6 volcanoes that could shut down the world

The Week ^ | April 23, 2010 | staff

[Young Werther]

She's wearing boots so she won't Crack a Toe!

PUN Alert!

[bigheadfred]

From her looks, I bet little Katla there could take that boogerflicker, slice a bit and then step on you and make your guts protrude just like a malignant colon!

I think I'd rather be stuck bywith the volcano.

HEY! I can see Yellowstone out my back door! OMG! I'm gonna DIE!!

SAVE ME LITTLE KATLA!!!

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

What about Krakatoa?

[ETL]

What about Krakatoa?

Will Krakatoa rock the world again? Last time, it killed thousands and changed the weather for five years, now it could be even deadlier...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1203028/Will-Krakatoa-rock-world-Last-time-killed-thousands-changed-weather-years-deadlier.html

[AndrewB]

I hope she doesn’t get a lawyer and ve-SUE-vi-US...

[WoofDog123]

Katla really is a potentially serious unavoidable problem in the near future. It had followed eyjafjallajokull in all 3 of eyjafjallajokull’s eruptions in recorded history. Some of its eruptions have put an awful lot of stuff in the atmosphere. Anything that decrease crop yields worldwide is ‘bad, (as in catastrophism-level bad)’ not to mention the more immediate impact on the european economy.

[metmom]

The closer the volcano to the equator, the more significant the impact on the planet.

The upper level winds will spread the plume much further and wider than a volcano nearer one of the poles like the one in Iceland.

Location counts for an awful lot.

[metmom]

Swaybacked, no less.

[metmom]

Awesome pics.

Looks more like Mt. Doom, however.

[metmom]

Katla really is a potentially serious unavoidable problem in the near future. It had followed eyjafjallajokull in all 3 of eyjafjallajokull’s eruptions in recorded history.

By how much did it follow?

[WoofDog123]

from what I have been able to gather (and this is by what calendar dates I have been able to find on the 3 historic eruptions), a couple of years max maybe. Perhaps someone has more detailed info, I am interested as well.

What references I have been able to find imply that once eyjafjallajokull quits erupting, katla would then go.

[metmom]

Kind of like a relief valve.

[ETL]

This is all I could find on a quick search at 1:20 AM on the east coast.

Volcanoes of Iceland:
http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/en/iceland.html

Katla volcano

Volcano type	Subglacial shield volcano
Location	South Iceland, 63.63°N / 19.05°W
Summit elevation	1512 m (4,961 ft)
Last eruptions	920 AD, 950 AD (?), 1150, 1177, 1245, 1262, 1311, 1357, 1416, 1440, 1450, 1500, 1580, 1612, 1625, 1660-61, 1721, 1755-56, 1823, 1860, 1918, 1955(?), 1999(?), 1918
Typical eruption style	explosive basaltic and dacitic eruptions, voluminous lava flows. ____________________________________________ Eyjafjöll volcano
Volcano type	Stratovolcano
Location	South Iceland, 63.63°N / 19.62°W
Summit elevation	1666 m (5,466 ft)
Last eruptions	1821-23, 20 March 2010 - ongoing
Typical eruption style	effusive (Hawaiian-style lava fountains and lava flows), mildly explosive due to ice-water-lava interaction.

[ETL]

Iceland is the tiny land mass at the top.

World Distribution of Mid-Oceanic Ridges; USGS

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge in Iceland

The ridge was central in the
breakup of Pangaea that began
some 180 million years ago.

SOURCE: Mid-Atlantic Ridge:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Atlantic_Ridge

[JimSEA]

FWIW, we were in Pompii on the flanks of Mt. Vesuvius yesterday.
Beautiful but our knowledge made it menacing. Fantastic trip.

[Cowgirl]

You needn't worry. All we have to do is tax the people for living on a planet with volcanoes and the problem is solved.

[doberville]

Is this your human sacrifice to appease the volcano gods?

[metmom]

Thanks for the pings. Pretty interesting stuff.