How close to the edifice? Etna erupts often but very, very, very rarely does it do really big things. In short, I would definitely go! I climbed into the interior of Mt. St. Helens while it was in its dome building phase. It was great
Thanks Geoff. Of course I'm not convinced that asking all the geomorphology geeks is a good move, I KNOW you'd all love to go. We went to St Helens last year. I think seeing the "after" is what might be making me nervous!!
Zaffarena Etnea is on the Eastern flanks of Etna. About 6km from the edge of the grey bits on google earth although I guess the crater is further away still.
Good, but slight scary photo (apparently there is a valley between Etna and the town).
How close to the edifice? Etna erupts often but very, very, very rarely does it do really big things. In short, I would definitely go! I climbed into the interior of Mt. St. Helens while it was in its dome building phase. It was great
hmmm, we have an interesting home exchange for a home in the countryside near Zafferana Etnea. etna looks a bit over active to me though. What's the story? Is it risky?
hmmm, we have an interesting home exchange for a home in the countryside near Zafferana Etnea. etna looks a bit over active to me though. What's the story? Is it risky?
Hey Bruce, that is an excellent blog! It is well-written, insightful and fun! I like your group of regulars also. I might be poaching it a little in the upcoming semester
Thanks M... it's an open blog (i.e. not mine) set up by a crazy Swede who seems to have made a pile of hooch setting up various tech companies (i think - he keeps his cards close to his chest) ... but he disappears at irregular intervals and the rest of us keep it going with various posts like mine.. Glad you liked it!!! If you want to use stuff from it, the archive is kept very tidy by our local dragon, Spica.
Hey Bruce, that is an excellent blog! It is well-written, insightful and fun! I like your group of regulars also. I might be poaching it a little in the upcoming semester
Video of landslide in old growth redwoods on Highway 101 just south of Crescent City, CA (about 50 miles north of here). This happened this week. Pretty amazing to see ca. 100 m tall trees being uprooted. BTW, if at work you might turn down the volume as the camera man displays his excitement a few times.
Video of landslide in old growth redwoods on Highway 101 just south of Crescent City, CA (about 50 miles north of here). This happened this week. Pretty amazing to see ca. 100 m tall trees being uprooted. BTW, if at work you might turn down the volume as the camera man displays his excitement a few times.
Volcanology is just the surface expression. It's what goes on at depth that intrigues me. Ocean slabs seem to hit a barrier at the D'' and this lead to all kinds of deep seismicity (been some intriguing theories on delamination of subducted lithosphere in this regard) but then there is that recent paper on descending plates shunting hot material in front of them as they reach the core mantle boundary, leading to plume genesis. Fascinating stuff.
I know so little... but I must hit the sack. 3 am here and must get up at 7.
Yeah, once you start looking at plume geology a lot more questions appear. Yellowstone becomes fun! As you're aware there are density/viscosity layers, even in oceanic plates that can alter ascent rates of magma. This might explain seismic signature. Of course, you should always remember, I'm not a volcanologist!
Volcanology is just the surface expression. It's what goes on at depth that intrigues me. Ocean slabs seem to hit a barrier at the D'' and this lead to all kinds of deep seismicity (been some intriguing theories on delamination of subducted lithosphere in this regard) but then there is that recent paper on descending plates shunting hot material in front of them as they reach the core mantle boundary, leading to plume genesis. Fascinating stuff.
I know so little... but I must hit the sack. 3 am here and must get up at 7.
NoEnz, good to hear from you. It's a martini! Game is great, so far. You know Iceland is weird. Purely basaltic MOR volcanism but big eruptions. You should venture into the idea of superplumes as that seems to be part of the answer (Galapagos also). Hope you are well. I've got the semester off from teaching. Trying to get research and writing done...but not tonight!
btw, I hope you realize you have the best job on the planet. Did you hear Boris Behncke and his colleagues will be out on their ear come the New Year? Amazing that such a big economy as Italy has no funds for monitoring one of the most active volcanoes on the planet.
"This visit in the function of on-duty volcanologist and assistant volcanologist might have been the last for us two. For both Antonio and me, as well as more than 30 others at the Etna Observatory of the INGV and more than 200 others in the various other seats of the INGV, the contracts run out 31 December 2012. It is planned to create a system of "concorsi" - competitive entrance examinations - but only after an interruption of our contracts (and salaries) for an unknown period.
As a reaction to these plans, service such as shifts in the control rooms in Rome, Naples, and Catania, will not be guaranteed any longer, and neither will be the "on-duty volcanologist" service by the staff risking to be without a job by 1 January 2013"
nice to hear. I'll raise your martini with one shiraz..
superplumes.. I only learnt this year that there also such things as core plumes (explaining the iron rich deposits in Sweden for example) core plumes!! Yep, I'm getting pretty fit on plumes, now subscribe to Nature Geoscience and loving it. UrTh science. Explains quite a bit but personally I have trouble envisioning how this melt rises throught the mantle without leaving any seismic trace and then suddenly appears in a swarm (like at El Hierro recently) that exhibits a certain periodicity. ok, I know it does rise in blobs and blurps, I am not questioning the mechanism, just it leads to so many more questions for me. What does this look like at a smaller scale? Does the melt burn through the mantle like an acetylene torch or does it push it out of the way? etc..
did I say cheers?
Yeah, once you start looking at plume geology a lot more questions appear. Yellowstone becomes fun! As you're aware there are density/viscosity layers, even in oceanic plates that can alter ascent rates of magma. This might explain seismic signature. Of course, you should always remember, I'm not a volcanologist!
NoEnz, good to hear from you. It's a martini! Game is great, so far. You know Iceland is weird. Purely basaltic MOR volcanism but big eruptions. You should venture into the idea of superplumes as that seems to be part of the answer (Galapagos also). Hope you are well. I've got the semester off from teaching. Trying to get research and writing done...but not tonight!
nice to hear. I'll raise your martini with one shiraz..
superplumes.. I only learnt this year that there also such things as core plumes (explaining the iron rich deposits in Sweden for example) core plumes!! Yep, I'm getting pretty fit on plumes, now subscribe to Nature Geoscience and loving it. UrTh science. Explains quite a bit but personally I have trouble envisioning how this melt rises throught the mantle without leaving any seismic trace and then suddenly appears in a swarm (like at El Hierro recently) that exhibits a certain periodicity. ok, I know it does rise in blobs and blurps, I am not questioning the mechanism, just it leads to so many more questions for me. What does this look like at a smaller scale? Does the melt burn through the mantle like an acetylene torch or does it push it out of the way? etc..
hey, geo, just saw your name and realized you are probably now relaxing with a beer in hand and want to talk about baseball.
Can't have that on a Sunday evening. What do you think about this TFZ swarm.. is it unusual to have so many foreshocks before the main quake (looks like an extensional setting - well doh.. MOR and all that)
NoEnz, good to hear from you. It's a martini! Game is great, so far. You know Iceland is weird. Purely basaltic MOR volcanism but big eruptions. You should venture into the idea of superplumes as that seems to be part of the answer (Galapagos also). Hope you are well. I've got the semester off from teaching. Trying to get research and writing done...but not tonight!
hey, geo, just saw your name and realized you are probably now relaxing with a beer in hand and want to talk about baseball.
Can't have that on a Sunday evening. What do you think about this TFZ swarm.. is it unusual to have so many foreshocks before the main quake (looks like an extensional setting - well doh.. MOR and all that)
A friend of mine found this thing in the foot hills in Colorado. We have no idea what it is, it sort of has a coral look to parts of it, but I'm not really sure.
Thoughts from the RP geology crowd?
Came across this over the weekend. It's called a Septarian Nodule:
Your friend could make some money off it. It's a really nice stone when polished. Some people have drawer pulls or knobs made from it:
Yep, I'm getting pretty fit on plumes, now subscribe to Nature Geoscience and loving it. UrTh science. Explains quite a bit but personally I have trouble envisioning how this melt rises throught the mantle without leaving any seismic trace and then suddenly appears in a swarm (like at El Hierro recently) that exhibits a certain periodicity. ok, I know it does rise in blobs and blurps, I am not questioning the mechanism, just it leads to so many more questions for me. What does this look like at a smaller scale? Does the melt burn through the mantle like an acetylene torch or does it push it out of the way? etc..
