-2003 9:28am

can't wait ...

Sleipnir · 26-09-2003 9:32am

jaysus that's a bit frightening.

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/

bombidol · 26-09-2003 9:35am

This should be fun. Every now and again something like this is set to happen. a meteor or an earthquake, something like that. Nothing ever happens and people generally ignore it when people predict bad stuff. I hope this does blow just to even the odds lol. can you imagine? every time anyone said anything from then on there would be mass hysteria:D

Gordon · 26-09-2003 9:38am

What Wook said.

jerk · 26-09-2003 9:38am

what gordon said

Sposs · 26-09-2003 9:42am

what jerk said

K2 · 26-09-2003 10:12am

Very dramatic, but expecting it to blow any time soon should not be calculated on our (human) time scale but natures. So it could be anytime in the next 1,000 years?

Don't think we need to panic just yet, maybe when I'm 105!:p

Sarky · 26-09-2003 10:49am

How long before half the US army is ordered down to the park to guard it against evil baby-raping terrorists who might try to blow it up prematurely with their evil terrorist bombs disguised to look and function like cameras?

K2 · 26-09-2003 11:14am

now there's a South park style image for ya. The evil sadam and satan trying to escape from hell via the volcano, the army surround it to stop them ......and guess who gets caught in the crossfire..... OH MY GOD, THEY'VE KILLED KENNY! :cool:

stormkeeper · 26-09-2003 11:33am

Where abouts in the US is Yellowstone National Park? I know it sounds like a stupid question, but I was curious...

SoundWave · 26-09-2003 11:38am

youming.... i mean Wyoming

Giblet · 26-09-2003 11:40am

..well it's not near Ireland, thats for sure!

Kone · 26-09-2003 11:42am

I'll make the tea......

namuras · 26-09-2003 11:57am

It seems alot of people have little pity on America, so to brighten your day here is something else to look forward to...
cattered across the world’s oceans are a handful of rare geological time-bombs. Once unleashed they create an extraordinary phenomenon, a gigantic tidal wave, far bigger than any normal tsunami, able to cross oceans and ravage countries on the other side of the world. Only recently have scientists realised the next episode is likely to begin at the Canary Islands, off North Africa, where a wall of water will one day be created which will race across the entire Atlantic ocean at the speed of a jet airliner to devastate the east coast of the United States. America will have been struck by a mega- tsunami.
he growing concern is that the ideal conditions for just such a landslide - and consequent mega-tsunami - now exist on the island of La Palma in the Canaries. In 1949 the southern volcano on the island erupted. During the eruption an enormous crack appeared across one side of the volcano, as the western half slipped a few metres towards the Atlantic before stopping in its tracks. Although the volcano presents no danger while it is quiescent, scientists believe the western flank will give way completely during some future eruption on the summit of the volcano. In other words, any time in the next few thousand years a huge section of southern La Palma, weighing 500 thousand million tonnes, will fall into the Atlantic ocean.What will happen when the volcano on La Palma collapses? Scientists predict that it will generate a wave that will be almost inconceivably destructive, far bigger than anything ever witnessed in modern times. It will surge across the entire Atlantic in a matter of hours, engulfing the whole US east coast, sweeping away everything in its path up to 20km inland. Boston would be hit first, followed by New York, then all the way down the coast to Miami and the Caribbean.

With Americas luck both will happen the same day.

Wook · 26-09-2003 12:00pm

let's invest in 'boats' then

Gordon · 26-09-2003 12:02pm

So... some sort of special hat is in order?

jerk · 26-09-2003 12:03pm

space aliens could come and kill us all.
with their "laser" guns.

zzzzzap.

stormkeeper · 26-09-2003 12:16pm

Figures it has to hit Florida

:( Was planning on going there eventually, for a specific reason... But on a side-note... I plan to visit the US soon (possibly next year)... Lets hope it doesn't happen within our lifetime... The later the better as they say.

Gordon · 26-09-2003 12:29pm

Originally posted by Kennett
The later the better as they say.

Who says that?

K2 · 26-09-2003 12:30pm

I remember seeing that programme a few mths back, a hugh amount of rock crashing into the ocean. Yep east coast usa is proper fcuked when that happens. Allah be praised some would say.....but sure you could get hit by a bus in the morning so why worry. Eat, drink and be merry.

btw Kennett, is the specific reason anything sinister or twisted that you'd like to share with us?:)

Wook · 26-09-2003 12:31pm

Originally posted by Gordon
Who says that?

yeah ! , who !?

Panda · 26-09-2003 12:33pm

Yeah i went to the year 3000,
nothing's changed but they live underwater,
coz a great, great, great, explosion,
drove us off the land,
offff the laaand!

you're humming it in your head so you may as well go ahead and sing it

to be fair though, if it happens, it happens.
i'm suprised they havnt thought of the possible threat of terrorists using an array of mining bombs to act as a catalyst to bring the world into darkness.

those crazy yanks are always thinkin bout that terrorist threat....

Scruff · 26-09-2003 12:47pm

saw a program on discovery a few years ago about that volcano. Thought the end was nigh so blew all my money on drink, drugs and loose women women.
great night but after a few days with no end of world disaster and no more dosh i began to feel a bit stoopid.

and those damn warts keep coming back on my knob ever since then....

Mercury_Tilt · 26-09-2003 1:00pm

This post has been deleted.

bucks73 · 26-09-2003 1:01pm

I think it was Horizon on BBC covered both of these events recently.

The mega-tsunami programme concluded that La Palma island of the Canary Islands was where the next one would be caused. Half of the island would crash into the sea creating a huge tidal wave on the ocean floor. It would race across the ocean and land on the east coast of the US, Central and South America.

We would all be ok here. Probably get a great view from Tenerife or Gran Canaria on the hols.

Mossy Monk · 26-09-2003 1:22pm

Originally posted by bucks73
It would race across the ocean and land on the east coast of the US, Central and South America.

We would all be ok here. Probably get a great view from Tenerife or Gran Canaria on the hols.

i thought Western Europe was screwed also if that was to happen

Scruff · 26-09-2003 1:52pm

Originally posted by Mossy Monk
i thought Western Europe was screwed also if that was to happen

I think you're right there. From what i remeber of the program they did an overhead time lapse view of the tsunami spreading out. hit Spain, Portugal, Ireland, South England and Wales, and the North West of France.
Oh and Central and South America.

Scruff · 26-09-2003 1:55pm

Always wondered in the case of a Tsuanmi, what would the effect be of detonating a few nukes in its path. Would you manage to break the wake front and make it paritally collapse or reduce it wake height or what?

Sarky · 26-09-2003 1:59pm

Tsunamis only get big when the water gets shallow. You'd never notice a tsunami pass you by if you're sailing on 4,000m of ocean. Out at sea, tsunamis are very small, but very fast. once they get to the continental shelf the energy is condensed into a much smaller area so they become bigger. Probably best to try and dissipate them at sea...

K2 · 26-09-2003 2:17pm

I think that event would be on too big a scale to control. The only warning you would have, apart from knowing it will happen, is when it does. And then you've only got a couple of hours before the mucky stuff hits the fan or dry land in this case. We should have enough time to get drunk, laid, confess our sins, commit some more and then sit back and watch it on sky news!

Scruff · 26-09-2003 2:27pm

yes forgot about the whole continental shelf thing. but if you knew it was coming, cnt remember how long they said it wound take to hit the states. but if ye detonated some nukes underwater off the continental shelf would their shock waves interfere with the pre-tsunami shock wave or would it be like pissing into a hurricane?

i'm begining to suspect the latter.

Sarky · 26-09-2003 2:29pm

Probably the latter, and if you detonated the nukes at the wrong time you could end up with two tsunamisor an extra big one! Not to mention dumping massive amounts of radiation straight into the water...

Scruff · 26-09-2003 2:51pm

true but if you were emperor of a country with nukes, like senior bush, and there was a chance that it would work and save millions of lives i think you wouldnt give a rats arse about some radiation in the water.

besides, the tsunami would destryoy a **** load of nuke plants and weapons facilities doing the same thing anywho.

stormkeeper · 26-09-2003 9:05pm

Originally posted by K2
btw Kennett, is the specific reason anything sinister or twisted that you'd like to share with us?:)

There's a certain someone I want to meet there someday, and I feel that she is worth going that distance for.... (I bet there's going to be a collective aww now :P)

But it'll take a long time (longer than next year) before I can get to that particular place. And, I'm going to the US next year to meet a few people and possibly drive Bush crazy to boot... He needs a wakeup call, or kicking out of office... Whicherver works the best with minimum effort :P

On a side-note, I'll be attending a wedding renewal too, so there's nother reason to go to the US (if it isn't blasted first)...

tman · 26-09-2003 9:28pm

Originally posted by Giblet
..well it's not near Ireland, thats for sure!

we get the pleasure of seeing america consumed by fire/volcanic ash before anything reaches us

mr_angry · 26-09-2003 9:59pm

The only warning you would have, apart from knowing it will happen, is when it does.

Did anyone else notice this? I can't believe you guys let this go... Tsk. This place is going straight to hell.

passive · 26-09-2003 10:17pm

maybe the volcano and the tsunami will both occur at the exact same time....

thus cancelling each other out and improving the world?

irishgeo · 27-09-2003 10:05am

Originally posted by passive
maybe the volcano and the tsunami will both occur at the exact same time....

thus cancelling each other out and improving the world?

Wishful Thinking.

SHAMAN · 27-09-2003 10:31am

You must admit though it's slightly depressing. An asteroid could also hit us some time Sept.14th 2004.
Ignorance is bliss, personally I'd rather not know about it.

irishgeo · 27-09-2003 2:02pm

An astoried could hit us tomorrow and we might even get to find out about. The first thing you know about it would the be the huge flash of light as its likely to be travelling faster than the speed of sound.

po0k · 27-09-2003 2:54pm

Originally posted by passive
maybe the volcano and the tsunami will both occur at the exact same time....

thus cancelling each other out and improving the world?

By wiping out Middle America(ns) and the eastern seaboard.

The only bad thing I can think of is that the Carribean, Canada, Mexico and Cuba will be hit too, not to mention the north east coast of South America....

K2 · 27-09-2003 3:05pm

I'll put in simple english for you mr angry 4. The very smart men and women in the white coats know that half of the island is one day going to fall in the sea causing a very big wave to rush across the ocean and destroy some parts of america. But knowing it is going to happen is not much of a warning as it may be a long long time before this event occurs, probably well past your bed time. And when it actually does happen it will all be over in a couple of hours. So assuming that nobody will be spending billions on warning systems which will watch the area we will not know about it until it actually happens. And then it will be too late to do much about it. Dropping a few nukes on it will probably only make it angry, just like you:D

tman · 27-09-2003 3:10pm

Originally posted by SyxPak
By wiping out Middle America(ns) and the eastern seaboard.

The only bad thing I can think of is that the Carribean, Canada, Mexico and Cuba will be hit too, not to mention the north east coast of South America....

hmmm, something has to be done...
maybe a great wall should be built around all the good parts of america

spongebob · 27-09-2003 4:08pm

Originally posted by SyxPak
The only bad thing I can think of is that the Carribean, Canada, Mexico and Cuba will be hit too, not to mention the north east coast of South America....

Are there any extinction level events in the pipeline for Texas and only Texas?

Tazzle · 27-09-2003 5:46pm

Once boards.ie survives I'm sure we'll be all happy, the few survivors can petition the admin forum for a special survivors community forum.

Capt'n Midnight · 27-09-2003 6:23pm

Until they found the meteor crater in mexico Volcanos were one of the leading suspects in the Dinosaurs demise.
The high levels of indium / massive fires (ferns in the fossil records) global cooling caused by dust/SO2 - can all be caused by volcanos. The Deccan plateau in India was formed at about the same time. So the effects of volcanos and meteroites don't cancel they are synergistic. In fact some reckon that big meterites in the wrong place can set off volcanos.

So just hope that when the big meteroite hits just hope it ain't within 1,000Km of a tectonically area or on the opposite side of the world to one (shockwaves would meat there a couple of hours later.)

daveg · 27-09-2003 8:25pm

Reported on the bbc news website in 2000. Depressing...

daveg · 29-09-2003 7:53am

Originally posted by Gordon
So... some sort of special hat is in order?

LoL.... ala blackadder eh?

Volcano Threatens Life on Earth

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