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Tonga Eruption Blasted Unprecedented Amount of Water Into Stratosphere The huge amount of water vapor hurled into the atmosphere, as detected by NASA’s Microwave Limb Sounder, could end up temporarily warming Earth’s surface.When the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted on Jan. 15, it sent a tsunami racing around the world and set off a sonic boom that circled the globe twice. The underwater eruption in the South Pacific Ocean also blasted an enormous plume of water vapor into Earth’s stratosphere – enough to fill more than 58,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. The sheer amount of water vapor could be enough to...

The current heat wave is being relentlessly blamed on increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but there is a much more plausible explanation, one that is virtually endorsed by two of the world’s leading scientific organizations. It turns out that levels of water vapor in the atmosphere have dramatically increased over the last year-and-a-half, and water vapor is well recognized as a greenhouse gas, whose heightened presence leads to higher temperatures, a mechanism that dwarfs any effect CO2 may have. So, why has atmospheric water vapor increased so dramatically? Because of a historic, gigantic volcanic eruption last year...

A massive 7.2 magnitude earthquake has increased the risk of a volcano in Alaska erupting imminently as the aviation level was raised to red. The Shishaldin Volcano has been spewing great plumes of ash into the air since July 11, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO). A US Coast Guard overflight confirmed lava erupted the same day within the summit crater. The latest data from the AVO, as of just before midnight on July 15, showed frequent explosion signals are being detected, with some explosions sending plumes of ash as high as 20,000 ft above sea level.

Some 717 million years ago, glaciers covered the globe. Earlier eruptions may have triggered the event. CLAUS LUNAU/SCIENCE SOURCE ***************************************************** About 717 million years ago, a climate catastrophe struck the planet, as temperatures plunged and glaciers enveloped the globe. The cause of this “Snowball Earth” episode has been mysterious, but it took place around the same time as a massive outburst of volcanism. Many researchers thought there might be a connection. But the timing was uncertain. Now, more precise dates, reported last month in Earth and Planetary Science Letters (EPSL) and in November 2022 in Science Advances, show the eruptions...

Officials have raised the alert level due to various seismic events being recorded. Smoke rises from Mayon volcano as seen from Daraga, Albay province in the Philippines Mayon has increased chances of lava flows and a potential for explosive activity within weeksImage: Caroline Francis via REUTERS Authorities in the Philippines on Friday began evacuating around 10,000 people living near the Mayon Volcano after volcanic earthquakes and hundreds of rockfall events were detected. Mount Mayon is situated in the eastern province of Albay, some 330 kilometers south of the Filipino capital of Manila. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs)...

WASHINGTON (TND) — Hawaii's second largest volcano -- Kilauea -- started erupting early Wednesday morning following a three-month pause, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, also known as USGS. "Klauea volcano IS erupting," USGS noted on Twitter, adding that the eruption started just before 4:45 a.m. HST. The agency shared video of "the west rim of the crater at approximately 6 a.m. HST. Telephoto view shows multiple active vent sources and lava flooding the crater floor" within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, which is located on Hawaii's Big Island. USGS said their Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) detected a glow in the...

Researchers at Italy's National Research Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology say Campi Flegrei volcano, in southern Italy, is at risk of experiencing an eruption, like the one shown here at Mauna Loa in Hawaii. File Photo by Bruce Omori/Paradise Helicopters/EPA-EFE June 9 (UPI) -- The Campi Flegrei volcano in southern Italy is at risk of erupting, researchers at Italy's National Research Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology and University College London said in a new study published in the Communications Earth and Environment journal from Nature. The ground beneath the coastal town of Pozzuoli has been rising about 4 inches a...

Updates on the situation with the volcano in Mexico

Link post: please go to the link below to see the pictures and links, and post any comment/discussion there: Geology Picture of the Week, September 5-11, 2004: Etna Lava, Fournaise Bonus

Some background; in the last couple of weeks, I've been posting pictures of "Great Falls", starting with the Great Falls nearest to me, on the Potomac River. I speculated that there are several "Great Falls" around (there are). A humorous wag posted that one of them must be the "Great Falls of Bire" (rim shot, please). I replied to him that if Ireland had a great falls, this would be the "Great Falls of Eire". So I Googled to find out if Ireland had a great falls. It doesn't, but in searching, I discovered the "World Waterfall Database", which right...

Link post; to alert interested Free Republic readers to the post in the "Chat" section. PLEASE post any discussion and comment on that thread, not this one! The picture I've posted this week is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Geology Picture of the Week, August 8-14, 2004: Amazing Tropical Waterfalls

Tropical Cyclone "Batsirai" formed well east of Madagascar on January 27, 2022, at a time Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi were still assessing severe damage caused by the passage of Tropical Cyclone "Ana." Environmental conditions favor further intensification, leading to a possible catastrophic landfall in Madagascar on February 5. Up to 600 mm (24 inches) of rain is possible in some areas. Batsirai is the second named storm of the 2021/22 Southwest Indian Ocean cyclone season. At 06:00 UTC on February 2, Batsirai was an Intense Tropical Cyclone located approximately 246 km (153 miles) NNE of Port Louis, Mauritius. Its maximum...

First, from Norway Vøringsfossen Click 'em for full-size. This next one's not big or great, but it shows where the hotel is. Also small, but a good view of the base of the falls. Something tells me it is NOT easy to get down there. Second, from the border of Vietnam and China: Detian/Ban Gioc. Click both for full-size.

Connect the dots: 1) Heard about a new (small) eruption of Piton de la Fournaise. 2) Piton de la Fournaise is the current "expression" of the La Reunion mantle plume. 3) Thought about what happened when the Indian subcontinent passed over the La Reunion plume = Deccan Traps volcanism. 4) Tried to find a good picture of the Deccan Traps. 5) Discovered that one of the few places to see Deccan Trap basalt layering is Lonar Crater. 6) Lonar Crater is said to be the only impact crater on volcanic basalt. 7) Found remote sensing and surface pictures of Lonar...

Our first feature is the image of the Etna eruption. As of September 10, the eruption is continuing with a new effusive site opening. The lava flows are near the summit and aren't threatening any structures or villages. Click the picture to see it full-size. For more, click the article link at top and choose "Septembre 2004" at left. Our second feature is at the link below; six QTVR panoramas of the just-ended Piton de la Fournaise eruption. Stunning! If you have the bandwidth to handle it, look at the big ones. The aerial view is mind-boggling (though grainy in...

Flights from Catania airport in Sicily were grounded on Sunday after volcanic ash from an eruption of Mount Etna covered the runways. Airport authorities announced that flights would be suspended until Monday 9 a.m. local time (3 a.m. ET) due to the fallout from the eruption on Twitter. They later told CNN that flights are expected to resume at midday Monday (6 a.m. ET).

Mexican authorities on Sunday raised the warning level for the Popocatepetl volcano to one step below red alert as smoke, ash and molten rock spewed into the sky posing risks to aviation and far-flung communities below. The huge volcano that towers above Mexico City is considered one of the most dangerous in the world because some 25 million people live within a 60-mile radius. Sunday's increased alert level - to 'yellow phase three' - comes a day after two Mexico City airports temporarily halted operations due to falling ash, which also forced 11 villages to cancel school sessions.

A chain of undersea volcanoes, also known as seamounts. (NOAA Ocean Exploration) Less than one-quarter of Earth's entire ocean floor has been mapped, leaving gaping holes in our understanding of the underwater realm. Accidents await in the void: undiscovered seamounts – ancient mountains formed by volcanic activity – can rise thousands of meters in the darkness, putting unsuspecting submarines at risk. Led by earth scientist Julie Gevorgian of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California, a team of scientists has just discovered more than 19,000 new seamounts using a new batch of satellite data. That so many underwater peaks have...

Scientists shared evidence in early 2023 of a global cataclysm in 536 AD that led to crop failures, famine, social collapse and darkness around the world. Recent research shared by the History Channel suggests that a massive volcanic eruption and potential subsequent or simultaneous eruptions could have forced the world into darkness for more than 18 months. The hypothesized eruption caused a volcanic winter that significantly shifted the global climate, and may have led to the collapse of empires and widespread plagues, according to Ancient Origins. But there is a huge problem: we don’t have any evidence to suggest the...

A volcano erupted early Tuesday on Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula. The eruption of Shiveluch, one of the area's most active volcanoes, sent clouds of dust more than 65,000 feet into the sky, engulfing villages in gray dust. The ash cloud extended over more than 300 miles and the event triggered an aviation warning. Officials closed the skies over the area to aircraft and local authorities advised residents to stay indoors, with schools shuttered and power supplies cut for two villages for a few hours.