The fuck?!
1. Uh. Every expert quoted (rightly) points out Hawaii’s eruption has NO impact on the (normal, ongoing) risk of an eruption on the west coast.
2. Hawaii isn’t part of the Ring of Fire (& why it has volcanoes anyway leads to drastically different eruptive styles).
1. Uh. Every expert quoted (rightly) points out Hawaii’s eruption has NO impact on the (normal, ongoing) risk of an eruption on the west coast.
2. Hawaii isn’t part of the Ring of Fire (& why it has volcanoes anyway leads to drastically different eruptive styles).
I don’t even know how scientists are supposed to help journalists write good pieces when the writer completely ignores what the people they interviewed said. Like... what?!
The Ring of Fire is a series of subduction zones where oceanic plate is diving under continental plates. Melting near the boundary fuels volcanoes, with magma picking up silica from the overlaying continental plate.
Hawaii is as far as you can get from ANY plate boundary.
Hawaii is as far as you can get from ANY plate boundary.
Hawaii & the Emperor chain are volcanoes fueled by a hot spot. Think of it as a candle in the mantle melting the plate as it slowly drags above it.
The hot spot is melting oceanic plate, which means low silica magmas. This is a huge, huge difference.
The hot spot is melting oceanic plate, which means low silica magmas. This is a huge, huge difference.
Silica content is the be all, end all of volcanoes.
High silica = more viscous & cooler = traps gas = explosive eruptions & steep conical volcanoes.
Low silica = less viscous & hotter = has escapes = effusive eruptions & gentle shield volcanoes.
High silica = more viscous & cooler = traps gas = explosive eruptions & steep conical volcanoes.
Low silica = less viscous & hotter = has escapes = effusive eruptions & gentle shield volcanoes.
Literally the FIRST step in a hazard assessment for a volcano is “What type is it?” defined by the silica content. After that, we figure out activity level & all the other details.
But right from stage 0, “Hey, is this a volcano, y/n?” we split Hawaii from Mt St Helens.
But right from stage 0, “Hey, is this a volcano, y/n?” we split Hawaii from Mt St Helens.
Yes, PNW (including northern California!) has ongoing risk of eruption.
Yes, USGS monitors those volcanoes.
Yes, we should do more prep.
No, no west coast volcanoes are showing signs of increased activity.
No, Hawaii isn’t triggering Mt St Helens, Rainier, Baker, Shasta...
Yes, USGS monitors those volcanoes.
Yes, we should do more prep.
No, no west coast volcanoes are showing signs of increased activity.
No, Hawaii isn’t triggering Mt St Helens, Rainier, Baker, Shasta...
I can roll with EVERYTHING in 2003’s The Core until “They're coming up in a gap between two tectonic plates!"
And then I break because THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS. Different cause, different volcanoes, different hazards. No! Just no!
And then I break because THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS. Different cause, different volcanoes, different hazards. No! Just no!
D’aww, they learned!
New tweet + new headline & lede = revised article is a legitimate “eruptions elsewhere remind people they live on a volcano” piece seizing the moment for disaster prep.
New tweet + new headline & lede = revised article is a legitimate “eruptions elsewhere remind people they live on a volcano” piece seizing the moment for disaster prep.
Writing headlines people click is core to journalism. The best stories have no impact if they aren’t read.
But a headline is a promise that needs to be fulfilled by article. Partly that’s ethics, but pragmatically people don’t share/spread articles that broke trust (clickbait).
But a headline is a promise that needs to be fulfilled by article. Partly that’s ethics, but pragmatically people don’t share/spread articles that broke trust (clickbait).
FAQ: What about Yellowstone?
A: Currently sleeping, Yellowstone is too far from any tectonic boundary to be fed by subduction. It’s a hotspot (like Hawaii) on a continental plate so has silica-rich magma (like Mt St Helens).
A: Currently sleeping, Yellowstone is too far from any tectonic boundary to be fed by subduction. It’s a hotspot (like Hawaii) on a continental plate so has silica-rich magma (like Mt St Helens).
Q: What causes hot spots?
A: TBD. Competing theories are mantle plumes (probable) or plate thinning (less accepted): earthmagazine.org/article/questi…
Q: Can we see mantle plumes feeding hot spots?
A: Maybe; depends how hard you squint at geophysics. Details: nature.com/articles/natur…
A: TBD. Competing theories are mantle plumes (probable) or plate thinning (less accepted): earthmagazine.org/article/questi…
Q: Can we see mantle plumes feeding hot spots?
A: Maybe; depends how hard you squint at geophysics. Details: nature.com/articles/natur…
Q: Do hot spot volcanoes exist in other planets?
A: Maybe! Largest volcano in the solar system looks a lot like Hawaii.
My abandoned pre-landslides PhD research: Could hot spots be thermodynamically stable on timeframes long enough to explain Olympus Mons?
A: Maybe! Largest volcano in the solar system looks a lot like Hawaii.
My abandoned pre-landslides PhD research: Could hot spots be thermodynamically stable on timeframes long enough to explain Olympus Mons?
Q: Mika, you forgot something.
A: ...Mars! Olympus Mons is on Mars.
Olympus Mons is a sheild volcano 27km high, with its over 600km base defined by a 6km tall scarp. The summit caldera is nearly 3km deep & 25km across. It’s a monster!
A: ...Mars! Olympus Mons is on Mars.
Olympus Mons is a sheild volcano 27km high, with its over 600km base defined by a 6km tall scarp. The summit caldera is nearly 3km deep & 25km across. It’s a monster!
Q: How can I remember that Hawaii is NOT part of the Ring of Fire?
A: The Ring of Fire (Mt St Helens, Pinatubo, Mt Fuji) of violent eruptions is a circus ring of fire.
Equally dangerous but totally different is the Emperor/Hawaiian hot spot, a lion leaping through the ring.
A: The Ring of Fire (Mt St Helens, Pinatubo, Mt Fuji) of violent eruptions is a circus ring of fire.
Equally dangerous but totally different is the Emperor/Hawaiian hot spot, a lion leaping through the ring.
Making mistakes is inevitable. The important bit is correcting them.
I have no objections to this framing:
...I don’t like calling out individuals to yell at them for getting science wrong, even if they’re spreading misinformation to large platforms, BUT:
Consider this a subtweet that Hawaii & Krakatoa are NOT the same, SIGH.
Consider this a subtweet that Hawaii & Krakatoa are NOT the same, SIGH.
