2012 Apocalypse Thoughts Rise with Concerns over Volcanic Eruptions

By Douglas V. Gibbs

Honestly, I am not one that buys into all of that 2012 is the end of the world garbage. It is interesting to hear the theories, and the survivalists are doing great business right now selling canned goods, survival gear, and the like. If we have problems ahead, it won't be because some Mayan calendar came to an end, or the planets are lined up with the center of the galaxy. Our concerns, I think, currently resides in the White House.

Despite my doubts over the apocalyptic scuttlebutt that some circles seem to be immersed in, I am fascinated over recent natural disasters, or the potential for them. That said, it has come to my attention that there are some serious concerns emerging over volcanic eruptions right here in the ole U.S. of A.

Scientists have been studying for a long time the various impressive vistas at sites such as Death Valley and Yellowstone National Park where magma pools that under the right conditions could very well trigger explosive eruptions.  Recent technology and research has brought these scientists to believe that we may need to monitor these sites more intensely, because doing so may help save lives when the next big volcano explodes.

The volcanoes are turning out to be younger than originally believed, and more active in recent history. It is also being discovered that these volcanoes can actually recharge in a matter of decades, rather than the thousands of years previously thought.

The ingredients necessary for more eruptions are all still at those sites. Some of these sites are basically huge pockets of molten rock, or magma, deep below the sites, which means that when that magma begins to push to the surface and comes into contact with water, superhot steam is created, building up pressure until it explodes. And suddenly, we have another Mount St. Helens on our hands.

The thing is, even in dry parts like Death Valley these volcanoes can erupt. The scientists used to think that eruptions would occur only during wet climate periods. However, in places like the very dry Death Valley, it turns out that the current water table may be just 500 feet below the surface of a crater in that region. What this means is that these volcanoes may be still hot. When water and hot magma come into contact, it can produce something like a very large bomb going off.  And the speed of this is turning out to possibly be quicker than originally thought as well.

Caldera volcanoes consist of large underground lakes of magma. As more magma builds up, the pressure builds and the magma starts getting pushed upward through cracks in the Earth's surface. When the pressure gets too great, it explodes. Caldera volcanoes typically have a long quiet period prior to eruptions. However, recent research is showing that a volcano's magma chamber can grow much faster than before, and in the case of the Santorini volcano in Greece around 1,600 B.C., the chambers can grow by as much as 10% in the final few decades before eruption.

There are several large and still active calderas in the United States, including the one under Yellowstone National Park. The concern is that though these volcanoes are closely monitored, there may be a large number of unmonitored calderas around the world that we may not know about, or are just not being monitored, with the potential to send huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere that could create a very difficult time period for the existence of mankind. Maybe not the 2012 Apocalypse, but a major headache nonetheless.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Concerns Grow Over Volcanic Eruptions - USA Today