Uh-oh. Yellowstone road melts
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Well if ST Into Darkness is to believed, it's all okay as long as nobody sees him do it.
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For another perspective on the effect of Mt.Toba on ancient humans:
http://anthropology.net/2007/07/06/mount-toba-eruption-ancient-humans-unscathed-study-claims/
The human race has lucky over the past few tens of thousands of years or so. No devastating meteors, no gamma ray bursts (possibly the Ordovician mass extinction was caused by one, but the evidence is not ironclad by any means), no super volcanoes.
But something that devastates, even ends our civilization is not necessarily going to wipe out our species. Right now, I'm more scared about what we're doing to the atmosphere and the oceans.
http://anthropology.net/2007/07/06/mount-toba-eruption-ancient-humans-unscathed-study-claims/
The human race has lucky over the past few tens of thousands of years or so. No devastating meteors, no gamma ray bursts (possibly the Ordovician mass extinction was caused by one, but the evidence is not ironclad by any means), no super volcanoes.
But something that devastates, even ends our civilization is not necessarily going to wipe out our species. Right now, I'm more scared about what we're doing to the atmosphere and the oceans.
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I think it's the mad climatologist in me, but whenever I hear more news about something going dramatically, catastrophically explosive on a global scale, I respond with some variation of "Oh, COOL!" rather than a more sensible "Aw, crap."
In this case, from what I've read about the Yellowstone supervolcano, when it blows it'll blanket the planet in a thin layer of fertile ash for a couple of years. This is likely to ground the majority of air traffic and cool the earth by a few degrees. A lot of plant life is likely to die from lack of sunlight, and breathing problems will be exacerbated from all the dust in the air. We'll also get new mountains and a lot of volcanic activity in that region for several years to come.
But the pyrotechnics will look totally awesome.
In this case, from what I've read about the Yellowstone supervolcano, when it blows it'll blanket the planet in a thin layer of fertile ash for a couple of years. This is likely to ground the majority of air traffic and cool the earth by a few degrees. A lot of plant life is likely to die from lack of sunlight, and breathing problems will be exacerbated from all the dust in the air. We'll also get new mountains and a lot of volcanic activity in that region for several years to come.
But the pyrotechnics will look totally awesome.
I read the Supervolcano trilogy by Harry Turtledove. Good books. Looked at the effects from the POV of individual human lives.
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Oh, don't worry. It will be a slow and painful death. Well worth your time to enjoy the fireworks display.
The prime directive is just the Federation's excuse to watch species go extinct while laughing and eating popcorn.
When I needed a post apocalyptic novella for an anthology for Das Krakenhaus Publishing, I used Yellowstone. If it blows, we can all just wave b-bye.
I just hope the ash cloud from the eruption won't interfere with my front-row view of the massive tsunami from the Canary Islands landslide.
http://news.msn.com/us/hot-spot-yellowstone-road-melts-closing-sites
I like how the story ignores (or does the report just have no clue) any possibility that anything more damaging than has already happend could occur:
So if the thing blows, where would the replacement road have to go? A mile below that point? Two miles?
Optimistic futurists want to know.
Hmm, I seem to recall Kirk fudging on that directive. Can't remember a specific incident, but he was always the loose canon who just happens to roll over the incoming enemy. Just after lacing up his bootstraps.
See, the energy release from the Yellowstone volcano could power our civilization for thousands of years!
...if only we could spread the energy OUT over a thousand years, instead of 4 seconds.
...if only we could spread the energy OUT over a thousand years, instead of 4 seconds.
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Poor Vulcanologist Erik Klemetti. He's been futilely battling Yellowstone hyperbole for years.
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