Monday, November 8, 2010
WARNING: Geology/volcano rant ahead. Let me just explain something AMA-FUCK-AZING to you. First of all, I scanned this figure from a book I own called Volcanoes In Human History: The Far-Reaching Effects of Major Eruptions, by Jelle Zeilinga de Boer and Donald Theodore Sanders. This figure is a schematic comparison of the volume of volcanic materials emitted during several well-known eruptions (which are discussed in the book). It’s a great reflection of the Volcanic Explosivity Index, or VEI. Tambora, the second biggest circle, is the largest eruption to ever occur in recorded history. It rates at a 7/8 on the VEI, and ejected 50 cubic kilometers of material into the atmosphere on eruption. It resulted in the deaths of 70,000 people, and caused an entire year in 1815 to be completely without summer, killing thousands worldwide when crops failed and disease was rampant. Toba, by comparison, was the largest eruption that we’ve so far found evidence of in history ever, and it did so 74,000 years ago— right around the time of the last ice age. It rates at a 8/8 on the VEI, and ejected 2,800 cubic kilometers of material. Through DNA analysis, we can tell how many people populated the earth at a given time. At the time of Toba’s eruption, temperatures on earth dropped by 10 degrees Celsius, creating a volcanic winter and likely adding to the stress on the early human race. There’s some good evidence to support the idea that at one point in time, humanity was diminished to 10,000 people (some argue even less) in what’s known as an evolutionary bottleneck. Toba is a supervolcano, much like the one seated in Yellowstone. There are many of them located worldwide, though most are extinct or inactive. Imagine the type of destruction that could result from one of these things going off today. Which is unlikely, but not completely unrealistic, either. Gah, the excitement! X3 I’m not sure why volcanoes make me so ridiculously happy, but they do. I find them fascinating. Hope I didn’t bore you to death.

WARNING: Geology/volcano rant ahead.

Let me just explain something AMA-FUCK-AZING to you. First of all, I scanned this figure from a book I own called Volcanoes In Human History: The Far-Reaching Effects of Major Eruptions, by Jelle Zeilinga de Boer and Donald Theodore Sanders.

This figure is a schematic comparison of the volume of volcanic materials emitted during several well-known eruptions (which are discussed in the book). It’s a great reflection of the Volcanic Explosivity Index, or VEI.

Tambora, the second biggest circle, is the largest eruption to ever occur in recorded history. It rates at a 7/8 on the VEI, and ejected 50 cubic kilometers of material into the atmosphere on eruption. It resulted in the deaths of 70,000 people, and caused an entire year in 1815 to be completely without summer, killing thousands worldwide when crops failed and disease was rampant.

Toba, by comparison, was the largest eruption that we’ve so far found evidence of in history ever, and it did so 74,000 years ago— right around the time of the last ice age. It rates at a 8/8 on the VEI, and ejected 2,800 cubic kilometers of material. Through DNA analysis, we can tell how many people populated the earth at a given time. At the time of Toba’s eruption, temperatures on earth dropped by 10 degrees Celsius, creating a volcanic winter and likely adding to the stress on the early human race. There’s some good evidence to support the idea that at one point in time, humanity was diminished to 10,000 people (some argue even less) in what’s known as an evolutionary bottleneck.

Toba is a supervolcano, much like the one seated in Yellowstone. There are many of them located worldwide, though most are extinct or inactive. Imagine the type of destruction that could result from one of these things going off today. Which is unlikely, but not completely unrealistic, either.

Gah, the excitement! X3 I’m not sure why volcanoes make me so ridiculously happy, but they do. I find them fascinating. Hope I didn’t bore you to death.

Posted at 6:59 PM 139 notes Tags: volcano supervolcano Toba Yellowstone geology

Notes

  1. georgiaisntmygoddess reblogged this from theg33k and added:
    Geology/volcano rant ahead.
  2. chookytime reblogged this from malloreigh
  3. geewizbo reblogged this from malloreigh
  4. wolftits reblogged this from malloreigh
  5. ammyretsu reblogged this from malloreigh
  6. theg33k reblogged this from geologyrocks
  7. malloreigh reblogged this from theg33k
  8. abibee12795 reblogged this from geologyrocks
  9. reaktorplayer reblogged this from amazingcastle
  10. amazingcastle reblogged this from geologyrocks
  11. xenophonspeaks reblogged this from plantmoretrees and added:
    As I stated before, there are a lot of supervolcanoes. However, if you look at...numbers...
  12. j3nnd3nt reblogged this from geologyrocks
  13. rosesparks reblogged this from geologyrocks
  14. mylaptopismurdered reblogged this from geologyrocks and added:
    I wonder if humanity could take a blow as big as a supervolcano eruption. It is inevitable. O_O
  15. meadowvale reblogged this from geologyrocks and added:
    There’s a geo book that doesn’t talk about Pinatubo on every other page? To the point it leaves it out of schematics...
  16. mercipourlevenom reblogged this from geologyrocks
  17. theexemplar reblogged this from lenxo
  18. sparklelikeastar reblogged this from geologyrocks and added:
    HAHA I know this book!!!!!!!!!! I borrowed it from the Woodlands library! I was SO happy when I found it because it’d...
  19. stupidpeopleannoyme reblogged this from geologyrocks and added:
    Didn’t bore me at all. I love a good explosion. :D
  20. urgenturchin reblogged this from geologyrocks and added:
    holy shit aerosols taking over the earth auggggggghhhhhhhhh!
  21. pleasemeosaur reblogged this from geologyrocks
  22. migeo reblogged this from geologyrocks