Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

Summary:

What does all this mean?!? Now I'm really worried!!!

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Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

Laura (guest) 21 Mar 2010 04:28

Hi guys!!! It's me again!!! I know everybody said that the recent earthquakes were nothing to be concerned over, and it really helped to alleviate my fears…..but now a volcano has erupted in Iceland that hasn't done anything since 1820…snow storms are lashing the country….flooding…..It just seems like something bad is fixing to happen!!! What do you guys think of this?!?!? My fears have tripled now…..PLEASE HELP!!!!!!

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

Laura (guest) 21 Mar 2010 13:59

They are also saying that scientists are now worried that it will trigger the larger volcano to erupt. "This was a rather small and peaceful eruption but we are concerned that it could trigger an eruption at the nearby Katla volcano, a vicious volcano that could cause both local and global damage," said Pall Einarsson, a geophysicist at the University of Iceland's Institute of Earth Science.(yahoo.com)

Something weird is happening. My family has started saying that the Bible is fulfilling itself…..Can you guys debunk this? People all over the interenet are saying that this is just leading up to whatever is supposed to happen in 2012…Maybe some are crazy maybe some aren't……..

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

magdy halim (guest) 25 Mar 2010 00:05

we do not need earthquakes or volcanoes,…as it was mentioned in the welcome page of this site,Fear in itself can kill,..let alone causing economic collapse.

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

Astrogeek 22 Mar 2010 18:20

Laura;

I don't think I can add much to what bikenbeer2000 has said.

We live on a geologically active planet. There will be earthquakes and volcanic activity on an ongoing basis. This is not unusual. The period between 1820 and 2010 is not a long time for a volcano to be 'dormant'.

There will be random fluctuations in the total number of volcanoes and the size of their eruptions. This is also normal. I am not saying that there is "nothing to worry about", but I think we need to be realistic as far as the dangers presented.

People become scared of massive storms, earthquakes or volcanoes, but they'll get in their cars and drive to work, or continue to eat fatty foods, or a hundred other things that are far more likely to kill them.

There is nothing to indicate that "something bad is fixing to happen", at least not beyond the normal "bad" things that happen all of the time.

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"Do you ever think about things you do think about?" - Henry Drummond to Matthew Harrison Brady in Inherit the Wind

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

Winters1 21 Mar 2010 15:47

Well volcano do Erupte now and then i dont think that a super volcano in Iceland so dont have to worry. Snow Storms that not a biggy here where i live we get snow storms all the time even in the late spring so i dont see what is the big worry about snow storm. And i havent heard anything on the news arround hear so that mean it not a vey important story.

Last edited on 21 Mar 2010 15:48 by Winters1 Show more

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

Laura (guest) 21 Mar 2010 22:16

Alene or AstroGeek, what do you guys have to say about it?

Thanks!!!

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

bikenbeer2000 22 Mar 2010 00:13

Hi Laura

I'm not sure I can add much to what Astrogeek and Alene told you in answer to your other question. Volcanic eruptions, like earthquakes are natural events which occur every day and have done for billions of years. By the random nature of their occurrence, sometimes there will be big ones, sometimes there will be small ones. Sometimes there will be a whole lot happening at once and sometimes there will long periods without much happening at all. That's just the way it's always been.
By contrast, the predictions of doom for 2012 are totally made up and impossible and will always remain so. An earthquake or volcanic eruption today doesn't suddenly make these predictions more likely to be correct. Planet X will come by, so they say. So we have an earthquake. Does that mean that the Planet X story is actually real? No. It doesn't change. Planet X doesn't exist and won't come by today, tomorrow or ever. Rapid pole shift is another one of their nonsensical predictions. It's a physical impossibility and will always remain so. It doesn't suddenly become probable. It will always remain impossible.
You can go through every one of the doomsday predictions and find the same thing. They simply can't happen. Nothing can change that. When you take it all away, you are left with 2012 as a typical year with, yes, its share of storms, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes - just like any other year.

Last edited on 22 Mar 2010 00:27 by bikenbeer2000 Show more

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

Alene Y 23 Mar 2010 05:27

Hi Laura,
I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner but it looks like you got a lot of good answers. I might just add that Iceland is known for its volcanoes. The boundary between the North American plate and the Eurasian plate runs through Iceland, which is part of the Mid Atlantic Ridge. It was created by volcanism, which continues to occur regularly. Another volcanic eruption there is nothing unusual. People could be killed by the gases if they are too close to the eruption, but its releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere will not kill us. It will add to climate change, but this is a slow process. Global Warming (Climate Change) isn't likely to have any great effects during our lifetimes except possibly for those living in low lying coastal areas. Eventually sea levels may rise enough to flood those areas if global warming isn't slowed. But back to the Iceland volcano, it is a normal occurrence that has been happening for millions of years and is no threat to you or me.

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

seen2009 22 Mar 2010 06:57

Hello Laura,

According to some of the articles, I've read that the volcano was exhibiting an extensive period unrest prior to the eruption, so it didn't just erupt like other articles I've read said. (http://volcanism.wordpress.com/2010/03/21/iceland-eyjafjallajokull-volcano-erupts/)

Eyjafjallajökull volcano in southern Iceland has erupted after an extended period of seismic restlessness. The volcano began to erupt around midnight local time 20/21 March 2010.

Prolonged Activity is one of the indications that Volcanalogists/Geophysicists use to try to determine; whether, the volcano is potentially building to an eruption or not.

Katla Volcano is monitored closely, so I'm confident that a Lahar warning of some sort will go out if Katla volcano is about to erupt

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

Laura (guest) 22 Mar 2010 15:15

I was reading on the website posted by seen2009 and it says the last 2 times the volcano erupted that the larger one erupted after it. Could you please tell me why they say the affects would be felt globally?

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

bikenbeer2000 22 Mar 2010 18:30

Hi Laura
When they talk about effects being felt globally, they are referring to weather and climate. Back in 1991, the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century took place when Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted. Afterwards, it was estimated that the eruption caused a drop in overall global temperatures of 0.4ºC and a reduction in ozone levels.
The Katla volcano, which it is thought might be triggered by the activity of the nearby Eyjafjallajökull, erupts twice a century on average, but with nothing like the severity of the Pinatubo eruption, except possibly in prehistoric times.
http://www.earthice.hi.is/page/ies_katla

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

seen2009 22 Mar 2010 16:41

Hello Laura,

Could you please tell me why they say the affects would be felt globally?

I'll try… My background is limited to a certificate in virtual seismology.

1). According to some of the articles, I've read. Katla volcano erupts in a fissure eruption. If I'm understanding this correctly, the volcano cracks open similar to what you'd see at a Divergent Plate Boundary; therefore, the eruption would be measured in the amount of lava ejected and deposited from the volcano. If I recall correctly, the eruption then is measured on an Intensity scale lava (km3, I think). (If I remember correctly, the Siberian Traps was believed to be a large fissure eruption).

Unless I'm mistaken, this type of eruption releases greenhouse gases most likely due to the basaltic composition of the magma.

2). The second option is through how ocean's cycle based on density (colder water therefore heavier), temperature (based in Celius and therefore lighter), and Salinity (Salt).

The concern seems to be the dual effect that Katla volcano could erupt in a fissure eruption releasing greenhouse gases, and the possibility a large eruption could melt the glacier causing Lahars that may impact the density, temperature, and salinity of the ocean's natural cycle transfering warm/cold waters. (Some articles may refer to this as pycnocline (density), thermocline (temperature), and halocline (Salinity).

Does this help?

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

Astrogeek 22 Mar 2010 18:32

Very nice summary.

One additional thing; These sub-glacial outburst floods are so common on Iceland that they have a name for them: jökulhlaup

When you mix glaciers and volcanoes, you get these unpredictable floods.

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"Do you ever think about things you do think about?" - Henry Drummond to Matthew Harrison Brady in Inherit the Wind

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

Laura (guest) 22 Mar 2010 20:58

I think I kinda followed you seen2009. So, what you're saying is that the gas would kill a lot of people?? Sorry…Also, I think I read in an article that part of Iceland isn't that populated..here is the link http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100322/ap_on_sc/eu_iceland_volcano

So, basically, although it would be something bad, it isn't anything that could end the world or wipe out a large portion of the population?

I'm really trying to understand.. :)

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

seen2009 23 Mar 2010 17:09

So, basically, although it would be something bad, it isn't anything that could end the world or wipe out a large portion of the population?

Hello Laura,

To my understanding, Katla eruption would be regionally bad, but isn't capable of wiping out large portions of the worldwide population.

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

Noemi (guest) 23 Mar 2010 22:12

i would like to know if we are in any sort of danger at the moment? Today our teacher gave us the lecture about volcanoes and super volcanoes, and told us a super volcano could wipe out our whole country.

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

Alene Y 23 Mar 2010 22:32

Hi Noemis,
You are not in any danger unless you live in Iceland, and not any very likely danger unless you live near the volcano.
As for supervolcanoes, I am assuming you mean Yellowstone. The USGS says there is no reason to expect a caldera forming eruption in the next 100 years or in the next millennium. The two intervals between the past eruptions are not enough data to calculate a meaningful average from. The USGS says we are about 90,000 years away from even considering Yellowstone to be overdue for this type of eruption.
http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/about/faq/faqactivity.php
Don't worry so much. These things have been happening for billions of years. Teachers should not be telling kids these frightening things that aren't going to happen during our lifetimes.

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

Noemi (guest) 24 Mar 2010 21:18

oh ok, thank you aileen and well i'm not a kid lol i am attending a community college. = D but yeah i still worry.

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

Alene Y 25 Mar 2010 03:16

Oh, sorry. You said "your teacher" so I thought you were probably still in school, rather than college. Hopefully these answers have helped you.

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

Laura (guest) 26 Mar 2010 17:04

Another earthquake in Chile today…….

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

Astrogeek 26 Mar 2010 17:32

yep. Another 6-pointer. You realize that Chile is even more active than California, right?

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"Do you ever think about things you do think about?" - Henry Drummond to Matthew Harrison Brady in Inherit the Wind

Re: Volcano Eruption, Earthquakes, Snow Storms??

Safety (guest) 05 Apr 2010 01:03

Speaking of which, a 7.2 earthquake just hit Baja California, Mexico. And I thought we were finished with these. Mehh…

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