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You can explain it away in brilliant scientific reasoning but THIS IS NOT GOOD for the public. There is a lot of work to be done here rather than simply repairing the bridge. I do not believe this area is safe for park rangers either.
I’ll explain.
The USA has more than one active National Park right now.
Now, I know any PROPER scientist worth their credentials would never state what I am about to state. But, here we go so hang on to your hat.
We had a major eruption in Hawaii not long ago. With viral videos and the latest gossip about politicians who cares? Me. I really don’t care about viral anything unless it is a strand of RNA gone wild. I don’t really care about the latest gossip about politicians, just the facts, please.
So, not long ago the National Park in Hawaii witnessed an enormous eruption of its volcano that went well outside its “normal” lava flow, caused evacuations, and destroyed homes. That is a pretty big deal I think. So. One wonders, why?
Why would a lazy little volcano so far away from all other volcanoes, in the middle of the Pacific Plate explode like that?
What changed?
Hm?
Ah. The Hot Spot.
See, Hawaii is a chain of islands all sort off lined up in a chain sort of.
Pretty islands, aren’t they?
They are all part of the same underwater mountain range. That mountain range was formed through the processes of volcanization. So. With that comes the understanding there is still a volcano in Hawaii and it is actively building more mountain tops.
What do we know about the Pacific Plate? We know it moves. All Earth’s plates move. They can cause major calamity like tsunamis resultant from earthquakes. So, these tectonic plates are no joke. They are to be taken seriously.
Hawaii is on the verge to adding a new island to the chain and interestingly enough it is very near where the current volcano has caused worry. How can that be? There is still an eruption in Hawaii on occasion. Correct. However. This last eruption shows this volcano is moving off its” Hot Spot” and allowing the new island to grow, erupt through the surface, and spew its own lava down its now visible slopes. Will that occur in this generation’s time on Earth? Probably not.
So, what’s the point?
The point is a major Earth Hot Spot is showing stress. It takes a lot to move a mountain range. If one thinks the stress in this Hot Spot is translating into stress in the mantle layer below Earth’s crust, it would most probably cause pressure at all the vents along Earth’s surface connected to Earth’s mantle. Sort of like having a piece of garden hose with holes to trickle water into a garden. Everything goes along fine until the largest hole becomes blocked. Now the trickle turns into a spurt and the garden may even be ruined.
That water in the hose is Earth’s mantle full of red hot lava. The large hole BECOMING blocked is the Hawaii Hot Spot.
With the Pacific Plate moving and changing its Hot Spot location there is additional pressure in Earth’s mantle. Where does the pressure go? The pressure will seek relief wherever it can find it and that means every volcano that is not significantly blocked will result in concern.
This is where Biscuit Basin comes in.
But, first realize there are many volcanic spots all around the world starting to get hiccups. Yes. Now. Yes. At the same time but within days to a week of each other. That is not coincidence. Neither is the INCREASED activity at Biscuit Basin (this has been a growing set of explosions of geyser water). This is the first time rocks came burping out the geyser. But, these massive burps are becoming more frequent.
Biscuit Basin is a part of the Yellowstone Caldera which massive implosion occurred long before we were here. No. I don’t think the pressure in the mantle will become so great that it will spark another caldera. As I stated the new island is growing and once it has established itself over the hot spot, no worries.
But, what happens until then?
Until Earth’s Hot Spot has established a new Hawaiian Island there will be more burps all the over Earth. Iceland has especially been surprised to find the little coastal town of Grenyavich needed to be quickly evacuated.
There is much to learn at Biscuit Basin. USGS, as well as other interested scientists with their own specialties need to set up a study station there and make Biscuit Basin into a lab of sorts to better understand the increased activity occurring that alarms tourists on a regular basis. Now is the time and most probably can be an indicator location of mantle disturbances that contribute to what is now uncertainty.
A lot has happened in Yellowstone lately. Some due to climate. But, this isn’t about climate, this is about uncertainty of Earth in a different way.
There is no need to rush reconstruction crews into Biscuit to rebuild a walkway that will only end up the same way again. It is time to give Biscuit to scientists. They must have thought it interesting enough to built the walkway in the first place.
This was a close call and no one was hurt. But, that is only because the geyser was able to dissolve the solid rock. Next time, we might not be so lucky and precious people we should have protected, weren’t.
Yellowstone is not a zoo or amusement park.
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