ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
DEFINITION
PLATE TECTONICS
FAULT LINES
EARTHQUAKE
MAGMA
GETTING THE DRIFT
CITIES BUILT ON FAULT LINES
MANMADE
ANCIENT
6TH MASS EXTINCTION
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
CONCLUSION
ABSTRACT
This paper is situate within the
context of an interrogation of the naturalness of volcano. Naturalness in the
sense that the occurrence of a volcano involves natural dynamics and materials
only, without the involvement of man. The working definition of nature for this
post contrasts nature with that which is manmade. From evolution perspective, the
past five mass extinctions were characterized and caused solely by natural
disasters including volcanic eruptions. Apparently the volcanic eruptions were
caused solely by natural factors because man was not around then. Apologists of
mass extinctions themselves agree that the ongoing mass extinction, which is
the sixth mass extinction or Holocene, is driven by man. However, such
disasters are still described as natural disasters. So, between man and nature,
is nature on a course of self-destruct or is it man who is causing the natural
disasters like volcanos, as it is occurring in Hawaii now (and continuously
active since 1983)?
Hawaii as the 50th state of
the United States of America has been experiencing volcanic eruptions through
May, June and July, 2018 continuously- specifically the Big Island. The state
of Hawaii itself is formed and shaped by the activities of volcano, according
to geologists. This paper is therefore using the state of Hawaii, placed in the
Ring of Fire, as an example, to interrogate the widely held idea that volcano
is a naturally occurring disaster. The Ring of Fire, located in the Pacific
Ocean, is where most of the Earth’s earthquakes take place.
The paper defines volcano, and goes on
to analyze and examine the definition, main component by main component, to
attempt to make clear the process and dynamics of the phenomenon of volcano.
This post looks at volcano as the effect of a cause. And in identifying the
cause one should know whether it is of natural origin or otherwise. The post
looks at main components like magma, earthquake, fault lines and plate
tectonics.
The fault lines crisscross the crust
of planet Earth in their millions. These fault lines are pathways for volcanic
eruptions. Many of the fantastic highrise cities you see around the world are
built on fault lines, making the architectural foundation of our civilization
very vulnerable.
Before science became the spearhead of
the quest into the mysteries of nature, the ancients had their way of
containing these mysteries. Science deals with the processes of effect, while
the ancients try to deal with the substance of the cause. While the ancient
would say right away that a volcano is a punishment for the breaking of a law
of nature or even a spiritual law by man, science will refer to certain
strains, stresses and pressures in the womb of planet Earth leading to a
volcano. Attributing cause to activities of man jolts man to relook at their
activities. However, in our time of global warming and climate change, scientific
linkage between “natural” disasters like volcano to the activities of man is
gaining prominence and critical importance; something the ancients knew long
ago!
The causes of the disasters have been
examined through the eyes of science, religion, myth, evolution, and legend
etc. to as much as possible cover all angles. The examination points to
worrying causes other than things natural- manmade activities and their linkage
to the so called natural disasters, including volcano! Worrying as the causes
are, at least the time- tested principle of destruction and rebirth may give
man hope of a promising future!
INTRODUCTION
Hawaii is the newest and 50th
state of the United States of America. Hawaii was integrated into the United
States statehood on August 21, 1959. The capital of Hawaii is Honolulu. Of all
the states of the United States, Hawaii is the only island archipelago, in its
entirety. Hawaii State is located in the central Pacific Ocean, southeast of
Japan, specifically Polynesia.
Hawaii State is made up of eight main
islands. The islands are the tops of a chain of submerged volcanic mountains. The
names of the eight main islands are Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Niihau
and Kahoolawe. Hawaii, also known as Big Island, is the recently formed of the
Hawaii’s islands, and therefore still volcanically active. Kilauea is one of
the active volcanoes. The Big Island is formed from five volcanoes. The five
volcanoes are Kohala (dormant), Mauna Kea (dormant), Hualālai (active), Mauna Loa (active) and Kilauea
(active).
The Hilina Slump, is one of the landslides
in Hawaii, on the south slope of Kilauea. The Hilina Slump is slipping from
Kilauea Volcano. According to Wikipedia, GPS measurements between 1990 and 1993
showed a slipping of four inches per year.
May, 2018 was characterized by
earthquakes in Hawaii Island (Big Island). On May 3 a volcano erupted after a
5.0 earthquake leading to the evacuation of some places- Leilala Estates and Lanipuna
Gardens. Because of the volcano eruptions the evacuated places became
uninhabitable. On the following day, May 4 it suffered a 5.3 and 6.9
earthquakes again.
Earthquakes precede volcanoes.
Wherever there has been an earthquake, with or without volcano, affected places
become uninhabitable based on the severity and spatial extent of the earthquake,
hence the evacuation of the Leilala Estates and Lanipuna Gardens.
Hawaii
as the 50th state of the United States of America, is a state and
island archipelago molded, shaped and formed by volcanoes, with the process
ongoing. A conjecture, therefore, is that Hawaii State could lose or gain above
sea-level landmass. I am using Hawaii State more or less as an example because
of the May 2018, or rather the current volcano attacks it has been
experiencing, as volcano activities is ongoing, and to question the concept
that volcano is a naturally occurring disaster.DEFINITION
National Geographic defines volcano as:
“an opening in the Earth’s crust that allows molten rock from beneath the crust
to reach the surface. This molten rock is called magna when it is beneath the
surface and lava when it erupts or flows from a volcano. Along with lava volcanoes
also release gases, ash, and rock. It’s a super hot mix that can be both incredibly
destructive and creative”.
Wikipedia defines volcano as: a
rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot
lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magna chamber below the surface.
From the definitions one can notice
two key phrases. The two key phrases are “opening in the Earth’s crust” and “a
rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth”. Sometimes opening
and rupture are interchangeably described as fissure, crack or break. The break
must occur in the crust of planet Earth. We must concern ourselves with planet Earth
because it is our residence, and, perhaps volcano is forewarning that our
tenancy is up! Why? Perhaps we are not living up to the tenancy agreement!
I was implying that volcano is
characterized by a break in the crust of planet Earth followed by outflow of
molten rock. The crust of planet Earth is one main part of the planet. The
other two main parts are the mantle and the core. The crust is the outer hard part
of planet Earth where earthlings stand on, walk on, and run over. After the
crust comes the mantle. After the mantle, at the center of the Earth is the
core- very hot core. The core has two parts- the inner core and the outer core.
The inner core is at the very center of the planet we call home. The parts of
planet Earth may be liken to avocado fruit. The fruit has three main parts too.
The outer part is called skin (exocarp). After the skin comes the flesh
(mesocarp). Then at the center is the seed.
PLATE TECTONICS
Why should Earth experience volcanoes?
When volcano occurs it upsets the natural environment. When volcano occurs it
makes the Earth uninhabitable. Hawaii though a volcano (island), when the May
volcanic eruptions occurred people in Leilala Estates and Lanipuna Gardens were
asked to evacuate. It is not only Hawaii that experiences volcanic eruptions,
they are happening in other parts of the world as well. Should a destructive
thing such as volcano be natural? Should volcano which rattles planet Earth
rendering it uninhabitable, depending on extent of rattle, be a natural
phenomenon?
One cannot talk about volcano without
referring to a key theory called plate tectonics. The following is what Encyclopædia Britannica has to say about plate
tectonics: “…..theory dealing with the dynamics of Earth’s outer shell- the
lithosphere- which revolutionized Earth Sciences by providing a uniform context
for understanding mountain-building processes, volcanoes and earthquakes as
well as the evolution of the Earth’s surface and reconstructing its past
continents and oceans”.
The crust and the upper part of the
mantle, together form the lithosphere. The plate tectonics theory says the
lithosphere is about 60 miles (100 km) thick and overlies a partially molten layer
called asthenosphere (lower part of the mantle). According the theory the
lithosphere is divided into seven large continental- and ocean-sized plates, about
seven medium sized regional plates, and several other small plates. The plates, says the theory, move in relation
to each other, normally at 2 to 4 inches (5- 10 cm.) yearly. As the plates move
interactions take place along the boundaries, the interactions may be convergence
(collide/override), divergence (move apart) or a slip past each other
(transform). By the way some refer to the plates as slabs. The theory goes on
to say that it is thought these interactions are responsible for Earth’s
seismic and volcanic
activities, though earthquakes and volcanoes are capable of occurring inside
plates. As indicated, for volcano to
take place there must be a break in the crust of the Earth for magma to flow
through to the surface. I will say more on magma in due course.
The convergence of plates can cause
mountains to rise. The divergence of plates can cause continents to crack and
oceans form. Plates are in constant motion as they slide on the lower mantle. The
following is a table of the major plates of planet Earth:
|
NO
|
NAME
|
LOCATION
|
SIZE
(SQ. KM.)
|
REMARK
|
|
01
|
Pacific Plate
|
Pacific Ocean
|
103,300,000
|
Where Ring of Fire
Is located
Hawaii sits in the
middle of the
Plate
|
|
02
|
North American Plate
|
North America and Iceland
|
75,900,000
|
Formation of Mid-
Atlantic Ridge
under the Atlantic
Ocean
|
|
03
|
Eurasian Plate
|
Europe and Asia
|
67,800,000
|
Himalayan
Mountains formed as a result of
collision
between Eurasian
Plate and the
Indian Plate
|
|
04
|
African Plate
|
Africa, Indian and Atlantic
Oceans and Sicily (Italy)
|
61,300,000
|
Plate separating
at the Rift Valley
(Red Sea to Kenya)
|
|
05
|
Antarctic Plate
|
Entire continent of
Antarctica and nearby
oceans
|
60,900,000
|
World’s
Southernmost
plate
|
|
06
|
Indo-Australian Plate
|
India and Australia
|
58,900,000
|
Plate formed out
of merger of India
and Australia
|
|
07
|
South American Plate
|
South America and
surrounding Atlantic
Ocean
|
43,600,000
|
Plate activities
contribute to the
heightening of the
Andes Mountains
|
FAULT LINES
In the previous section I indicated
that plates have boundaries which are cracks in the Earth’s crust. So, for
example each continental plate has boundaries. But, plate boundaries are not
the only cracks in the crust of planet Earth. There is another kind of crack
called fault line. It is said that all plate boundaries are fault lines, but
not all fault lines are plate boundaries. There are intraplate fault lines. If
you add the fault lines to plate boundaries then you should begin to imagine
what a fractured planet you and I call home! A fault line could be as long as
5000 kilometers! Fault lines also provide pathways for magma. The following are
some (just tip of iceberg) fault lines in the crust of the Earth:
|
NO
|
NAME
|
AREA
|
LENGTH
(Kilometer)
|
|
01
|
Aedipsos- Kandili Fault
|
North Euboean Gulf, Greece
(Europe)
|
60
|
|
02
|
Alaska- Aleutian Megathrust
|
Kamchatka, Russia to Gulf of
Alaska (Europe/North America/
Asia)
|
3600
|
|
03
|
Alpine Fault
|
South Island, New Zealand
(Asia)
|
1400
|
|
04
|
Atacama Fault
|
Atacama Desert, Chile (South
America)
|
800
|
|
05
|
Azores- Gibraltar Transform
Fault
|
Azores to Strait of Gibraltar
(Europe/Africa)
|
2250
|
|
06
|
Central African Shear Zone
|
Central Africa (Africa)
|
4000
|
|
07
|
Chile Subduction Zone
|
West Coast of Chile (South
America)
|
3000
|
|
08
|
San Andreas Fault System
|
California, USA (North America)
|
1300
|
|
09
|
Sunda Subduction
Megathrust
|
South East Asia (Asia)
|
5000
|
|
10
|
Septentrional- Orient Fault
Zone
|
Caribbean (North America)
|
|
EARTHQUAKE
This is what Bruce A. Bolt, Professor
Emeritus of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley,
has to say about Earthquake: “Earthquake, any sudden shaking of the ground caused by
the passage of seismic
waves through Earth’s rocks. Seismic waves are produced when some form of
energy stored in Earth’s crust is suddenly released, usually when masses of
rock straining against one another suddenly fracture and slip. Earthquakes
occur most often along geologic faults, narrow zones where rock masses move in
relation to one another. The major fault lines of the world are located at the
fringes of the huge tectonic plates that make up Earth’s crust”.
According to Professor Bolt seismic
wave is produced when “some form of energy stored in the Earth’s crust is
suddenly released…” The use of the word “some” in connection with the form of
energy under reference tells me the form of energy is not known for sure. Apart
from earthquakes, seismic waves occur during volcanic eruptions, magma
movement, large landslides and large manmade explosions. Many a time
earthquakes pave the way for volcanoes to occur.
MAGMA
Out of magma comes lava. Magma, as
indicated, is located in the lithosphere of planet Earth. When magma appears on
the surface of the crust through a break in the crust, as a red hot, sometimes,
explosive stuff. The red hot magma becomes lava. It is out of this phenomenon
that the American State of Hawaii was formed and shaped. Even as I type this
paper one of the active volcanoes of the island of Hawaii I have referred to
earlier, Kilauea volcano, is spewing out lava, and for a while now. Magma is
molten rock formed out of rock in the lithosphere (originates in the upper mantle).
In this same lithosphere are plates (tectonics). In referring to magma as
molten rock, I mean it is rock that has melted into liquid by heating.
Let me get a little technical, with a
National Geographic Encyclopedic definition of magna, slightly paraphrased, as
follows:
Magma is a molten and semi-molten rock
mixture found under the surface of the Earth. This mixture is usually made up
of four parts:
A hot liquid base called melt;
Minerals crystallized by the melt;
Solid rocks incorporated into the melt
by surrounding confines;
And dissolved gasses.
How is magna which turns into lava
formed? So far we know that magna is rock from the mantle of the Earth
liquefied. The rock liquefies under pressure and temperature. Differences in
temperature, pressure and structural features in the crust and mantle of the
Earth cause magma to form. The Earth’s mantle move upwards to areas of lower
pressure by transfer of heat to melt rock in the mantle to form magma. Magma
can be as hot as between 700⁰ and 1300⁰ Celsius (1292⁰ and 2372⁰ Fahrenheit)
according to https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/magma/. This
magma so formed can escape through an extrusion, that is, a rise through the
crust of the Earth to form lava. When lava solidifies it becomes igneous rock.
But lava is a destructive force, as is happening in Hawaii Island currently.
Magma has chambers in the Earth’s mantle where magma is stored.
I mentioned the term extrusion in the
foregoing paragraph, I should like to give a geological science definition
extracted from https://www.thefreedictionary.com/extrusion here so
as to get a clearer picture of how magna leaves the belly of the Earth and end
up on its surface. In the free dictionary extrusion is defined as “the movement
of magma onto the surface of the earth through volcano craters and cracks in
the earth’s crust, forming igneous rock”. Fault lines are cracks. Plate
boundaries are cracks. Those are the pathways by which Gaia (planet Earth)
pukes magma onto its surface.
GETTING THE DRIFT
I have given definitions for volcano,
and followed it with its analysis, taking it by main components. I have taken
this direction so as to share with you the role each component plays in the
process and eruption of volcano, and more importantly to facilitate the
interrogation of volcano as a natural occurrence. For a volcano to occur the
crust of the Earth must break. For the crust of the Earth to break, slabs in
the lithosphere (crust and upper mantle) must move, and based on the type of
movement that occurs, there should be a break in the crust of the Earth. Remember
I have indicated that there are three types of slab movements. The breaks or
cracks that occur due to movements of slabs (plate tectonics) become the
pathways for magna to flow out of the belly (mantle) of the Earth to the
surface of the crust of the Earth to form igneous rock (basalt). These cracks
crisscross this rock (Earth) you and I, as humans, float on!
You may be wondering how Earth
scientists get to know what is going on inside the belly of the Earth and the
resultant manifestations on the surface of the Earth. In some ways they use
that which is manifested to determine that which is hidden, in that man cannot
physically reach the belly of the Earth. Earth scientists get the inside
information through observations of the shape and features of the surface the
Earth, observations of underwater floors, observations of rock brought to the
surface by volcanoes, analysis of seismic waves, simulations etc.
In the next section is a table of some
cities of the planet built on the cracks crisscrossing the crust of the Earth.
Earthquakes for that matter volcanoes typically occur along the cracks that
crisscross the crust of our planet. The significance of the table is to show
you how endangered our habitat may be!
CITIES BUILT ON FAULT LINES
In putting this section together, I
had no idea of the number of fault lines that crisscross planet Earth. But, I
had to know it. Through research (https://www.quora.com/How-many-fault-lines-are-there-in-the-world ) I found
out that nobody knows for sure the number of fault lines we have sited our
civilization on! However, what is known for sure is that fault lines run into
millions, crisscrossing the crust of the Earth! Yet, there are fault lines that
are discovered only when there is a break. The fault lines occur when rocks
break in response to stress and dynamics within them. So there are many fault
lines through which magma could potentially escape to the surface of the crust.
What if there was a simultaneous ejection of magma through them? In view of
what I have said the list that follows should in deed be the tip of the
iceberg:
|
NO
|
CITY
|
PLATE
BOUNDARY/FAULT LINE/FAULT
|
POPULATION
METRO.
AREA
2015
|
COUNTRY
|
CONTINENT
|
|
01
|
San
Francisco,
California
|
Saint
Andreas Fault
|
|
United
States of
America
|
North
America
|
|
02
|
Tokyo
|
Tachikawa
Fault
Tokai
Fault Line
Japan
Medium
Fault
Line
Pacific
tectonic
plate
|
35,682,460
|
Japan
|
|
|
03
|
Istanbul
|
North
Anatolian
Fault
|
14,377,019
|
Turkey
|
Asia
|
|
04
|
Seattle,
Washington
|
North
American
Plate
Pacific
Plate
Juan
de Fuca Plate
|
|
United
States of
America
|
North
America
|
|
05
|
Manila
|
Marikina
Valley
Fault
System
|
11,855,975
|
Philippines
|
Asia
|
|
06
|
Tehran
|
Tehran
Fault
Rey
Fault
Mosha
Fault
|
12,183,391
|
Iran
|
Asia
|
|
07
|
Los
Angeles,
California
|
Newport-Inglewood
Fault
Hollywood
Fault
Whittier
Fault
|
13,131,431
|
United
States of America
|
North
America
|
|
08
|
Osaka
|
Uemachi
Fault
Group:
Butsunenjiyama
Fault
Uemachi
Fault
Nagai
Fault
|
19,341,976
|
Japan
|
Asia
|
|
09
|
Jakarta
|
More
than 10 fault
lines
run under city,
according
to
geologist
Lambok
Hutasoit
|
30,326,103
|
Indonesia
|
Asia
|
MANMADE
Volcano like earthquake, flood, storm,
drought etc. is normally regarded as a natural disaster. However, there are
activities outside of nature which lead or contribute to those so called
natural disasters. These activities are triggered by, and therefore, attributable
to man. The argument has been divisive, even among cutting edge scientists in
this area of research, whether such disasters are caused by the forces within
nature or whether they are externally triggered by man.
Let me give a definition of the term nature
so as to give a clearer insight into the issue, and to define its context. The
definition is a definition from collinsdictionary.com. It defines nature thus:
Nature is all the animals, plants and other things in the world that are not
made by people, and all the events and processes that are not caused by people.
So, is it nature that is destroying
itself, or is it man that is destroying nature?
Against the foregoing backdrop I am
picking thoughts from some scientists from an article written by Professor
Emeritus Bill McGuire, Geophysical and Climate Hazards, UCL. The article dated October
16, 2016 appeared in the Guardian. The article was headed: “How climate change triggers earthquakes,
tsunamis and volcanoes”.
Two such pickings follow:
“Volcanologist Hugh Tuffen, of Lancaster University, is worried about the
stability of the more than 10% of active volcanoes that are ice-covered. He
says that “climate change is driving rapid melting of ice on many volcanoes
worldwide, triggering unloading as ice is removed. As well as encouraging magma
to rise to the surface, leading to increased volcanic activity, removal of ice
can also destabilise steep volcano flanks, making hazardous landslides more
likely.””
“Freysteinn Sigmundsson of the Nordic Volcanological Centre observes that
the centre of Iceland is now rising by more than three centimetres a year in
response to shrinking glaciers. Studies undertaken by Sigmundsson and his
colleagues forecast that the reduced pressures that result will lead to the formation
of significant volumes of new magma deep under Iceland.”
Professor Emeritus Bill McGuire gave
the following bottom line to his article: “The bottom line in all of this is that as climate
change tightens its grip, we should certainly contemplate more and bigger
Hurricane Matthews. However, when it comes to the manifold hazardous by-blows
of an overheating planet, and especially those involving the ground we stand
on, we must also be prepared to expect the unexpected.”
You may be asking yourself how you are connected, causatively, to a so
called natural disaster like volcano. Let me ask you the following questions as
a way of determining how you are connected to such a disaster. Do you drive a
car? Do you take taxis? Do you use coal-generated power? Do you use a
refrigerator that is not energy efficient? Do you cut trees to use as firewood?
Do you use gas in cooking?
These are some of the practical activities of man which generate the
greenhouse gases that are trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere. The trapped greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere are the cause of the overheated, and overheating Earth.
The overheating (global warming) is bringing about changes in climate (climate
change), with accompanying so called natural disasters. This is how you and I
are contributing to the incidence of a volcano, for example, which should be a
manmade disaster! It is man’s violation of law- laws of nature! There are also
fracking, underground blasts and use of chemicals in mining.
The following are some of the heat-causing greenhouse gases man emits into
the atmosphere by their activities:
Carbon dioxide
Methane
Nitrous oxide
Hydrofluorocarbons
Perfluorocarbons
Sulfur hexafluoride
ANCIENT
What about times of old when volcanoes were occurring, were they natural? What about times when there was no manmade global
warming to cause so called natural disasters? In those days people generally attribute
natural disasters, including volcanoes, to supernatural forces (gods or God). A
volcano may be viewed as the effect of a fight between the gods. In other
instances natural disasters are viewed as punishment from God for infraction of
laws (laws of nature or even spiritual laws, or both). The emergence and
maintenance of science as the vanguard of human civilization and the
explanation of natural disasters through it has not toppled such beliefs though.
Geologist Patrick Nunn, a professor of the University of the Sunshine Coast,
Queensland, Australia had this to say about ancient beliefs (http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150318-why-volcano-myths-are-true):
“After 30 years of research in the geosciences
I believe that the analysis of myths is hugely important,” Nunn says. “It can
help bridge the gap between geological theory and human history and lead to
scientific insights.”
There is this story about Atlantis. The story was written by Plato in 395
BC. Plato was a Greek (Athenian) Philosopher, his life spanning 427 B.C. to 347
B.C. According to the story Atlantis was a prosperous kingdom. The kingdom at
the height of her prosperity was wiped off the face of the Earth, sinking into
the ocean completely. The gods were so angry with the people of the kingdom
because of their moral decadence. The agency through which the kingdom was
wiped off the face of the Earth was fire and earthquakes (looks like
volcanoes). Please note the connection
between the moral (spiritual) offence and physical punishment!
The Atlantis story has astonishingly generated controversy to date. There
are those who believe the story is a myth, and there are those who believe the
story is real. An incident that is similar to the Atlantis story was a volcanic
eruption of the island of Santorini in the Aegean Sea near Greece nearly 3600
years ago.
Several studies
support the theory that the volcanic disaster of Plato's story of Atlantis
relates to the Santorini eruption. “And once archeologists began to dig on
Santorini they looked to the legend as a form of validation of what they were
finding,” says John Dvorak, a geoscientist at the University of Hawaii, US- http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150318-why-volcano-myths-are-true.
In Hawaii, whose morphology is ongoing due to activity of volcanoes as
indicated, there are stories about volcanoes too. The most outstanding one is
about the godess called Pele. And in Hawaii it was a fight between goddesses
(sisters) that caused volcanic eruptions. It was a romance gone sour. Pele is
widely recognized as the goddess of volcano and fire, in Hawaii (Big Island).
She had a fight with her sister (Hi’iaka) over a man (Lohi’au). As a result of
that fight Pele spewed fire to burn a forest that was dear to the heart of her sister.
The sister as a retaliation, dug up rocks into the air. There are many versions
of the Pele story, but the substance of the stories is a fight between sisters
over a man, generating and resulting in the spewing of lava and rocks
(volcano). To date, when there is a volcano in Hawaii as is happening now
(April, May, June and July, 2018), it is assumed the gods (or rather goddesses)
are angry.
Modern interpretation of that story is that the fire spewed by Pele and the
retaliatory rocks dug by her sister constitute a volcano spewing lava and
rocks! And it is tied to a real volcanic event that occurred some time ago.
Today, in Hawaii, some are of the opinion that volcanic eruption is a
punishment from the gods, in spite of advancement made in science.
Let us continue with the Bible, in the bible let us go to Genesis chapter 6
verses 5-6 (King James Version): “And God saw that the wickedness of man
was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart
was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the
earth, and it grieved him at his heart”
But God did not stop there. What
did He do then? The answer is in Genesis chapter 6 verse 7: “And the Lord said,
I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man,
and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth
me that I have made them.”
How did God destroy that which He
has created? How God did it could be found in Genesis chapter 6 verse 17 thus:
“And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy
all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing
that is in the earth shall die.’
God was in conversation with Noah
through whom He preserved humanity to date! God preserved humanity as such from
flood. Here, again, it is made clear that the disaster is the effect of a
cause! The cause being the breaking of law of God by man, and the effect being
the so called natural disaster- flood (volcano, storm etc.) administered by God
for the breakage!
Those stories, call them myths,
legends or religion, they are more real than you think! Even scientists, and
modern ones at that, recognize it is weightier than previously regarded, as
hinted in this post. Science has hitherto looked down upon them, but the need
for a two-prong approach to the fate of mankind, given the current circumstance
of planet Earth, is being made manifest.
In the next section I am going to
paint a picture of the effect of the cause of negligence of the laws that keep
nature in equilibrium through the eyes of evolution. Negligence by man, of
course. In other words the state of decadence of the natural environment, on
the watch of man! Can the natural environment be said to be clean and balanced?
SIXTH MASS EXTINCTION
The sixth mass extinction shows the
impact of human activity in the extinction of species in the natural
environment, and thus evolution dimension to the activities of man in impacting
the natural environment negatively, resulting directly or indirectly or both to
volcanic eruptions. It gives a hint of the scope of the activities of man
driving the sixth extinction. Extinction of species does impact negatively the equilibrium
of the natural environment.
A sixth mass extinction presupposes
past five mass extinctions. Indeed there were five pass extinctions by
evolution reckoning. The five passed extinctions are:
END- ORDOVICIAN- 443 MILLION YEARS AGO
A severe ice age wiping out 60-70% of
all species, then ocean dwellers.
LATE DEVONIAN- c 360 MILLION YEARS AGO
A climate change event eradicating 70%
of species including almost all corals
PERMIAN- TRIASSIC- c 250 MILLION YEARS
AGO
More than 95% of species died, and
attributed to volcanic eruptions in Siberia, causing global warming
TRIASSIC- JURASSIC- c 200 MILLION
YEARS AGO
Three quarters of species lost due to
suspected volcanic eruptions
CRETACEOUS- TERTIARY- 65 MILLION YEARS
AGO
A giant asteroid impacting Mexico,
after volcanic eruptions in now India, put paid to dinosaurs and ammonites,
giving advantage to mammals and eventually humans
A mass extinction is, and that which
follows is a Dictionary.com definition: The extinction of a large number of
species within a relatively short period of geological time, thought to be due
to factors such as a catastrophic global event or widespread environmental
change that occurs too rapidly for most species to adapt.
Have you noticed a common trend
running through the past five extinctions? What I have noticed is that the past
five mass extinctions were caused by catastrophic events changing the chemistry
of the environment, without an intelligent force behind it! However, with the
sixth mass extinction (Holocene extinction), the activities of intelligent
human beings are behind the catastrophic events that are immediately bringing
about the ongoing sixth mass extinction. When man, a living thing of superior
intelligence, came onto the scene, they also could not but succumb to causation
of a mass extinction- the ongoing sixth mass extinction!
The logical question I ask is: What is
it with planet Earth that it continues to suffer these mass extinctions, and
when will it stop for planet Earth to come into its own? A planet Earth teeming
with activities, in a permanent equilibrium.
If mass extinction is the lot of
planet Earth then it stands to reason that planet Earth is a death trap,
machine and chamber for species! If mass extinction is the lot of planet Earth
then planet Earth is not stable! If mass extinction is the lot of planet Earth
then planet Earth is like a chronically unstable child who throws tantrum every
now and then, without a promising future. Therefrom, if mass extinction is the
lot of planet Earth then planet Earth has no future!
You know what? Personally, I am
inclined to think that the past five mass extinctions are characteristics of,
and may have been deduced from the decadence of the angel civilization which preceded
the ongoing human civilization! More of that later. But for now more on the
ongoing mass extinction.
The Guardian in an article dated 10th
July, 2017, and headed Earth’s Sixth Mass Extinction Event Underway, Scientists
warned, shed light on the issue (ongoing extinction).
“Scientists
analysed both common and rare species and found billions of regional or local
populations have been lost. They blame human overpopulation and overconsumption
for the crisis and warn that it threatens the survival of human civilisation,
with just a short window of time in which to act.”
The statement was extracted from a
study published in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/10/earths-sixth-mass-extinction-event-already-underway-scientists-warn).
The study describes the loss or losses
as “biological annihilation” and “frightening assault on human civilization”.
This is not coming from doomsday
prophets! It is coming from scientists, not ordinary scientists, cutting edge
scientists!
“The scientists found billions of populations of mammals, birds, reptiles
and amphibians have been lost all over the planet, leading them to say a sixth
mass extinction has already progressed further than was thought.”
The scientists conclude thus: “The resulting biological annihilation
obviously will have serious ecological, economic and social consequences.
Humanity will eventually pay a very high price for the decimation of the only
assemblage of life that we know of in the universe.”
The statement attributes pointedly, “the decimation of the only assemblage
of life that we know of in the universe” to man.
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
I have been writing about the current
state of the natural environment in my posts. The posts point to the fact that
we, as humans, are not doing well in managing the natural environment. From the
angle of evolution, apologists of the 6th Extinction idea think the
6th Extinction is under way, and it is being driven by the
activities of man. Man has come to that realization, an insightful realization
that links those human activities to the so called natural disasters such as
volcano, and therefore new attitudes are setting in. Corrective attitudes. However
are they timeous enough?
Is man doing enough to reverse the destructive
trends? It is a matter of equilibrium. In some of my posts I have been espousing
perhaps a philosophy. I have been saying that we must put back into the natural
environment what we take out of it so as to sustain the equilibrium the natural
environment requires of us.
The so called natural disasters that
are battering planet Earth, for that matter the natural environment, continue
to create imbalance in the equilibrium required to sustain a clean and balanced
natural environment. When the equilibrium of the natural environment is
tampered with, life is tampered with- all life forms!
I, personally, view planet Earth as a
planet comprising of individual units put together to form one whole planet. A
whole planet of interactive, interdependent and integrated units intended to be
sustained through those chemistries. I normally compare it to the human body.
Being made of many units (parts), and integrated into one whole, if you stick a
pin in the thumb the whole body fills the pain. There should be an upset in
equilibrium, even if momentarily.
The following is a list of 5 biggest volcanic
eruptions and their devastating effects on the natural environment (https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/16444327):
MOUNT TAMBORA
One of Indonesia’s more than 100
volcanoes
It had eruptions in 1815
Caused disease and harmed the growth
of crops in surrounding regions
Caused climate changes as far as North
America
Caused the deaths of over 90,000
people
MOUNT KRAKATOA
Another of Indonesia’s volcanoes
Erupted in 1883
Killed over 35,000 people
Resulted in series of extremely
violent explosions, the biggest being heard more than 2000 miles away in
Australia
MOUNT PELEE
Located on the island of Martinique in
the Caribbean
The eruption considered to be the
worst in the 20th century occurred in 1902
It killed about 30,000 people
MOUNT RUIZ
Located in Colombia, South America
Had two destructive eruptions in 1985
Spewed a mixture of mud, ash and water
through river channels
Nearly totally buried a town 30 miles
away killing about 25,000 people
MOUNT VESUVIUS
Located in Italy
In AD 79 the volcano utterly ruined
nearby towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum
It is thought that the lives of
thousands of people were claimed by the volcano
Erupted several times in 1944
At the bottom of the list is a note I
should like to share with you as follows:
“In the state of Wyoming in America
there’s what’s known as ‘supervolcano’ in Yellowstone National park.
It’s last thought to have erupted
about 600,000 to 700,000 years ago and some scientists think there may be another
eruption there to come.
If it were to ever erupt again it
could claim up to a billion lives and devastate continents”
Compare the last sentence of the note
to a rhetorical question in this post I posed under the section CITIES BUILT ON
FAULT LINES. The rhetorical question is: “What if there was a simultaneous
ejection of magna through them?” The word “them” in the rhetorical question
refers to the fault lines, pathways for magma ejections. The significance here
is that the issue moves from the realm of figment to the realm of possibility!
The so call natural disasters, which
to my mind is manmade disasters, are part and parcel of the human civilization.
In so far as man remains man, we should continue to experience volcanoes. Human
nature is connected to the disasters. To eliminate the so call natural
disasters, there is the prerequisite of fixing the human nature!
CONCLUSION
The issue has been whether volcanoes
as is occurring in Hawaii for example is a natural disaster? Volcanoes make the
places they occur in uninhabitable, as is obvious in the Hawaii volcanoes. Places
like the Leila Estates were evacuated. Volcanoes are not palatable so man is
ever examining them. Ironically man generally tends to think volcanoes are
natural disasters! So far volcanoes for that matter other so called natural
disasters have not occurred on a scale as to deprive life forms the
inhabitation of planet Earth- simultaneously. Have you ever attributed the
systematic, steady and continuing loss of species to the so called natural
disasters (including volcanoes) as causative factors, leading to breach in the
equilibrium of the natural environment?
However one looks at it, from the
perspectives of science, religion, legend, myth, evolution, commonsense etc.
the natural environment is undergoing a change, and not for good, never before
recorded in human civilization! These perspectives lead to a common ground of Anthropocene
to a large extent. In plain language the so called natural disasters are
triggered by the activities of man. Plainer still, these disasters are manmade
disasters, in that they are triggered by the activities of man. Global warming
is one manmade phenomenon that is bringing about a chain of critical so called
natural disasters. There are doubters though, who believe ongoing changes in
climate are natural cyclical events. Go out there and check the way water
bodies are being polluted, and by man, many to their death, and tell me they
are natural and cyclical occurrences.
Angels were given the opportunity to
run planet Earth, however they blew that opportunity. That led to the
restructuring of planet Earth, and opportunity given to man to run it. Man like
angels, is blowing that opportunity through and by the very activities I am
discussing in this post!
So one can say there was the angel
civilization, and now the human civilization. The angel civilization landed
planet Earth in a disaster that led to an intervention of its restructuring.
Planet Earth was restructured and placed under the management of man, and still
is under the management (or rather mismanagement) of man. Where is man’s
mismanagement leading us to? 6th Extinction? Some say the sixth
extinction is underway, yet others say we are on the verge of the sixth
extinction. The answer to the question is No, a third and ultimate
civilization! The human and second civilization is evolving into a third and
ultimate civilization, right now! The human and second civilization is in the
throes of giving birth to the third and ultimate civilization! Out of frail and
failed humans will be raised a Species to run the third and ultimate
civilization. Yet that Species will not be comprised of human beings! Planet
Earth, the most sophisticated, the most developed, the most advanced of all
planets in the universe, and teeming with life, has not been ideated, engineered
and crafted in vain.
There should be more of these
disasters in an escalating manner to assume and culminate in a universal
dimension! Out of that should be a flow of a resultant planet Earth and a
universe ultimately reformed and refreshed. A planet Earth stable, clean and
balanced, and that comes with a natural environment as such. The required
equilibrium for the natural environment administered and maintained- void of
manmade disasters. Manmade disasters, and disasters generally, would have come
into extinction, eventually. This appears to be in keeping with the principle
of destruction and rebirth. Yet it is an intervention outside of the realm of evolution
or human thought!
Compare planet Earth with an egg in
the hand of man. Planet Earth is indeed in the hands of man (human
civilization). If one holds the egg gently it will not crack, however, if one
presses it hard it should crack spilling its contents through the cracked
shell, soiling one’s hand. Incidentally egg has three main parts namely shell,
white and yolk, just like planet Earth’s three main parts!
As Hawaii is molded, shaped and formed
through and by volcanic eruptions, so will the era beyond the ongoing sixth
extinction (evolution/human civilization), or the third civilization of
universal equilibrium, teeming with activities, without disasters, be born out
of cataclysms of universal dimensions!
Reference:
https://www.50states.com/hawaii.htm (states
profile)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_%28island%29 (Hawaii Island
(big island) formed by 5 volcanoes/ a landslide is breaking away from Kilauea)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fault_zones (fault
lines chart)
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/major-tectonic-plates-on-earth.html (tectonic
plates list)
https://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/7-biggest-cities-that-are-on-a-major-earthquake-fault-line-371196/2/ (cities
built on fault lines)
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/magma/ (magna
definition)
http://www.geologypage.com/2018/05/flow-in-the-asthenosphere-drags-tectonic-plates-along.html (plate
movement driven by asthenosphere)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/16/climate-change-triggers-earthquakes-tsunamis-volcanoes (manmade
volcanoes (so called natural disasters))
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