Volcanoes – Fusion Nepal

Geology Mars Science Space Volcanoes

Mars looks dead, but don’t count it out just yet

sudshr47 February 15, 2019

Mars’ surface is a lifeless, unwelcoming desert. But beneath its red soil the planet still might be alive — geologically.

Big space news broke in 2018: Using a ground-penetrating radar aboard a Mars satellite, a group of scientists detected a thin 12-mile lake thousands of feet beneath the Martian south pole. Now, researchers have put forward a paper arguing that if there is indeed a sizable briny-lake underneath this ice cap, hot molten rock (magma) must have oozed up near the surface and melted the ice.

Such underground volcanism would have happened in geologically recent time, perhaps a few hundred thousand years ago, or less. Read more…

More about Space, Science, Mars, Geology, and Volcanoes

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Kilauea Lava Science Volcanoes

Volcanic explosions shut down this national park. It’s about to reopen — without any lava.

sudshr47 September 19, 2018

For the last decade, a cauldron stewed inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
A giant lake of churning lava, over 500 feet across and hundreds of feet deep, drew visitors from around the planet to the lake’s eerie red glow, visible at night as …

Climate Change Geoengineering Global Warming Science Volcanoes

Engineering Earth’s climate might quell global warming, but it could come with a cost

sudshr47 August 8, 2018

When Mount Pinatubo violently erupted in 1991, the volcano blasted millions of tons of gas well over 20 miles into Earth’s atmosphere. After condensing into little droplets, the particles reflected sunlight back into space and cooled the planet by about 1 degree Fahrenheit for over year.

Nearly three decades later, some scientists wonder if humans could effectively do the same thing — by using blimps, rockets, or planes — in the name of combating the increasingly ruinous consequences of global warming.

This geoengineering concept, however, may carry some unintended consequences — particularly when it comes to the world’s future food supply. Read more…

More about Science, Global Warming, Climate Change, Geoengineering, and Volcanoes

Geology Science Seismology Volcanoes Yellowstone

Yellowstone won’t erupt anytime soon, but a debate still rages about the supervolcano

sudshr47 July 29, 2018

Ying Zhou teaches a Geology 101 class to students at Virginia Tech, but after peering deeply into the subterranean world beneath the Yellowstone volcano, Zhou says she needs to modify her lesson plans — for Yellowstone, anyhow.

Yellowstone is one of the most heavily-researched volcanoes in the world, and it’s believed to be responsible for few mega-eruptions in the last two million years. Volcanologists understand its behavior quite well, and there’s agreement that any sort of eruption would be likely be proceeded by months or even years of warning.

But scientists still aren’t sure exactly how the volcano came to be, though many suspect its hundreds of geysers and steaming springs are fueled by a great plume of hot rock emanating from the deep Earth, which rises up to a surface “hotspot.” Read more…

More about Science, Yellowstone, Geology, Seismology, and Volcanoes

Geology Kilauea Science Volcanic Eruption Volcanoes

Volcanoes, ranked

sudshr47 July 6, 2018

Earth is home to about 1,500 active or potentially active volcanoes, and each day around 20 of these often-steaming vents erupt in a variety of ways.
Some ooze lava. Some explode violently.
SEE ALSO: Why Guatemala’s volcano erupted in deadly av…

Geology Satellite Images Science Volcanic Eruption Volcanoes

Satellite photos reveal the devastation of Guatemala’s Fuego volcano

sudshr47 June 7, 2018

Hotel La Reunión Golf Resort and Residences sits in the shadow of Guatemala’s Volcán de Fuego, at about five miles away. Prior to the June 3 eruption, it was a verdant land, with well-manicured lawns.

Two days later, harrowing avalanches of scorching volcanic ash, rocky debris, and gas — called pyroclastic flows — smothered La Reunión and the surrounding land. Satellite images taken before and after the eruption reveal the devastation, which was not caused by lava flows, but by these speeding chaotic avalanches.

More about Science, Volcanic Eruption, Geology, Volcanoes, and Satellite Images

Geology Hawaii Science Volcanic Eruption Volcanoes

Why Guatemala’s volcano erupted in deadly avalanches, but Hawaii’s hasn’t

sudshr47 June 4, 2018

Guatemala’s Volcán de Fuego — literally translated to the Volcano of Fire — can be a terrifying mountain.

On June 3, the volcano sent scorching avalanches of swiftly flowing volcanic debris, known as pyroclastic flows, down its flanks, which the Guatemalan government said has so far killed 25 people.

But this is nothing new for Volcán de Fuego.

In recorded history alone, the volcano has erupted more than 60 times, and when it does, it often produces these hot avalanches which — when large enough — can completely bury people and homes. Read more…

More about Science, Hawaii, Volcanic Eruption, Geology, and Volcanoes

Hawaii Kilauea Science Space Volcanoes

Satellites in space see lava pouring from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano

sudshr47 May 25, 2018

From the ground, lava pouring from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano can look terrifying.

Over the past few weeks, newly cracked fissures in the ground have allowed fountains and pools of molten rocket to well up to the surface, destroying homes and other structures in the area surrounding the active volcano.

But from space, those fissures and lava flows take on a new look.

#Kilauea lava channels are clearly visible in this #Sentinel2 B image of the #Hawaii volcano from 23 May (crop and full image). Follow @USGSVolcanoes for updatespic.twitter.com/ZSCeL81xEB

— ESA (@esa) May 25, 2018 Read more…

More about Space, Science, Hawaii, Volcanoes, and Kilauea

Hawaii Science Volcanic Eruption Volcanoes

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano just exploded

sudshr47 May 17, 2018

Hawaii’s volcanologists got it right.
Although Hawaii’s volcanoes rarely erupt explosively, a perfect stage had been set for such an eruption to occur this week, and it did. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano eru…

Climate Hawaii Kilauea Science Volcanoes

Hawaii volcano eruption brings the state’s worst earthquake in decades

sudshr47 May 5, 2018

Right on the heels of Thursday’s volcano eruption in Hawaii, a pair of earthquakes struck the state as residents contended with ongoing evacuations and noxious gas in the air.
The first, a 5.4-magnitude quake according to the United States Geological…

Geology Lava Science Volcanic Eruption Volcanoes

Lava shoots through a 500-foot-long fissure in the middle of a Hawaiian neighborhood

sudshr47 May 4, 2018

A fissure nearly 500 feet long opened up in the Leilani Estates neighborhood in Hawaii Thursday evening, spewing lava into the air for around two hours.
The lava didn’t engulf any homes but prompted some evacuations. The molten rock only traveled aro…