As a useful tip in a similar vein, I vaguely remember reading somewhere that
the wells went dry in the area around Vesuvius about a day in advance because
of increased pressure underground. It would be great if anyone with domain
knowledge could confirm or debunk.
How to escape from an erupting volcano
41–50 of 50 posts
Re: How to escape from an erupting volcano
#42Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well, most bad Hollywood movies are not scientifically accurate.
Even the good ones are not very scientifically accurate, tbh.
I don't care, as long as none of them challenge the way to escape an exploding volcano involves parkour and beating up/shooting bad guys while doing so.
Re: How to escape from an erupting volcano
#43Earlier quoted context omitted.
I feel a bit the same about other similar hazards. Cities built on flood plains that regularly get washed away. Cities built on volcanic hotspots with regular serious earthquakes. Cities, as you say, in the shadow of active volcanoes. But people always seem to think "it won't happen again."
The airport in Kona on Hawaii is built on a lava flow from Hualalai’s last major eruption about 200 years ago. Hualalai is still considered an active volcano, too. Maybe they’ve got a force field they haven’t told anyone about.
Hawaii has fairly liquid lava, which means that the dissolved gas can escape safely and not build up pressure for a big sudden explosion. Accordingly, while the airport may not be safe, the people should be since they can move away from any incoming lava in time.
The volcanoes with more viscous lava (such as Vesuvius) are much more dangerous in comparison.
Re: How to escape from an erupting volcano
#44As a useful tip in a similar vein, I vaguely remember reading somewhere that the wells went dry in the area around Vesuvius about a day in advance because of increased pressure underground. It would be great if anyone with domain knowledge could confirm or debunk.
I tried researching this and found several websites making this claim, the most reputable of which is a Smithsonian article (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/resurrecting-pompeii-...). None of these articles cite any sources, so I tried a Google Books search and was able to find an excerpt from Pompeii: The Living City which mentions “the wells and springs that had run dry despite a normal fall of rain in the preceding months” in the days preceding the eruption. Both of the authors are academic historians, so it seems like this claim may be accepted history.
Re: How to escape from an erupting volcano
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
The airport in Kona on Hawaii is built on a lava flow from Hualalai’s last major eruption about 200 years ago. Hualalai is still considered an active volcano, too. Maybe they’ve got a force field they haven’t told anyone about.
Hawaii has fairly liquid lava, which means that the dissolved gas can escape safely and not build up pressure for a big sudden explosion. Accordingly, while the airport may not be safe, the people should be since they can move away from any incoming lava in time. The volcanoes with more viscous lava (such as Vesuvius) are much more dangerous in comparison.
Interesting, thanks for the info.
Re: How to escape from an erupting volcano
#46When we went to Sakurajima, an active vulcano island in the Kagoshima prefecture, there were flying rock shelters and tables with evacuation routes in regular intervals, for the local inhabitans to use. This is how a minor eruption looks like & what locals are long used to:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wqxnJQcQXss
(Note the cars below just driving about.)
Smaller eruptions are rather continuous, like this one 5 days ago: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7W2iHDZo1Tg
Re: How to escape from an erupting volcano
#47When we went to Sakurajima, an active vulcano island in the Kagoshima prefecture, there were flying rock shelters and tables with evacuation routes in regular intervals, for the local inhabitans to use. This is how a minor eruption looks like & what locals are long used to: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wqxnJQcQXss (Note the cars below just driving about.) Smaller eruptions are rather continuous, like this one 5 days…
If I lived there and volcanic activity were normal in that way, I wonder if I would actually recognize a stronger eruption and know to leave on time.
Re: How to escape from an erupting volcano
#48When I visited Pompei and Herculaneum my first thought is I couldn't help but to think how stupid humans are for rebuilding those towns in exactly the same place, and even closer to the volcano than the ancient destroyed towns. Farms, I get it -- fertile soil -- but why cities? Did people not learn from the historical records of their time, to draw lines around the boundaries of destruction and not build again within…
The same can (and should) be asked of American cities that regularly get destroyed by hurricanes or floods.
Re: How to escape from an erupting volcano
#49When we went to Sakurajima, an active vulcano island in the Kagoshima prefecture, there were flying rock shelters and tables with evacuation routes in regular intervals, for the local inhabitans to use. This is how a minor eruption looks like & what locals are long used to: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wqxnJQcQXss (Note the cars below just driving about.) Smaller eruptions are rather continuous, like this one 5 days…
I buy green tea from near there. So called "Ariake Sencha / Gyokuro", out of Shibushi maybe 15 to 20km away. Joked to the shop owner about how he could advertise this so much better with a volcano on the bag, instead of just plain white paper bag with black lettering.
It's very good.
Re: How to escape from an erupting volcano
#50When we went to Sakurajima, an active vulcano island in the Kagoshima prefecture, there were flying rock shelters and tables with evacuation routes in regular intervals, for the local inhabitans to use. This is how a minor eruption looks like & what locals are long used to: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wqxnJQcQXss (Note the cars below just driving about.) Smaller eruptions are rather continuous, like this one 5 days…
I buy green tea from near there. So called "Ariake Sencha / Gyokuro", out of Shibushi maybe 15 to 20km away. Joked to the shop owner about how he could advertise this so much better with a volcano on the bag, instead of just plain white paper bag with black lettering. It's very good.
At the Yunohira observatory they were selling "Volcanic Coffee" produced somehow locally, complete with a picture of Sakurajima on the bag. :)