It's no mystery. It's going to lead to a big explosion with lots of hot lava running down the sides.
Posted on 10/24/2011 11:16:06 AM PDT by bgill
Uturuncu is a nearly 20,000-foot-high (6,000 meters) volcano in southwest Bolivia. Scientists recently discovered the volcano is inflating with astonishing speed.
"I call this 'volcano forensics,' because we're using so many different techniques to understand this phenomenon," said Oregon State University professor Shan de Silva, a volcanologist on the research team.
Researchers realized about five years ago that the area below and around Uturuncu is steadily rising — blowing up like a giant balloon under a wide disc of land some 43 miles (70 kilometers) across. Satellite data revealed the region was inflating by 1 to 2 centimeters (less than an inch) per year and had been doing so for at least 20 years, when satellite observations began.
"It's one of the fastest uplifting volcanic areas on Earth," de Silva told OurAmazingPlanet."What we're trying to do is understand why there is this rapid inflation, and from there we'll try to understand what it's going to lead to."
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
It's no mystery. It's going to lead to a big explosion with lots of hot lava running down the sides.
Spoil sport.
Think of it like a great big pimple.
LOL, nice. But this land rise is 43 miles across.
I guess a solid ‘root’ detached in the hot layer and the land above it is rebounding.
...leading to a massive erruption that could have global consequences....
Somewhere ...you just know these guys are gonna tie it all to global warming.....or George Bush...
Everest isn’t even 9,000 feet high. I’m assuming this volcano so much higher because it’s on much lower ground to begin with?
“..or George Bush...”
I can’t tell if the joke is stale, or if George Bush is stale.
Or both.
A metaphor for the US economy?
That’s a bit graphic for FR these days. Could you rephrase your commentary?
An Earth shattering KaBoom!
???
Mt Everest summit is around 27,000’ above sea level.
Well I’ve never claimed to be a number person. I’ve been reading a lot about Everest lately, and it’s consistently referred to as one of the ‘8,000-plus’ peaks. Obviously the reference is not to ‘feet’. Oh well.
If you have a globe handy, put one finger on Uturuncu and another finger Krakatau.
Age of Everest:
Everest was formed about 60 million years ago
Elevation:
29,035 (8850m)-found to be 6’ higher in 1999
The 19,711 feet summit is distance above sea level, not measured from the surrounding base.
http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1505076A
I think we should hit it with bunker busters and see what happens?
And I have been corrected. Everest was 29,035 feet in 1999.
It's probably a foot or so higher, now.
Next begs the question, how fast is this rapid rise? Seems through your terminology you know a thing or two about geology, or did you stay in Holiday Inn Express last night?
Yes, I did read that it continues to rise, very very slowly. I also read that the peak is marine limestone, which I found interesting. Not that everyone is as fascinated by Everest as I am, but the number of dead bodies on the upper slopes is fairly staggering. One in ten who attempt to summit die, usually on the way down. The freak storm in ‘96 was the single most lethal climbing disaster. Eight people, including two guides, died during that one event.
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