Posted on 04/01/2005 3:01:49 PM PST by DannyTN
"Super volcano" could dwarf Indonesia's earthquake catastrophes: expert
Fri Apr 1,12:21 AM ET Science - AFP
SYDNEY (AFP) - As Indonesians struggled to recover from the second deadly earthquake to strike them in three months, an Australian expert warned the country faced the prospect of a "super volcano" eruption that would dwarf all previous catastrophes.
AFP/File Photo
Professor Ray Cas of Monash University's School of Geosciences said the world's biggest super volcano was Lake Toba, on Indonesia's island of Sumatra, site of both the recent massive earthquakes.
Cas told Australian media Friday that Toba sits on a faultline running down the middle of Sumatra -- just where some seismologists say a third earthquake might strike following the 9.0 magnitude quake on December 26 and Monday's 8.7 temblor.
Those quakes occurred along faultlines running just off Sumatra's west coast and created seismological stresses which could hasten an eruption.
Cas said Toba last erupted 73,000 years ago in an event so massive that it altered the entire world's climate.
"The eruption released 1,000 cubic kilometers (240 cubic miles) of ash and rock debris into the atmosphere, much of it as fine ash which blocked out solar radiation, kicking the world back into an ice age," he said.
The scientist said super volcanos represented the greatest potential hazard on earth, "the only greater threat being an asteroid impact from space".
"A super volcano will definitely erupt," he said.
"It could be in a few, 50 or another 1000 years but sooner or later one is going to go off."
Other super volcanos are found in Italy, South America, the United States and New Zealand -- where Mount Taupo could be ready for eruption.
"It has a big eruption every 2,000 years, and it last erupted about 2,000 years ago," Cas said.
The potential death toll from a super volcano eruption "could reach the hundreds of thousands to millions and there are serious implications on climate, weather and viability of food production," Cas said.
"The big problem is a lot of the volcanoes that potentially could erupt are perhaps not monitored to the degree that they should be, and of course we learnt that lesson from the Boxing Day tsunami disaster," he said.
We shall soon see if Karl Rove's Super Volcano Machine works as well as his Tsunami Machine and his Hurricane Machine did last year.
I feel kind of stupid for posting it now. Is there any legitimacy to it?
Well dang. Guess we better get busy warming up the globe in preparation.
LOL Once Karl wipes out the Muslims from Indonesia who do you think he will target next?
Krakatoa...which erupted in the 1880's..was the world's largest recorded eruption...The island, which is located on the same fault line..literally blew itself apart..90% of it disappeared. In the 1920's..the volcano erupted out of ther ocean floor..and stated to rebuilt itself..there is now a new island, and it is the SAME height as Krakatoa before it erupted..
"The sky is falling!"
No, it's being hurled at the ground with great force.
Well, if a supervolcano goes off and brings on an ice age, I'd say that hundreds of millions of deaths is much likelier than a million, because of food shortages and consequent wars.
On the other hand, what good would a few days' warning do?
"Cats and dogs living together!"
Just another reason not to outsource food production to foreign countries.
So many doomsday meteors/volcanoes/manmade problems, so little time.
True.
I just returned from Hawaii and visited the lava flows. I quickly learned that there is nothing you can do about molten rock. It sort of goes wherever the hell it wants to and the ocean can't even stop it.
Very impressive indeed.
Some expect Anak Krakaton to explode like its parent Krakatoa. Others point to this Super Volcano. One scientist in Perth was talking about the whole Ring of Fire going up. All cheer and sunshine down under.
Well with that kind of prediction then I can safely predict that the Earth will collide with the moon. It could be in a few, 50 or another 1000 years, but sooner or later it will happen.
I predict that th UN will collapse, it could be in a few, 10 or another 150 years but sooner or later it will happen.
Hey this is kind of fun.
If we have another Krakatoa, then I won't have to keep looking for a job. Silver lining in every cloud!
I d be very interested to learn how he draws the line of 'super' There are definitely volcanos that are much bigger than most volcanos, but I don't think any of them are in Italy or the US. Anyone know which he considers 'super' volcanos in these places? That said, a 'super' volcano can have major global climatic effect. The New England colonies once had the 'year without summer' (snow in July and Aug) due to an eruption in the Pacific.
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