Yellowstone V laketaupo Supervolcano

Forums › Off topic › Yellowstone V laketaupo Supervolcano

cws82us

788 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 23

#71273 7-Nov-2010 19:58

We Hear alot of talk about yellowstone and no talk about Laketaupo Super volcano Why is that. is laketaupo volcano not that deadly us yellow stone?

join Quic and get free sign up when you click my link https://account.quic.nz/refer/250676

corksta

2405 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 382

Trusted

Subscriber

#401454 7-Nov-2010 20:23

If/when Lake Taupo blows again like it blew last time then yes the whole world will be talking about it.

DjShadow

4222 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1322

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#401459 7-Nov-2010 20:34

After a read of this I don't think I would want to be in the central north island when it blows:

http://www.geonet.org.nz/volcano/activity/taupo/about.html

jbard

1377 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 17

#401461 7-Nov-2010 20:35

DjShadow: After a read of this I don't think I would want to be in the central north island when it blows:

http://www.geonet.org.nz/volcano/activity/taupo/about.html

Make that the whole north island

DjShadow

4222 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1322

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#401465 7-Nov-2010 20:39

this is true, I read somewhere one of the super eruptions in the past reached rotorua

robjg63

4161 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1426

Subscriber

#401468 7-Nov-2010 20:45

DjShadow: this is true, I read somewhere one of the super eruptions in the past reached rotorua

I am sure that a geologist friend told me once that there were ash deposits around Auckland that would have been around 5 metres deep. So I think it reached a bit further than Rotorua!

The Wikipedia page is scarey....

"The largest eruption, known as the Oruanui eruption, ejected an estimated 1,170 cubic kilometres of material and caused several hundred square kilometres of surrounding land to collapse and form the caldera."

1,170 cubic KILOMETERS!!!!

"
...

"The 180 eruption was one of the largest in recorded history. The skies and sunsets formed from this eruption were noted by Roman and Chinese observers. Any possible climatic effects of the eruption would have been concentrated on the southern hemisphere due to the southerly position of Lake Taupo.""

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

jbard

1377 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 17

#401469 7-Nov-2010 20:52

DjShadow: this is true, I read somewhere one of the super eruptions in the past reached rotorua

I have a book on this and the last eruption put a thin layer of ash on the chatams as the wind carried it, and most of the north island was covered. south island escaped almost unharmed though.

Dell

Shop now for Dell laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

cws82us

788 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 23

#401474 7-Nov-2010 21:07

Can is blow ones more? How lucky or how soon cano it blow? Will Yellowstone blow before Lake taupo or we do not know. I see moves out for yellowstone and more info on yellow stone when lake taupo why is that. are they trying to hide something from Lake taupo. or its more luckly the yellow stone will blow. Very soon?

join Quic and get free sign up when you click my link https://account.quic.nz/refer/250676

MauriceWinn

141 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 6

Trusted

#406200 18-Nov-2010 09:57

There is about a 1 in 10 chance of a Taupo caldera eruption in the lifetime of people living there now [say about 70 years].

That is worse odds than I am willing to accept, but I have been willing to stay overnight in Taupo if they aren't getting flurries of earthquakes and it's not a spring tide with low lake levels.

Eruptions happen when the pressure is off the top which happens when it's spring tide [sun and moon aligned to lift the load off the superheated gases/liquids lurking in the column leading down to the magma collection. Also, with lake level at a low, and with a low air pressure system passing by, that's perfect conditions if the volcano is primed and ready to go.

It is not like the Auckland basaltic eruptions which are big blobs of magma without much gas to propel it skywards. In Auckland, there is lots of rumbling and shaking as the magma gradually floats to the surface and starts doing a pretty fountain of red hot lava with some gas to give it a bit of lift and noise. The phreatic volcanoes around the edge of the harbours are not so gentle but fortunately less than a kilometre across.

It is totally different in the Taupo column of magma and liquids/gases.

Taupo eruptions work in a similar way to a geyser. The pressure from above keeps gases in liquid phase or highly compressed depending on the pressure and temperature of the particular location in the column. As the pressure is released on top, or the pressure increases from the bottom due to more subduction of more organic material from the ocean crust flowing into the eruption chamber, the balance of forces moves in favour of going up instead of staying in situ.

As the water is pushed off the lake surface as the lake bed is pushed up the pressure is further released and liquids start turning to gas [with the huge increased volume] and like a geyser, the column starts moving up, and as the pressure is increasingly released, the column starts being propelled upwards as gases continue to form from liquids and in minutes rather than hours the whole 1000km3 column of frothing magma and liquids turning to gases and burning in air [with explosive force] is roaring upwards in a stupendously huge column of pumice [note the gas bubbles in pumice which form from what was liquids], burning hydrocarbons and expanding gases [water, carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons not to mention some nasty sulphurous compounds].

Meanwhile, the government makes sure everyone living in Taupo is wearing their crash helmets and strictly obeying arbitrary rules and getting their building permits for a chicken coop. We can't be too safe you know.

Thank goodness for Helengrad keeping us all safe in our leaky homes and living inside a caldera with government building standards [which you can be sure will not resist megatons of hot pumice].

As a huge river of molten goop flows down the Waikato river valley [as it did previously to form Hinuera stone] life north of the central north island will decline. Huntly power station will stop working [even if it isn't actually reached by the molten lava] as will all the electricity flowing north [the Waikato river dams will be buried and the high voltage pylons will be skittled]. Auckland will be reduced to Southdown, Otahuhu, Rosedale rubbish dump and East Tamaki rubbish dump electricity supplies, along with emergency generators at various premises and Marsden power station could be brought back into service. The NZ$ would be looking sad as would farming and forestry exports from the Waikato and Bay of Plenty. Life would be different and not necessarily better.

kiwitrc

4123 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 833
Inactive user

#406213 18-Nov-2010 10:36

MauriceWinn: There is about a 1 in 10 chance of a Taupo caldera eruption in the lifetime of people living there now [say about 70 years].

A mate who knows someone who sleeps with the sister of a geologist told me its happening next Tuesday.

MauriceWinn

141 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 6

Trusted

#406225 18-Nov-2010 11:07

Next Tuesday eh? What time? I'll go and watch.

kiwitrc

4123 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 833
Inactive user

#406227 18-Nov-2010 11:14

MauriceWinn: Next Tuesday eh? What time? I'll go and watch.

Watch what, my mate and the geologists sister or the eruption?

Geekzone support

Support Geekzone with one-off or recurring donations Donate via PressPatron.

oxnsox

1923 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 138

#406243 18-Nov-2010 12:24

...(edit)....
Eruptions happen when the pressure is off the top which happens when it's spring tide [sun and moon aligned to lift the load off the superheated gases/liquids lurking in the column leading down to the magma collection. Also, with lake level at a low, and with a low air pressure system passing by, that's perfect conditions if the volcano is primed and ready to go.

yeah... but... thats all pretty predictable really, so you would get plenty of notice to put the hard hats on the chooks and some food out for the moggy before you went to stay with you relatives in Rotovagas.

Soo who'd want to live in the N.I. anyway what with all the Volcanoes and random calculability of some type of volcanic or thermal geological event.... Not a lot of chance of that down in the South who have blown all their volcanoes to extinction. Things are a lot more stable down there (whys that light swinging?).

Oh and as to why the hype about Yellowstone rather than Taupo.... I suspect the answer is as simple as Taupo is not in America (although there's bound to be some evidence of it somewhere if they go back about 1800years).

Asmodeus

1015 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 39

#406249 18-Nov-2010 13:08

One of the reasons you hear more about Yellowstone is it is in the USA...

Also, I believe there is ground swelling and the like occuring in the region which could indicate that it is more active than Taupo.

If (sorry, when) Taupo goes again, there will be A LOT of warning signs which would develop over a long period, it doesn't just go like a champagne cork (not without warning anyway...) That said, you can't move towns and cities...

MauriceWinn

141 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 6

Trusted

#406283 18-Nov-2010 15:13

Geysers and other liquid to gas phase change flows don't give a lot of warning. Similarly, an exploding LPG tank in a fire doesn't rumble for a while. The pressure builds, then a bleve forms.

When the pressure is sufficient to "pop the cork", it is a bang, not a flow.

A "bleve" is a boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion.

Pumice eruptions are not like your garden variety Ruapehu, Rangitoto or Hawaiian cute little eruptions.

Warnings do not include lots of rumbling for big bangs. Warnings are brief to nil. There have been ongoing warnings over decades at Taupo as rumblings continue as liquids move into position.

Those who think they will get lots of warning to leave town as well as all the warnings that have been given over decades are welcome to live there. I'll stay well clear. There should be some cheap lake-front property available after the event.

Similarly, after the houses built on sand and flat land all along the east coast, with great ocean views, have been removed by tsunami there should be plenty of bargain properties for sale.