The World is Experiencing A 'Volcano Season' Right Now

Express: Yellowstone about to blow? Scientists warning over SUPER-VOLCANO that could kill MILLIONS

SCIENTISTS have warned the world is in "volcano season" and there is up to a 10% chance of an eruption soon killing millions of people and devastating the planet.

Instances of volcanic eruptions are their highest for 300 years and scientists fear a major one that could kill millions and devastate the planet is a real possibility.

Experts at the European Science Foundation said volcanoes – especially super-volcanoes like the one at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, which has a caldera measuring 34 by 45 miles (55 by 72 km) - pose more threat to Earth and the survival of humans than asteroids, earthquakes, nuclear war and global warming.

There are few real contingency plans in place to deal with the ticking time bomb, which they conclude is likely to go off within the next 80 years.

Read more ....

CSN Editor: Yellowstone has exploded before .... so it will probably happen again in the future. The question is .... when?

A Yellowstone Volcano Eruption In 2014?

This map from the U.S. Geological Service shows the range of the volcanic ash that was deposited after the biggest of the Yellowstone National Park eruptions around 2.1 million years ago. "These eruptions left behind huge volcanic depressions called “calderas” and spread volcanic ash over large parts of North America," it said. "If another large caldera-forming eruption were to occur at Yellowstone, its effects would be worldwide. Thick ash deposits would bury vast areas of the United States, and injection of huge volumes of volcanic gases into the atmosphere could drastically affect global climate. Fortunately, the Yellowstone volcanic system shows no signs that it is headed toward such an eruption in the near future. In fact, the probability of any such event occurring at Yellowstone within the next few thousand years is exceedingly low."

Yellowstone Volcano Eruption in 2014? Are Animals Fleeing Park As ‘An Alert’? -- Zachary Stieber, Epoch Times

A number of bloggers are posting videos that show bison and other animals allegedly leaving Yellowstone National Park, prompting theories that as earthquakes ramp up the seismic activity will set off the Yellowstone supervolcano.

Two of the main bloggers behind the discussion stress that there’s no way to know when the supervolcano will go off but note that the 4.8 magnitude earthquake that hit on March 30 seemed to set off a reaction from the animals, who are moving for a reason.

Read more ....

My Comment: Here is an easy prediction .... if such an eruption should occur .... it will be the number one news story for all of us for a very very very long time.

Incredible Image From International Space Station Shows Mount Vesuvius And The Bay Of Naples

(Click on Image to Enlarge) 

Italy's Mount Vesuvius as never seen before, with an new image from NASA, taken from space. The mouth of the active volcano can clearly be seen in the bottom portion of the image 

Astronaut's View Of A Sleeping Giant: Incredible Image From International Space Station Shows Mount Vesuvius And The Bay Of Naples -- Daily Mail 

 NASA has released an incredible image, taken from the International Space Station, giving a new perspective on one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world - Mount Vesuvius in Italy.

The image was taken from the observatory module of the International Space Station (ISS) on New Year's Day.

The image shows just how close the active volvano is to the densely populated city of Naples.

Located 9 kilometres (5.6 miles) east of Naples, the core of the volvano can be seen in the photograph, and resembles a nipple.

Read more ....  

My Comment: Cool.

The Volcano That Destroyed The Minoan Civilization Is Stirring To Life Again

Cruise ships muster in the bay of the island of Santorini. The volcanic peak can be seen at the top-right of the image. 

 'Atlantis'-Killer Volcano Under Island Of Santorini Wakes Again -- News.com.au

IT destroyed the Minoan civilisation and sent shockwaves through history as the legend of Atlantis. Now, the volcano of Santorini is stirring again. Almost four thousand years ago, the island of Santorini was probably much as it is now - a scenic retreat for the Minoan's wealthy and powerful. And history may be set to repeat itself: Magma has been detected once again pouring up to 20 million cubic metres of molten rock into chambers deep beneath the idyllic island.

Read more ....  

My Comment: We have been lucky in the modern age to not experience a major earthquake in this part of the world .... but if this report is true .... it appears that the clock is ticking.

A Look At The Most Active And Most Explosive Volcanoes In The Cascade Range

Map of the Cascadia Volcanic Arc by NASA. Image courtesy Wikipedia Commons.

Prelude To A Catastrophe: “One Of The Most Active And Most Explosive Volcanoes In The Cascade Range” -- Scientific American

Imagine being an extraterrestrial geologist in geostationary orbit above the Pacific Northwest in the 1970s. You’re the first explorers to reach Earth (underpants-thieving aliens aside), and you haven’t got a lot of data on this little blue marble. But your own planet has plate tectonics, so you’re familiar with the landforms caused by the process.

You have a look through your sensors, and see a conga line of volcanoes weaving up the continent.

Read more ....

My Comment: These volcanoes will blow one day .... let us hope that it will not be today.

Fears Of A Supervolcano Erupting Sooner Rather Than Later Are Being Raised

Eruption: Supervolcanoes with the power to destroy human civilisations may build up a deadly head of steam far faster than scientists believed

Supervolcanoes With Power To 'Destroy Civilisation' Explode Far More Rapidly Than Scientists Had Believed - And One Could Be Bubbling Under U.S. Right Now -- Daily Mail

* Most deadly event that can hit Earth short of asteroid
* Scientists believed they took 100,000 years to build up
* Instead, figure could be just hundreds
* Supervolcano believed to be simmering under Yellowstone in U.S.

A 'supervolcano' eruption is the most catastrophic natural disaster that can hit our planet, short of an asteroid impact - and now scientists believe they may build up a deadly head of steam far faster than we thought.

Instead of the process taking hundreds of thousands of years, it could take just hundreds.

The news could be bad for the US, where a supervolcano is said to be simmering beneath Yellowstone National Park. If it erupted, two thirds of the country could be rendered uninhabitable.

Read more ....

My Comment: Such an event will .... to put it mildly .... change everything.

Rise And Fall Of An Underwater Volcano

Rise And Fall Of Underwater Volcano Revealed -- BBC

The violent rise and collapse of an underwater volcano in the Pacific Ocean is captured in startling clarity for the first time.

Researchers studying the Monowai volcano, near Tonga, recorded huge changes in height in just two weeks.

The images, gathered by sonar from a research ship, shed new light on the turbulent fate of submarine mountains.

Published in the journal Nature Geoscience, the findings were made during a seabed survey last year.

Read more ....

My Comment: I wish they had an underwater camera to capture all of this.

Seven Volcanoes That Should Be Watched

Popocatépetl, Mexico

7 Volcanoes We Should Be Watching -- Popular Mechanics

Two years ago, Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull brought most European air travel to a halt. This year, volcanoes such as Mexico's Popocatépetl and Indonesia's Lokon-Empung are rumbling. Volcanoes are impossible to predict with certainty, but these are seven active ones that we know we must watch.

Read more ....

My Comment: I would add a few others to this list .... but these 7 are OK for now.

Is A Super-Volcano In The Heart Of Europe About To Erupt?

If the Laacher See eruption is as powerful as the last one, volcanic material could land over 600 miles away

Is A Super-Volcano Just 390 Miles From London About To Erupt? -- Daily Mail

* It's similar in size to Mount Pinatubo, which in 1991 gave us the biggest eruption of the 20th century
* Billions of tons of ash and magma would be ejected
* Southern England would be covered in ash

A sleeping super-volcano in Germany is showing worrying signs of waking up.

It's lurking just 390 miles away underneath the tranquil Laacher See lake near Bonn and is capable of ejecting billions of tons of magma.

This monster erupts every 10 to 12,000 years and last went off 12,900 years ago, so it could blow at any time.

Read more ....

My Comment: The awesome power of mother nature always gives me pause.

New Theory On How The Hawaiian Islands Were/Are Formed

Hot lava spills into the sea from under a hardened lava crust on the Big Island of Hawaii (file picture). Photograph by Patrick McFeeley, National Geographic

800-Mile-Wide Hot Anomaly Found Under Seafloor Off Hawaii -- National Geographic

Findings contradict long-held theory that a plume directly fuels Hawaii.

Hawaii's traditional birth story—that the volcanic islands were, and are, fueled by a hot-rock plume running directly to Earth's scorching core—could be toast, a new study hints.

Scientists say they've found solid evidence of a giant mass of hot rock under the seafloor in the region. But it's not a plume running straight from the core to the surface—and it's hundreds of miles west of the nearest Hawaiian island.

Read more ....

My Comment: So much for all of that schooling that I received on how the Hawaiian islands were formed.

Hawaii Volcano Erupts

Hawaii Volcano Shoots Lava 65 Feet In Air -- CBS News

New vent opens on Kilauea, 1 of world's most active volcanoes; Hikers told to stay away.

VOLCANO, Hawaii - A new vent has opened at one of the world's most active volcanoes, sending lava shooting up to 65 feet high, scientists at Kilauea volcano said Sunday.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said the fissure eruption was spotted shortly after the floor at the Pu'u O'o crater collapsed around 5 p.m. Saturday. It occurred along the middle of Kilauea's east rift zone, about 2 miles west of Pu'u O'o.

Read more ....

My Comment: One more reason to visit Hawaii.

Japan On Alert After Volcano's Biggest Eruption In 50 Years

Force of nature: Lightning strikes as Shinmoedake erupts, scattering ash and rocks across a wide swathe of southern Japan

Lightning And Fire: Japan On Alert After Volcano's Biggest Eruption In 50 Years -- The Daily Mail

A one-mile cordon has been established around a volcano on Mount Kirishima after it erupted scattering rocks and ash across southern Japan and sending smoke billowing 5,000ft into the air.

The Meteorological Agency raised the volcanic alert to level 3 as ash today continued to spew from Shinmoedake on Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu, and residents have been banned from going within a mile of the volcano following its worst eruption in 50 years.

Read more ....

My Comment: Impressive pictures.

Amazing Sight in the South Pacific

From Funzug.com

A yacht was traveling in the south Pacific when the crew came across a weird sight. Look at these photos and try to imagine the thrill of experiencing this phenomenon.

Read more ....

Remember That Ash Cloud? It Didn't Exist, Says New Evidence

False alarm? Satellite images have revealed there may never have been a doomsday volcanic ash cloud over the UK (file picture)

From The Daily Mail:

Britain's airspace was closed under false pretences, with satellite images revealing there was no doomsday volcanic ash cloud over the entire country.

Skies fell quiet for six days, leaving as many as 500,000 Britons stranded overseas and costing airlines hundreds of millions of pounds.

Estimates put the number of Britons still stuck abroad at 35,000.

Read more ....

Volcanic Eruption In Eyjafjallajökull And Fimmvörðuháls In Iceland 2010 (Pics from Flickr)

The Gallery of pictures is here.

Volcanic Ash Cloud: Stunning Northern Lights Images Captured Over Iceland

The Northern Lights are seen through a valley leading away from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano Photo: REUTERS

From The Telegraph:

A series of spectacular images of the Northern Lights have been captured over the ash plume from the Iceland Volcano.

The incredible images show in amazing detail the sky lit up in amazing green colour above the Eyjafjallajökull volcano.

In the images, captured by New York-based photographer Lucas Jackson, red lava can also be seen spewing from the top of the active volcano.

Read more ....

Eyjafjallajokull Volcano's Ash Cloud Explained

From Live Science:

The eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano during April 2010 has been remarkable for the effects of its ash cloud. The ash cloud created phenomenal lightning displays, colored sunsets red across much of Europe, and forced flight cancellations for several days. Here's what's going on:

Read more ....

Second, More Powerful Icelandic Volcano Likely To Explode Soon

Lava spews from a volcano as it erupts this week near Eyjafjallajokull, whose explosion last week caused the major airspace shutdown. REUTERS

From The Independent:

Despite grounding 100,000 flights across Europe, battering a beleaguered airline industry, stranding hundreds of thousands of travellers, disrupting schools and businesses, and giving homes under flight paths their first peace and quiet in decades, the current volcano eruption may be only a teaser of chaos to come.

Read more ....

Why Aviation Industry Has Cloudy Knowledge Of Risks From Volcanic Ash

From The Guardian:

Tests for higher-risk flying conditions may have helped in current crisis but manufacturers said no.

That a cloud of volcanic ash can bring European flights to a standstill has raised serious questions over the aviation industry's efforts to understand the risks of flying in such conditions.

Rules laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organisation prohibit flights through any amount of volcanic ash, but aircraft and engine manufacturers have never fully investigated the effects of flying in ash clouds. What information they have has been gleaned from inspecting planes after they have flown into ash plumes by accident.

Read more ....

Why Volcanoes Are Dangerous

Ash Cloud Reminds Us That We Should All Be Afraid Of Volcanoes -- The Telegraph

Eyjafjallajökull's giant cloud of ash is a nuisance, but a supervolcano's catastrophic eruption could threaten the fabric of civilisation, says Kate Ravilious.

Every so often the Earth chooses to remind us that we really aren't in control of this planet. The volcanic eruption in Iceland, which began on Wednesday, is just such a reminder. As ash spews out across northern Europe, grounding all flights across Scandinavia and the UK, we begin to realise how powerless we humans are.

Read more ....