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To: carranza2 who wrote (285979)	1/1/2009 1:35:06 PM
From: Tom Clarke	1 Recommendation Respond to of 793838

Last big eruption ended the Bronze Age and ushered in the First Dark Age. Minoan eruption The Minoan eruption of Thera, also referred to as the Thera eruption or Santorini eruption, was a major catastrophic volcanic eruption (Volcanic Explosivity Index(VEI) = 6, Dense-Rock Equivalent(DRE) = 60 km3)[1] which is estimated to have occurred in the mid second millennium BC.[2] The eruption was one of the largest volcanic events on Earth in recorded history.[3][4][5] The eruption devastated the island of Thera (also called Santorini), including the Minoan settlement at Akrotiri as well as communities and agricultural areas on nearby islands and on the coast of Crete. The eruption may have contributed to the collapse of the Minoan culture. The eruption caused significant climatic changes in the eastern Mediterranean region, Aegean Sea and much of the Northern Hemisphere.[6] There is also evidence that the eruption caused failure of crops in China, inspired certain Greek myths, contributed to turmoil in Egypt, and influenced many of the biblical Exodus stories.[7][8] It has been theorized that the Minoan eruption and the destruction of the city at Akrotiri provided the basis for or otherwise inspired Plato's story of Atlantis.[9][10] en.wikipedia.org THE FIRST DARK AGE At some point I will do a short introductory essay; the important point is that sometime in the Bronze Ages, a thriving civilization with writing and the ability to build large walled cities and the beginnings of a market economy -- there were traders who were not merely raiders -- collapsed so thoroughly that it became legendary. The walls of Tiryns were so large and imposing that the people who lived in the region thought they were built by giants: by the Cyclopes, and they were called Cyclopean Walls by people who probably counted the actual builders among their ancestors. Writing was lost and had to be reinvented. Much technology was lost. It is a time that bequeaths us many legends, from the Trojan War to the legends of the House of Atreus, and Pelops, and Theseus, and Minos, Achilles and Odysseus, Talos and the stone god who rose from the sea, Jason and the Argonauts, all of which seem to reflect real events, embellished, of course, but real all the same. It was a time when the Maryannu and the Battle Ax people roamed the land, and the Peoples of the Sea invaded Egypt and came to Palestine where, as Philistines, they gave the region its name and passed into history as giants whose champion was a bronze armored hero named Goliath. In the Bible it is an age in which there was no king in Israel, and each man did as he thought right in his own heart. And so it was through the world. But that Dark Age came after a rich civilization with writing and commerce and technology: what killed that civilization? Theories run from barbarian invasions (the return of the Dorians) to earthquakes, to astronomical disasters, to volcanoes. It may have been all of these. If the issue is settled once and for all, that has happened very recently indeed: it certainly was no more than speculation last year... One note: a Dark Age is not just a period in which people no longer know how to do things. The real key is that people no longer remember that certain things can be done at all. As an example, the 5th Century AD (Dark Age) peasant in France who reaped perhaps 3 bushels for each bushel he sowed was entirely unaware that peasants in Roman times had reaped up to 10 bushels for each bushel sowed, this on the same land and with less work. The 5th Century peasant did not try for much higher yields because the very knowledge that you could do that had been lost. In the First Dark Age the very notion of writing was gone, and just about all of the bureaucratic techniques that made the earlier prosperity was not even legend; it was just lost. Herewith some comments and discussions. jerrypournelle.com

To: carranza2 who wrote (285979)	1/1/2009 1:56:07 PM
From: Stevefoder	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793838

Below is a website to view worldwide seismic activity. earthquake.usgs.gov It is fascinating to see how active the planet is. An interesting note is that some of the Yellowstone earthquakes are very close to the surface. It should be noted that if Yellowstone were to massively erupt, then life as we know it would end. If it makes you feel better, the chances of a mankind-made end of the world (e.g. extreme nuclear war) is much more likely in any given year.

To: carranza2 who wrote (285979)	1/1/2009 4:34:51 PM
From: Maurice Winn	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793838

C2, I have been volcano [and geologically in general] obsessive since the 1950s when my father explained as we walked around Whakarewarewa in Rotorua that it's all molten and hot and boiling etc down underneath where we were walking. I was tip toeing along the path to avoid falling through. I have recurring dreams about volcanoes still. They are very exciting up close and personal. New Zealand is a volcanic zone and I live among scoria and phreatic eruptions, the most recent of which was about 500 years ago. Taupo is a biggie caldera which is due for a blast any time and I would not live near it. It's ridiculous that the government forces people to wear crash helmets on bicycles but allows people to keep children in Taupo which will one day turn into a catastrophe along with the rest of the region. That will cut of electricity supplies to Auckland and the north because apart from being a supply zone, [hydro and geothermal] the south island electricity is carried through the area. These caldera volcanoes are not like cones which tend to shake rattle and roll and give some warning of moving magma which erupts relatively benignly in pretty fountains of red larva [though swarms of minor earthquakes is some warning in Yellowstone it seems] Phreatomagmatic pumice type eruptions go with a bang as a vast column of liquid turns to gas and combusts as it enters the atmosphere. They are a LOT of fun. That's the Taupo type. I suppose Yellowstone is similar as it goes bang. They happen in minutes and hours rather than casually over days and weeks. As soon as the pressure is off for the first liquid to turn to gas, which unburdens the lower liquids, it's all on. The whole column turns to gas and propels the solids sky high with a big bang as the hydrocarbons which have been subducted and collected for millennia in the magma chamber turn first to gas and then burn in atmospheric oxygen in a big hurry. The article you posted suggests the size of the earthquake is of concern, as though worrying that a big earthquake as on the San Andreas fault could occur. The worry is about being buried under umpty megatons of hot pumice and stuff, not being a bit shaken. 1000 cubic miles of ejecta is 100 miles x 100 miles by 100 metres deep. That's quite a lot of stuff. Lots of the fines will blow around like soot from China's factories, sand from the Sahara and Gobi and smog from Los Angeles. The southern hemisphere will remain pristine. It's hard to get sunburn in the northern hemisphere already. That should act like an excellent sun screen. The pressure can come off the column of liquids sufficiently to turn them to gas by the simply act of earth, moon and sun being aligned so that tidal action reduces the load. The first warning might be sudden removal of a lot of dirt and water as superheated water turns to steam [as in Old Faithful and other geysers]. Once the process is underway, there's no putting a cork back in it. Keep away during high tide times to reduce risk. Better still, keep away if there's the slightest hint of action such as earthquakes. The Greenhouse Effect will suddenly seem like trivia. The CO2 emitted will be a LOT. People bleating about carbon footprints will be ignored. Economic issues will be more important. They already are. Mqurice

To: carranza2 who wrote (285979)	1/30/2009 12:44:44 AM
From: KLP	Respond to of 793838

Mount Redoubt volcano in Alaska expected to erupt 'within days' latimesblogs.latimes.com 11:36 AM, January 29, 2009 This picture from Dec 1990 eruption latimesblogs.latimes.com Alaskans are not running in mad panic for cover, but many are concerned about the imminent eruption of Mount Redoubt southwest of Anchorage. Fox News is reporting: "Mount Redoubt continues to rumble and simmer, prompting geologists to say this Alaska volcano could erupt "within days." The Anchorage Daily News cautions: "Mount Redoubt is still rumbling and simmering, prompting geologists to repeat their warning that an eruption may be imminent." It would not be a pleasant period in Anchorage if Redoubt were to blow its top, if its previous eruption is any indication. For five months beginning in December 1989, smoke and ash from the 10,197-foot peak disrupted international air traffic and deposited volcanic dust throughout the Anchorage region. That eruption also delivered mud flows from Redoubt into the Drift River drainage. latimesblogs.latimes.com According to the U.S. Geological Survey, volcanic ash features small, jagged pieces of rock and glass. The American Red Cross of Alaska has advised families throughout Alaska to develop disaster plans and put together disaster supply kits. To be sure, they'll be advised to limit strenuous outdoors activity. Stay tuned. -- Pete Thomas Top photo: Mount Redoubt sends an orange cloud of smoke and volcanic dust skyward in December 1990. Credit: J. Warren/Alaska Volcano Observatory