There has been a recent surge in the number of tremors felt in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming/Montana. In years past there have been approximately 1000 - 2000 small earthquakes per year in the area but we are now seeing, or rather feeling, 500 in a week's time. There also seems to be some confusion regarding "harmonic" tremors and the wind in scientific detection of real activity occurring in Yellowstone. Another development in the area is that the Grand Tetons are sinking while the ground around them is rising. All of these have been considered indicators of a catastrophic event.
Under the surface of Yellowstone, one of the most beautiful areas in the United States, is a boiling "Super Volcano". A staggering number of geothermal phenomena exist in Yellowstone National park, not least of which is the "Old Faithful" geyser so named because of its predictable eruptions. These geysers have been an attraction for tourists from all over the world and it's not unheard of that 2 - 3 million people will visit the park in any given year. To walk amongst these steaming "hot pots" surrounded by the beauty and danger of the untamed Nature is truly breath taking and I hope everyone is able to experience it at least once in their lives.
I have been to Yellowstone 3 times in my life which is nearly criminal considering just how close I lived to it for a large part of my life. The second time I was in Yellowstone was during the winter after having lived in the desert of Nevada for 3 years and just the sight of it brought tears to my eyes. I'd missed the trees so desperately while living in the desert that to see these enormous evergreens appearing to have been dipped in a fluffy white frosting made me feel like I'd had a piece put back into my heart and I wept.
The last time I'd gone to Yellowstone was with a boyfriend. We were on our way to Idaho to visit his father and stopped at Yellowstone for a few hours. Upon pulling into town we'd stopped at a convenience store where he could get a drink. I stayed in the car and concentrated on the pulsing Earth around me when a car pulled up right next to where we were parked. I'd just watched a stunning monarch butterfly land on the gravel of the parking lot and was studying its tiny form with thin legs tickling the small pieces of rock it walked on when the door of the car next to me opened and its driver got out. One large leg came out from the car and with a thud dropped its foot like a club right on top of that gorgeous butterfly. I let out a gasp but waited for the oblivious woman to get away from her car before I jumped out and scooped up the now mangled monarch in my hands. The wings, just moments ago, were full and and brushed with solid orange and black now had holes straight through them from the moment when that foot ground into them against the gravel. Legs twisted, antennae quivering, respiration erratic, and wings twitching and barely fluttering I held this tiny being in my hand. My then boyfriend got back into the car and we drove into the park itself.
We parked the car in a lot so we could walk around the geysers along with thousands of tourists from all over the world. I heard people speaking Deutsch, Japanese, Spanish and of course English that day but my focus was on the life I held in my hand. I hoped that I was lending it warmth and comfort in its final moments but in reality I probably only comforted myself. As we approached "Old Faithful" my little charge twitched one last time in my hand and then died. With a twist of my heart I placed it carefully on a stone, stood for a minute sending a silent prayer, and then walked away feeling angry and hurt that these people who flock to the area to witness something amazing don't bother to pay attention to the truly amazing parts of the world they are in. You may have driven into the park to see its unusual phenomena because you might respect the majesty of it, but you took a life in the process so do you really appreciate what's around you?
Getting back to Yellowstone (sorry for the tangent there) and the "Super Volcano" that appears to be churning with increased activity at present. We don't know what this means for certain because scientists don't know what it means for certain. What we think we know is that the volcano is on a 600,000 year cycle of huge eruption and we are now at 640,000 years since the last "big one". We are about 40,000 years past due for a "big one".
So what would the results be if the "big one" does finally hit after all of this time? First of all the force of this volcano is predicted to be 10,000 times as powerful as that of Mt. St. Helens that blew in 1980 (we had ash on our cars in Billings, Montana - which btw is about 1,000 miles away from Mt. St. Helens). It could be the boom heard 'round the world and the repercussions would also be felt.
- For about 40 square miles the Earth would be buried in hundreds of feet of molten lava that would kill everything in its path obviously.
- Ash would bury everything in the immediate area of Yellowstone in a 20 foot thick stifling blanket and coverage of about a foot would occur as far away as 400 miles though there would be ash found hundreds of thousands of square miles from the Super Volcano.
- Globally the ash would be thrown upwards of 20 miles into the air and would preceed a "volcanic winter" that would destroy agriculture (food sources) and climate around the world.
Interestingly most people seem to think that this would only effect those living right in the Yellowstone areas of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, and Colorado but really the effects would be felt around the world in a devastation that I don't think many can imagine.
What do you do with this information? I don't panic about things like this because, first of all, it is unpredictable - we have no idea when it might hit even with the increasing activity in the area right now. Secondly, I can't bring myself to do anything but marvel at the power of Earth and to know how truly powerless we are as Her children to stop whatever might come. There is no reality for the potential reigning in of this event if and when it comes. It's impossible. No amount of money, no perceived importance, no membership in a religious group, gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation will save anyone if this does come to pass. It's the ultimate example of justice from which nobody will escape.
It's awesome.
Under the surface of Yellowstone, one of the most beautiful areas in the United States, is a boiling "Super Volcano". A staggering number of geothermal phenomena exist in Yellowstone National park, not least of which is the "Old Faithful" geyser so named because of its predictable eruptions. These geysers have been an attraction for tourists from all over the world and it's not unheard of that 2 - 3 million people will visit the park in any given year. To walk amongst these steaming "hot pots" surrounded by the beauty and danger of the untamed Nature is truly breath taking and I hope everyone is able to experience it at least once in their lives.
I have been to Yellowstone 3 times in my life which is nearly criminal considering just how close I lived to it for a large part of my life. The second time I was in Yellowstone was during the winter after having lived in the desert of Nevada for 3 years and just the sight of it brought tears to my eyes. I'd missed the trees so desperately while living in the desert that to see these enormous evergreens appearing to have been dipped in a fluffy white frosting made me feel like I'd had a piece put back into my heart and I wept.
The last time I'd gone to Yellowstone was with a boyfriend. We were on our way to Idaho to visit his father and stopped at Yellowstone for a few hours. Upon pulling into town we'd stopped at a convenience store where he could get a drink. I stayed in the car and concentrated on the pulsing Earth around me when a car pulled up right next to where we were parked. I'd just watched a stunning monarch butterfly land on the gravel of the parking lot and was studying its tiny form with thin legs tickling the small pieces of rock it walked on when the door of the car next to me opened and its driver got out. One large leg came out from the car and with a thud dropped its foot like a club right on top of that gorgeous butterfly. I let out a gasp but waited for the oblivious woman to get away from her car before I jumped out and scooped up the now mangled monarch in my hands. The wings, just moments ago, were full and and brushed with solid orange and black now had holes straight through them from the moment when that foot ground into them against the gravel. Legs twisted, antennae quivering, respiration erratic, and wings twitching and barely fluttering I held this tiny being in my hand. My then boyfriend got back into the car and we drove into the park itself.
We parked the car in a lot so we could walk around the geysers along with thousands of tourists from all over the world. I heard people speaking Deutsch, Japanese, Spanish and of course English that day but my focus was on the life I held in my hand. I hoped that I was lending it warmth and comfort in its final moments but in reality I probably only comforted myself. As we approached "Old Faithful" my little charge twitched one last time in my hand and then died. With a twist of my heart I placed it carefully on a stone, stood for a minute sending a silent prayer, and then walked away feeling angry and hurt that these people who flock to the area to witness something amazing don't bother to pay attention to the truly amazing parts of the world they are in. You may have driven into the park to see its unusual phenomena because you might respect the majesty of it, but you took a life in the process so do you really appreciate what's around you?
Getting back to Yellowstone (sorry for the tangent there) and the "Super Volcano" that appears to be churning with increased activity at present. We don't know what this means for certain because scientists don't know what it means for certain. What we think we know is that the volcano is on a 600,000 year cycle of huge eruption and we are now at 640,000 years since the last "big one". We are about 40,000 years past due for a "big one".
So what would the results be if the "big one" does finally hit after all of this time? First of all the force of this volcano is predicted to be 10,000 times as powerful as that of Mt. St. Helens that blew in 1980 (we had ash on our cars in Billings, Montana - which btw is about 1,000 miles away from Mt. St. Helens). It could be the boom heard 'round the world and the repercussions would also be felt.
- For about 40 square miles the Earth would be buried in hundreds of feet of molten lava that would kill everything in its path obviously.
- Ash would bury everything in the immediate area of Yellowstone in a 20 foot thick stifling blanket and coverage of about a foot would occur as far away as 400 miles though there would be ash found hundreds of thousands of square miles from the Super Volcano.
- Globally the ash would be thrown upwards of 20 miles into the air and would preceed a "volcanic winter" that would destroy agriculture (food sources) and climate around the world.
Interestingly most people seem to think that this would only effect those living right in the Yellowstone areas of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, and Colorado but really the effects would be felt around the world in a devastation that I don't think many can imagine.
What do you do with this information? I don't panic about things like this because, first of all, it is unpredictable - we have no idea when it might hit even with the increasing activity in the area right now. Secondly, I can't bring myself to do anything but marvel at the power of Earth and to know how truly powerless we are as Her children to stop whatever might come. There is no reality for the potential reigning in of this event if and when it comes. It's impossible. No amount of money, no perceived importance, no membership in a religious group, gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation will save anyone if this does come to pass. It's the ultimate example of justice from which nobody will escape.
It's awesome.
(Image above from scienceclarified.com)
2 comments:
I have the sense that Gaia really IS an organism in and of herself and that she has the capability of healing herself. We have been a pox upon her, and I could not hold it against her if she decided enough was enough and cured herself of us. Only problem is, alot of life gets destroyed in the process, which IS a pity.
I agree. I don't so much worry that we've ruined Her because she will survive long after we're gone just as she was fine long before we ever were. But you've given me a thought.. thank you for that! :o)
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