Volcano - The Ultimate Leveller.

Would you be surprised to learn that there are over 50 active volcanoes on Earth and that several of them have erupted this month?  The United States Geological Survey (USGS) monitor all active volcanic activity and produce reports in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institute. For those interested. Here is a link to their web site http://volcano.si.edu/reports_weekly.cfm#vn_252120.

My research this week has been brief but has generated interesting results.  I believe most of you know that a volcano is formed when the molten magma that makes up 90% of the matter beneath the Earth's rocky, outer crust pushes upwards and the pressure finds a weak spot.  The effects of a volcano can be devastating.  I lived in Tenerife and saw Mt Teide up close and personal but I also took my kids to Pompeii to see the devastation wrought by the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79AD.

Vesuvius was quite insignificant when compared to many other historic eruptions.  Here is the top ten in eruptive power and destruction; 

10. Huaynaputina (1600) A Peruvian eruption that caused mud-flows into The Pacific Ocean.  Temperatures fell to lowest in 500 years. 

9. Krakatoa (1883) Indonesian island completely destroyed by eruption.  It caused a tsunami that killed over 36,000. 

8. Santa Maria (1902) This Guatemalan volcano had been dormant for over 500 years.  It was one of the largest explosions ever recorded on Earth.  5,000 people were killed.

 

7. Novarupta (1912) This Alaskan eruption was the most voluminous of the  20^th century.

3 cubic miles of ash and magma was ejected.  It covered an area of 3,000 square miles at levels up to a foot.  

6. Mount Pinatubo (1991) The Phillipines volano sent a 22 mile high column of ash into the stratosphere. 

5. Ambryn Island (50 AD) A volcanic island in Vanuatu. It erupted forming a caldera that holds a lake of larva. It has erupted over 50 times since 1774. 

4. Ilopango (450 AD) The San Salvador eruption is believed to have caused a dust cloud that covered over 10,000 square miles with a thik carpet of ash and pumice.  This devastated Mayan civilization and it may have caused the global cooling event recorded in AD 536. 

3. Mt Thera (1610 BC) The eruption on the Island of Santorini  had the explosive power of over 100 atomic bombs.  It is believed to have decimated Minoan civilisation. 

2. Changbaishan (1000) On the border of China and Korea.  Ejected an ash cloud that spread to Japan. 

1.   Mt Tambora (1815) Indonesian eruption was the largest recorded explosion in history. The explosion was heard on Sumatra, more than 2,000 km (1,200 mi) away.  

So after that information overload, I am sure that you all understand, that the Earth has a way of levelling everything that we humans have ever tried to build, establish or control.  My further reading tells me that there is a super volcano under Yellowstone National Park that erupts approximately every 6 millennia. The next event was expected to be in around 75 years but (unofficial) sources say that areas of the park have been closed to the public because of volcanic gas emissions and unusually high temperatures in a lake.  I read that Bison and Elk have recently quit the park.  One can only hope that a gas cloud makes an entrance when the recently elected President has an official visit. I jest of course…

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bigger they come... 

 

When he sees himself this big, 

man builds himself a tower

to reflect his sexual prowess,

feed his Narcissistic urge,

to elevate his dynasty

and please his ego surge.

There have been many like him,

history knows their names,

all of them were humbled,

when the people rumbled
all their cheating games.

They serve themselves,

they help themselves,

they think no one will notice

until...

below the ground,

behind the scenes, 

trouble starts to bubble,

building up pressure,

measure by measure,
in the footings 

of an empire

constructed on corruption. 

 

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

can you detect,
what I suspect
are toxic emissions?

I think this pumped up,
trumped up mass
is going to blow.  

ERUPTION!!!! 

 

 

Thanks for reading. Don't have nightmares.  Adele

 

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Events that Changed the World

In the modern world and due to media coverage we are all more aware of events that have, and indeed are , changing the world. Imagine the coverage that might have been given to the catastrophic meteor that struck what we know as the Gulf of Mexico , that heralded the slow end of the dinosaurs !

  " Dinosaurs moving North...EU Ministers hold emergency summit...North America declares a state of emergency ...National Guard called out ...UK says that the sooner it becomes an island the safer it will be ....Local Government warns people to keep their pets indoors !" 

A bit of fantasy . 

It seems that it is mainly wars ,or the threat of, that changes our world and we are very aware of the happenings because of TV, newspapers , Internet and such. News of wars used to take weeks to reach our ears....letters transported by foot or horse, river, port, ship....The laying of Transantlantic cables and their ilk ,the use of morse code, then the spoken word opened up the 20th century. Followed by transmitted pictures , once carefully vetted for upsetting content. Nowadays we are warned that content maybe unsuitable and that we must decide whether to view or not.

The space missions have shaped our modern world and indeed the mission to put a man on the moon enthralled all nations and to some extent held them in awe , changing our perception of the world for a little while.

 World wars ( the name tells of the impact ) have been events that have changed our world ( here I refer to 'my world' I.e. the UK) , having a catastrophic impact on most of the world , not just where the conflict took place..but it was far reaching , involving the colonies of the countries involved. Great Britain was rocked when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands..and indeed who in this country had even heard of them ! We were propelled into action in a few short weeks. Coverage was intense , men and machinery sent off on a long journey to the other end of the globe. I was teaching in Oxford at the time and my husband was a reservist awaiting call up ( luckily for us he wasn't ) ,but many of his friends went and some didn't return. A class of boys that I taught , who were normally a pain , surprised me by saying that they wished they were old enough to go. They were hyped up by the coverage and the sense of outrage that the nation felt.

I am going on a bit today...must be the recent illness making me nostalgic....

Anyway today's poem is the last that I wrote before a gap of nearly 20 years ..written during the Falklands War....

         FALKLAND'S LEGACY

A resting place far from home,

On a lonely windswept shore.

A posy of flowers placed upon the graves

Of those never to return.

An anthem by a vigilant piper, 

A requiem for the dead.

The minister's cassock caught by the wind

That carries the souls - that carries still

The sounds of battle

To ears that hear no more.

Rest, you weary men 

Upon this far off shore.

Your torn and mutilated bodies

Resting in the soil.

Your struggle now has ended.

The battle o'er.

A simple headstone, your only medal-

All you have to show.

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