Standing of the Stones: Island Volcanoes Abounding Edition
Hello and welcome to a new, semi-weekly feature in which I’ll share snippets of earth science news, cool things I’ve stumbled across, pretty pictures, status reports on upcoming articles, and whatever else seems interesting.
La Palma: Still on Fire
This has been one of the longest eruptions in La Palma’s recorded history, and is posed to be the longest, if it keeps going. Some of the recent lava fountains have exceeded 1,600 feet (500m) in height. The person who runs the GeologyHub channel has discovered a pattern in the data that suggests something interesting (and ominous to the locals) about the relationship between deep earthquakes and eruption activity on the island.
Can you believe where some of that ash ended up?!
It looks like the eruption may break some records. Interesting times indeed.
Why Is La Palma Like This?
In related news, it looks like I’ve now finished the necessary research needed to show you how La Palma ended up like this, so hopefully I’ll have that written before the eruption ends. Maybe. Look, it’s not entirely my fault that a new and juicy large paper ends up falling into my search results every time I look to confirm a fact. And hopefully you’ll all be very happy with the results.
Unconformists supporting the Unconformity on Patreon get dibs, so if you’re been meaning to sign up now’s the time! Tiers start at just $1.
Kilauea: Not So Much on Fire at the Moment
Pele has put a pause on lava lake activity over the weekend, but don’t count this eruption over yet. Here’s what happened after the previous pause:
(Caution: video gets a bit strobelike for several seconds just after 1:30)
The weather has been butts for webcam viewing, but hopefully will clear enough to let us watch if another reprise happens.
Tragedy at Semeru Volcano
Unfortunately, not all volcanic eruptions are as casualty-free as La Palma and Kilauea. Semeru in Indonesia erupted, causing devastating pyroclastic flows that killed over a dozen people, left dozens missing, and injured dozens more.
This eruption is grimly fascinating because it was partially triggered by rain:
I’m going to have to do a post about eruptions and rain someday, because the connection is intriguing.
Grímsvötn: A Jökulhlaup and a Possible Eruption
Turning to Iceland, we have a glacial outburst flood from Grímsvötn that peaked on Sunday, and it’s possible that the reduction in pressure due to the release of meltwater from the ice cap will trigger an eruption. Plus, other volcanoes are showing some signs of unrest.
It’s looking to be a busy time on the island!
So, the Trio of Icelandic Geology Books Was a Wise Investment, Eh?
I’m 2/3 of the way through that prescient purchase. I reviewed the first, rather meh, book here. Unconformists on Patreon can read my gushing review on the second one now, complete with a gorgeous photo gallery of the stunning locations explored within the book. And I’m working my way through the third, which is so far quite enjoyable. I’ll have a report up on Patreon as soon as I’ve finished it, and you’ll see all the reviews here eventually.
I’m considering shelling out serious coin on the more technical books available on Iceland’s geology. It looks like we’ll be having regular eruptions there over the next few years, and I’ve been wanting to write more about it anyway. What do you think?
What a Black Metal Band Has to do With Geology
So back in the Olden Times, when I was but a carefree young thing, my friend and then-housemate Jim introduced me to black metal. It happened something like this:
ME [entering living room]: My gods, what is that racket?!
JIM [sitting at desk with speakers blasting]: Emperor.
ME: We hates it, Precious.
Days later, after several more exposures
ME [pausing in the teeth-rattling sonic cloud]: Actually, this isn’t half bad.
JIM: smiles knowingly
Not many days later
ME [kneeling beside Jim’s desk with pen and paper]: I need the names of all of these bands, including spelling, because I need to buy their albums immediately
So that’s how a girl who’d barely listened to anything heavier than Dream Theater became a hardcore black metal fan. One of those bands, which I loved the most, was Dimmu Borgir.
Fast forward all these too many years, and imagine my delight when I discovered their name comes from Dimmuborgir, an enchanting geologic feature in Iceland!
Dimmuborgir, Iceland. Base photo credit: Jorge CG; filters by Dana Hunter (CC BY 2.0)
Look at it! It’s as dark and beautiful as the music of the band named for it.
So yeah, this is absolutely a feature we’re going to explore soonish. I mean, after I finally get finished with La Palma.
But, Dana, What About the Mediterranean?!
Yes, right, we were doing a series on that… and then life, the political mayhem, and too many shiny eruptions happened. I’m afraid I got extremely derailed there.
However, comma, I’m still working on it. I’ve read some books. I’ve purchased many more. I’m laboriously translating a paper on the geothermal baths of Italy from Spanish into English because it’s literally the only (free) source with good and thorough information on them pre-Monte Nuovo that I’ve found. And we’ll be getting back to the Med very, very soon, just so long as no other shiny eruptions yank me away.
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