Indonesian vulcanologists are frazzled, working their instruments to the bone as their chain of islands in the South Pacific turns into a boiling cauldron of volcanic activity.
, Indonesia's chief of all things geologic, referred to by a single name Surono, "has had a frantic time in the last month". Four volcanoes are currently on watch, among them: Mt. Kelud, "Child of Krakatau", and Mount Soputan. All three of these have belched forth catastrophe in the past and may well do it again.
The amount of gas released by a single volcano is enormous, enough to alter earth's climate noticeably in a short period of time with a lasting effect of years, decades or longer. Scientists have proven this by looking at tree cores to see the effects of volcanic eruptions on the growth rate of trees in the past. The chart left shows the significant effect on global temperatures after a significant volcanic eruption. (Click on chart to see a larger image.)
In light of recent volcanic activity in Indonesia, where no less that four volcanoes are being monitored for prospective eruptions, it is interesting to note that a recent publicity campaign has been launched by scientists regarding an alternate theory for the extinction of the dinosaurs. In an
article dated Nov. 5th from National Geographic details of the research of one Gerta Keller (now you have to trust a scientist named Gerta don't you?) shows that massive volcanic eruptions in India may well have caused the mass extinction event:
"The eruptions would have been on a scale that dwarfed anything ever experienced by humans, burying parts of western India in nearly 12,000 feet (3,500 meters) of volcanic rock...Each of the flows would have released vast quantities of climate-altering gases—up to ten times as much as were produced by the famed Chicxulub asteroid impact in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula."The relatively rapid disappearance of the most magnificent creatures to roam the planet's surface has been the subject of scientific speculation for a long time. The most popular theory is that a gigantic, roaming meteor plummeted to the ground in what is now the Gulf of Mexico. The explosion was so huge, that the effects were global and subsequently led to the mass extinction of many species then inhabiting our current home. The crater left behind by the impact, called Chicxulub, is about 110 miles wide located just off the Yucatan Peninsula.
The volcano-complicated demise of Tyrannosaurus Rex is gaining momentum. It states that a catastrophic cacophony of volcanoes teamed up to blow in unison, releasing enough poison and sun-blocking gases into earth's atmosphere that mother earth was rendered nearly uninhabitable. The theory doesn't give all the credit to the volcanic eruptions. Simultaneous events, including meteoric impacts also contributed to the species' slate being wiped.
Could a simultaneous eruption of four volcanoes in Indonesia change our lives? Perhaps in the short term, and the effects might just be enough to head off global warming or even bring on a new little ice age. The "
little ice age" is thought to have been caused, in part, by volcanic activity. The period lasted from the 16th to the mid-19th centuries. Glaciers and pack ice advanced in parts of North America and Europe. Sea ice expanded around Iceland where the extreme conditions led to the drop in population by half, the Vikings died out in the 15th century, in 1780 New York Harbor froze into a walkway from Manhattan to Staten Island.
It is a fact that volcanic eruptions in the past have altered the earth's climate. Whether or not four volcanoes in Indonesia, which may or may not explode in catastrophic eruptions, will cause a sideways turn in the modern graph of human history is yet to be seen. We're not saying to go out a buy a new mass extinction outfit yet, but you may think about something warm to wear. Such are the considerations one must face as a human living in
The Apocalypse Times.Links:
