A genetic transplant at this time would mean a massive invasion of carrier viruses. Doesn't seem like your cup of tea <g>. No rush.
"The Snake River Plain-Yellowstone, a geologic roto-tiller
An 80-kilometer-wide swath of basaltic and rhyolitic volcanism cuts across southeast Idaho for 450 kilometers. This Snake River Plain-Yellowstone (SRPY) volcanic province is the most dynamic area of volcanism in North America. This is not because of abundant historic eruptions -- there have been none -- but rather because of its rapid motion. SRPY is propagating to the northeast at 3.5 centimeters per year (Armstrong, et.al., 1975); it will slice through Montana and be at the Canadian border in approximately 20 million years . If past activity is a guide, SRPY doesn't simply cover terrain with volcanic rocks, but rather the pre-existing ground subsides up to 6 kilometers (Braile, et.al., 1982) between major faults (Sparlin, et.al., 1982) and is further churned up by the transit of magma and the formation of magma chambers."
From: Wood and Kienle, 1990, Volcanoes of North America: United States and Canada: Cambridge University Press, 354p., p.149-150, Contribution by Charles A. Wood.
vulcan.wr.usgs.gov |
