Sunday, April 10, 2011

Plate Tectonic Tour: Post #2 (Volcano Explanation)

That was awesome... my cabin at the bottom of the Avachinsky volcano was actually designed to prevent avalanches... no windows, but the outer shell was designed with iron rods... huh. Smart people. Oh, and I don't want to forget about that boat tour on the lake. I sweaaar I saw the biggest fish... actually I don't even think it was a fish... anyways, you saw the two photos I took... my crappy flip camera ran out of battery... I should really consider taking out the Canon 7d... the big boy... to bad it's so expensive I'm scared to use it... ok ok getting off topic again. I feel like I'm abusing my job as a photojournalist but having too much fun... Sooo the main reason I wanted to post this is to explain to you the details of a volcano, and the volcanoes I visited as well. Koryaksky lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, at a point where the Pacific Plate is sliding underneath the Eurasian Plate at about 80 mm/year. A wedge of mantle material lies between the subducting Pacific Plate and the overlying Eurasian Plate is the source of dynamic volcanism over the whole Kamchatka Peninsula. The volcano has probably been active for tens of thousands of years. Geological records indicate that there have been three major eruptions in the last 10,000 years, at 5500 BC, 1950 BC and 1550 BC. These three eruptions seem to have been mainly effusive, generating extensive lava flows. So basically if you divide that by 3, theres about 1 volcanic eruption every 3,300 years? I have no clue, my math is bad... plus, I'll be dead by then so it doesn't even matter... unless I freeze myself, and then defrost myself approximately 3,300 years later... I have no idea, but that probably won't happen plus the rate of volcanic eruptions will change for sure. Nowww I'll tell you how volcanoes are formed. You know what tectonic plates are, right? Since it is related to volcanoes, I'll just say it... my tour guide (who really turned out to be a accomplished and famed scientist that retired) that rented me my awesome (and avalanche-proof) cabin at the bottom of stratovolcano Avachinsky told me this:
"Most volcanoes are formed by the movement oftectonic plates on the surface of the earth. These plates are basically huge pieces of rock that ‘float’ on the mantle (a layer of the earth that is sort-of liquid rock).When a tectonic plate sinks, it sinks down into the mantle and becomes very hot. So hot, in fact, that the rock melts. This molten rock will gradually make its way up to the surface of the earth through a series of cracks. When it reaches the surface of the earth, we refer to it as lava. As layer upon layer of lava builds up, a volcano is formed." Proffesor Sasha Ivan Merabishvili
Anywaysss... I think that did it for now. IT WAS SO AWESOME! And by the way, the captain of my boat tour offered me to go on a helicopter tour on top of volcano Avachinsky to see something very interesting... I took a picture. Let's just say I was more excited the seeing a skate-boarding flying pig with the face of Charlie Sheen. Check it out on my next post.


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