Volcanic Eruptions

Last weekend, I got the rare opportunity to watch at least a part of 60 Minutes, a program that I used to watch with my grandparents, back when I was yet a child.

The specific story that I was able to tune into was about volcanoes. But not just any volcanoes: supervolcanoes came into the story, as well.

Now, volcanoes are a subject that fascinates me. I am not a volcanologist or anything, but just find them so fascinating. This fascination began in 1997, because of two events: I saw the movie, Dante's Peak, and then, a few months later, I got the chance to go to Seattle for the first time ever. I once even wrote a poem about a volcano.

Anyone who has ever been to the Pacific Northwest will understand why I was quite taken by it, with green, green valleys with distant, snow-capped mountain peaks majestically rising above it all to the east.  Then, to the west, you have the rugged and spectacular Olympic Mountains rising above Puget Sound. We had dinner one evening at a restaurant right on the water, and it was there that I saw the most beautiful sunset that I had ever seen, with the pastel skies bathing the snow-capped peak of Mount Olympus in a pinkish glow, and the waters of Puget Sound mirroring it all, making a double image. It was truly spectacular, and I still feel tremendously privileged to have seen such a beautiful image, which remains with me almost seventeen years later.

But here's the thing: as beautiful as the Pacific Northwest is, it is also important to remember that those mountains can be dangerous. There are quite a few volcanoes there, and although most are dormant, the threat of eruption is always present. And it was in Washington that I learned much more about just how deadly these blasts can be.

In any case, that story on 60 Minutes piqued my fascination on this topic again, and I began to surf the net on the subject again, and thought I would share two links in particular for those who may be interested:


Supervolcano eruption mystery solved" by James Morgan   Science reporter, BBC News 6 January 2014

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25598050



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http://uk.news.yahoo.com/supervolcano-eruption-large-enough-39-destroy-civilization-39-114852453.html#tB97lMb