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Posted

___Anybody else see the Discovery Channel special on the Supervolcanoe at Yellowstone last week? All in all, it was a good Docu-Drama & gave a nice overall explanation about what we know of Yellowstone to date.

___

Posted
___Anybody else see the Discovery Channel special on the Supervolcanoe at Yellowstone last week? All in all, it was a good Docu-Drama & gave a nice overall explanation about what we know of Yellowstone to date.

___

Sure did. It was a pretty good show. There's also been a recent show on the Science Channel covering Yellowstone as well. It's a pretty interesting documentary on supervolcanoes in general too.

Posted
___I saw that Discovery one too I think; is it the one with the acetone in resin experiment where they draw a sudden vacumn to simulate an eruption? That was so cool!

That was the one on the Science Channel. What they showed was how a small escape of pressure could escalate to a full blown eruption. Kind of how a radiator begins to boil over when you vent the cap.

Posted
___For this very reason, ie. inapropriate use of stastistics, it is all the more important to monitor & study the super volcanoes. By this we at least have a potential for warning & consequently some time to prepare.

___Rather than a probablistic (statistical) model, I believe further study will reveal that a chaotic (fractal) model descibes many aspects of the geology of super volcanoes. :eek:

 

I know they are monitoring the possibility of an eruption in yellowstone....with the top of the line modern equipment...my question is what are some of the telltale signs of a possible erruption? They have been recording things like extreem ground swelling and high levels of methane gas in the air. I've been reading different things on different levels. But hey ....if we were to live our lives on inapropriate statistics like you say we would all be afraid to get out of bed in the morning.

Posted

___Now that they have the equipment in place they are trying to build a library of "normal' activity & then they can look for significant changes in that background.

___A relatively new topic in the area of prediction is what they are calling "harmonic tremors" which appear on the seismogram traces as relatively small movements which persist for hours or even days. Such a signal at Yellowstone would be good reason for concern of impending eruption. Further, these harmonic tremors have been recorded coiincidently at widely seperated sites which seems to indicate connected systems, something thought unlikely before.

___Keep watching!

  • 1 year later...
Posted

Maybe we should look at a possible bright side to the yellowstone caldera.

 

I just got back from a vacation that took us 4000 miles through the giant gravel pit of the southwest. We didn't go to yellowstone this year. But 3 years ago we did.

 

Yes, it's beautiful but good lord, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that **** is going on under that area. I've been very interested in the caldera for a number of years, long before we visited that crazy place.

 

We can argue about the statistical probability of another super volcano, which I see by reading the posts has already taken place. Typical. Amazing how people tend to react in predictable ways.

 

The point about being ready is really more about thinking about what is going on there. If it blows, we're going to be a lot like leaves in the wind. I only saw ONE POST about a possible way of releasing the pressure!

 

So, I'd like to agree with that post and add another positive perspective to this. Why don't we try to harness the energy in the caldera at the same time? Instead of pissing away 100s of billions of dollars on very dubious foreign policies, why don't we take that money and figure out a way to harness the power under yellowstone and make sure that discussions about if and when become moot.

 

Also, another observation that might be helpful: The southwest is really friggin dry. But that hasn't stopped people from moving there in droves. Phoenix is an accident waiting to happen and the issue is water. Yeah, I'm skittish. I was uncomfortable in yellowstone and also in Phoenix for different reasons but both clear to me but not to most others.

 

We have a rising ocean level. dee dee dee. Why not start taking that extra water and pump it into the southwest. Desalinate it if we have to. And keep it in mind for the caldera considerations too.

 

Just some thoughts.

Posted
Maybe we should look at a possible bright side to the yellowstone caldera. ...

 

So, I'd like to agree with that post and add another positive perspective to this. Why don't we try to harness the energy in the caldera at the same time? Instead of pissing away 100s of billions of dollars on very dubious foreign policies, why don't we take that money and figure out a way to harness the power under yellowstone and make sure that discussions about if and when become moot.

 

:eek2: Agreed.

:) Proposal Accepted

:doh: Germain Link Proffered

http://www.kgw.com/environment/stories/kgw_062706_news_monument_claim.1d29e16.html

BEND, Ore. -- A landowner wants $203 million or the right to drill geothermal test wells, expand a pumice mine and eventually build a vacation home subdivision inside the Newberry National Monument.

Newberry is a volcanic caldera in Oregon.

:shrug:
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Posted

Hey, thanks for the link Turtle. It appears that the guy won't be able to tap the caldera for heat/electricity because the powers that be want to preserve the scenic beauty (and it is beautiful) of the caldera and lake that sits on top of it.

Foolish to save it for esthetic 'reasons' though. Kind of like admiring the beauty of a tiger which is in the process of eating you.

Perhaps the place was 'protected' to protect the oil and nuclear industry from having to deal with another possible competitor.

Are you aware of any efforts to tap the potential of yellowstone?

  • 8 months later...

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