Latest news with #geologists
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Climate
- News.com.au
Rock and ice prevent rescue work after Swiss glacier collapse
Swiss authorities said Thursday that rock and ice piles from a collapsed glacier that destroyed a village were preventing emergency services from working, but that they were cautiously optimistic no more homes were at risk. The Birch glacier in Switzerland's southern Valais (Wallis) region collapsed on Wednesday, sending a mass of rock, ice and scree hurtling down the mountain slope and into the valley below. The barrage largely destroyed the most of Blatten, which had been home to 300 people and was evacuated last week due to the impending danger. One 64-year-old man, believed to have been in the danger zone at the time, remains missing. A police spokesman said the difficult conditions had forced the search to be called off Thursday. The unstable mountain face and thousands of tonnes of rocky debris also made it impossible for emergency workers to intervene to stabilise the zone and contain the risk of flooding in the valley below, officials told a news conference. The huge pile of glacier debris, stretching some two kilometres (1.25 miles), has blocked the river Lonza. After initially warning of a potentially devastating flood from water trapped above the debris, authorities said expert analysis indicated the risk had eased. "The information we've received from geologists and other specialists tends to indicate such an event is unlikely," Valais security chief Stephane Ganzer told a news conference. An artificial dam in the village of Ferden, just below, has been emptied and should be able to contain any downward rush of water if it happens, said Ganzer. However, he added: "It's unlikely, but we don't really like that word 'unlikely' here since yesterday, because we know that unlikely can become likely." - 'Terrible catastrophe' - Authorities are studying evacuation plans and have warned residents who could be affected, Ganzer said. "We have one person missing, we don't want anyone else missing or deceased from this terrible catastrophe," he said. As a precaution, 16 more people were evacuated Wednesday from two villages located downstream from the disaster area in the Loetschental valley, known for scenic views and home to around 1,500 people living in villages. Their views of the valley have definitively changed now. Where the Birch glacier used to sit, there is now a gaping hole in the mountainside. What is left of the village of Blatten is being submerged beneath the accumulating water of the Lonza river. A sunny and warm weather forecast means "lots of snow" will melt in the coming days, meaning "we're still facing colossal water levels" in the artificial lake that has formed, Ganzer said. - Seismic event - YouTube footage of the collapse showed a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountainside, into the valley and partially up the mountain slope on the other side. The force was such that Swiss monitoring stations registered the phenomenon as a seismic event. According to officials, three million cubic metres of rock fell suddenly onto the glacier, pushing it down into the valley. Warming temperatures have shrunk the Alps' glaciers and made them more unstable. Swiss glaciers, severely impacted by climate change, melted as much in 2022 and 2023 as between 1960 and 1990, losing in total about 10 percent of their volume. In August 2017, approximately 3.1 million cubic meters of rock fell from Pizzo Cengalo, a mountain in the Alps in Graubuenden canton, near the Italian border, killing eight hikers. Some 500,000 cubic metres of rock and mud flowed as far as the town of Bondo, causing significant damage there but no casualties.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Scientists warn one of world's supervolcanoes is awakening: 'It will plunge the planet into chaos'
A powerful series of earthquakes at Campi Flegrei, a massive supervolcano in Italy has raised fresh concerns among scientists about the risk of a major eruption. In May, the Phlegraean Fields near Naples was shaken by a magnitude 4.4 earthquake, the strongest in 40 years. Over the past six months, scientists have recorded more than 3,000 smaller quakes, known as tremors, a figure far above normal seismic activity for the area. Experts say eruptions are usually preceded with the increase in earthquake activity, as underground pressure builds up. These small quakes can weaken the rock above the volcano's magma chamber, making it easier for magma to push through. Think of it like steam building in a pressure cooker, if the lid gets too weak, it could blow. Geologists have also observed a sharp rise in gases being released from the volcano, another warning sign. Adding to the alarm, carbon dioxide emissions from Campi Flegrei have surged, with Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) reporting daily levels between 4,000 and 5,000 tons. Experts say increased gas emissions often mean magma is moving closer to the surface, putting more pressure on the volcano. According to Italy 's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), magma is now just a few miles below the surface, a shallow depth that raises more concern. If pressure continues to build, it could trigger an eruption with little warning, especially with all the recent quakes and gas releases. Christopher R. J. Kilburn, leading volcanologist of IGNV said: 'Distinguishing between gas emissions caused by magma movement versus those resulting from natural rock interactions is absolutely critical.' Campi Flegrei poses a serious threat to over four million people living in the metropolitan area of Naples. If it erupts, the damage could be widespread. Buildings could be destroyed by lava flows, ash clouds, and fast-moving hot gases. Roads, power, and water supplies might be cut off, making life dangerous and chaotic. The city of Naples and nearby towns like Pozzuoli sit close to the Campi Flegrei, putting many lives and homes in the danger zone. A new study led by Gianmarco Buono, a PhD student at University of Naples Federico II shows that about 80 percent of the carbon dioxide released from the Solfatara crater comes directly from magma beneath the Earth's surface. This means the magma is letting out gases, which is a strong sign it might be moving closer to the surface. The other 20 percent of the gas comes from hot fluids reacting with underground rocks, a natural process that doesn't always mean an eruption is coming. Scientists watch these gas releases along with ground swelling and thousands of small earthquakes because they are key warning signs for future eruptions. When magma moves up, it pushes gases out, building pressure inside the volcano. Too much pressure can cause cracks and trigger a dangerous eruption. Campi Flegrei means 'burning fields.' It's a big volcanic crater formed when a massive eruption thousands of years ago made the ground above the magma chamber collapse. Campi Flegrei's last eruption was in 1538. While it doesn't erupt often, major eruptions happen every few thousand years, the volcano has shown signs of unrest in recent decades. Scientists say it's not possible to predict exactly when the next eruption will happen, but the recent activity means it could come sooner rather than later. Since 2005, the ground in the area has been slowly rising and falling in a process called bradyseism. This happens when magma and gas build up underground, pushing the surface up or letting it sink back down. For example, in the nearby town of Pozzuoli, the ground has risen by about 4.7 feet during the current phase. This is like the Earth's surface gently swelling like a balloon as magma pushes from below. Using a mechanical failure model, commonly applied in structural engineering, they studied how the rock beneath Campi Flegrei is responding to stress. Their findings suggest the crust is shifting from simply bending to cracking, a change that often precedes eruptions. 'We are seeing a clear progression toward a state where rupture is more likely,' the scientists noted. Since rising warning signs began in 2005, officials raised the volcano's alert level from green to yellow in 2012. Authorities have developed comprehensive evacuation plans for the millions living in the metropolitan area of Naples, but the challenge remains in ensuring these plans can be executed swiftly and effectively should an eruption become imminent. Campi Flegrei's threat is not just local. About 40,000 years ago, Campi Flegrei erupted with such force that it caused one of the worst volcanic disasters in Earth's history, triggering major changes in the global climate. If a similar eruption happened today, its impact would reach far beyond Italy. Ash clouds could blanket much of Europe, grounding flights, damaging crops, and cutting power. Volcanic gases could block sunlight, causing years of cooler temperatures and unpredictable weather that would threaten food supplies worldwide.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Swiss glacier collapse buries most of village of Blatten
The Swiss village of Blatten has been partially destroyed after a huge chunk of glacier crashed down into the valley. Although the village had been evacuated some days ago because of fears the Birch glacier was disintegrating, one person has been reported missing, and many homes have been completely authorities describe the situation as "very bad", and have requested support from the Swiss army's disaster relief unit. Members of the Swiss government are on their way to the village's 300 inhabitants had to leave their homes on 19 May after geologists monitoring the area warned that the glacier appeared unstable. Now many of them may never be able to return. The disaster that has befallen Blatten is the worst nightmare for communities across the change is causing the glaciers - frozen rivers of ice - to melt faster and faster, and the permafrost, often described as the glue that holds the high mountains together, is also footage showed a large section of the Birch glacier collapsing at about 15:30 (14:30 BST) on Wednesday. The avalanche of mud that swept over Blatten sounded like a deafening roar, as it swept down into the valley leaving an enormous cloud of monitoring the thaw have warned for years that some alpine towns and villages could be at risk, and Blatten is not even the first to be evacuated. In eastern Switzerland, residents of the village of Brienz were evacuated two years ago because the mountainside above them was crumbling. Since then, they have only been permitted to return for short 2017, eight hikers were killed, and many homes destroyed, when the biggest landslide in over a century came down close to the village of Bondo. The most recent report into the condition of Switzerland's glaciers suggested they could all be gone within a century, if global temperatures could not be kept within a rise of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, agreed ten years ago by almost 200 countries under the Paris climate climate scientists suggest that target has already been missed, meaning the glacier thaw will continue to accelerate, increasing the risk of flooding and landslides, and threatening more communities like Blatten.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Earthquake rocks US city miles from supervolcano as fears of overdue eruption return
A small town in Idaho sitting near the Yellowstone supervolcano has been rocked by an early morning earthquake, possibly signaling a future eruption. The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that a 3.6 magnitude quake struck southeastern Idaho near the town of Soda Springs at 9:08am ET Friday morning. The small rural town is just 126 miles from the Yellowstone's caldera, the bowl-shaped volcanic depression within the famous national park. According to early data from USGS, the quake was located at a shallow depth of just over 10 miles beneath the surface. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface, but they rarely cause any damage to property or buildings. While geologists are still investigating the Friday morning quake, the Yellowstone supervolcano influences seismic activity in this region due to its massive magma chamber and connected fault lines. It generates 1,500 to 2,000 small earthquakes each year, most of which are weaker than 2.0 on the Richter scale of magnitude. These tremors usually shake areas within the Yellowstone Caldera and nearby fault zones, but the supervolcano can also influence seismic activity over 100 miles away. A new study recently showed that Yellowstone's magma chamber is just 2.3 miles or about 12,500 feet below Earth's surface. Since it has not exploded in about 640,000 years, some experts and locals believe the volcano's next eruption is overdue. An dramatic uptick in seismic activity is often a sign that a volcano may soon erupt. Earthquakes around Yellowstone are driven by magma movement, hydrothermal activity, and regional tectonic stresses in the Intermountain Seismic Belt - an 800-mile an active fault region stretching through Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. Scientists from USGS discovered a newly opened volcanic vent in Norris Geyser Basin in 2024. The vent is at the foot of a rhyloite lava flow, and is spewing hot steam up into the air. Back in 2003, a similar vent was spotted just on the other side of the same rhyolite lava flow.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Photos show the eruption of Mount St. Helens, the worst volcanic disaster in US history, 45 years ago
When Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980, it caused enormous devastation. The eruption triggered mudslides, an explosion, and plumes of ash that did enormous damage. The death of 57 people led to large changes in how the US monitors and prepares for eruptions. On May 18, 1980, Don Swanson placed a frenzied call to his wife to let her know that he was OK. "That's nice," she said, unconcerned. She had no idea her geologist husband had spent the morning in a plane flying by an erupting volcano. At 8:32 a.m. Pacific Time that day, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake had shaken Mount St. Helens, leading to its eruption. Its conical top collapsed into a horseshoe crater, sending rivers of mud and rock down its side and an enormous blast of heat and gas to the surrounding forest. Ash clouds wafted for over 930 miles, all the way to central Montana. The devastating natural disaster killed 57 people and was the most destructive volcanic eruption in US history. It leveled trees, destroyed bridges, and caused more than $1 billion in damage. Just a few years before the eruption, The New York Times described Mount St. Helens as a "relatively little known volcano 50 miles north of Portland, Oregon." Its eruption forever changed the way volcanologists, geologists, and other scientists perform their jobs. To commemorate the anniversary of Mount St. Helens' eruption, here's a series of photos that captured the immense devastation it caused 45 years ago. Years earlier, scientists predicted Mount St. Helens would violently erupt. In 1978, the USGS issued a report stating that Mount St. Helens had the potential to violently erupt before the end of the millennium. The last known eruption had been in 1857. Over the past few centuries, its recent dormant periods lasted an average of 123 years. It was only a matter of time. By the spring of 1980, Mount St. Helens had been trembling for weeks. Thousands of small earthquakes in March and April caused cracks in the summit. On March 27, steam started pouring out, turning the snow an ashy gray. "That's when it becomes this multi-agency response because now you have to prevent people from getting too close," Liz Westby, a geologist with the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, told Business Insider in 2024. "It could possibly erupt, but that wasn't a for-sure thing." Meanwhile, people climbed on their roofs to take pictures of the steaming top. "Everyone really wanted to catch that glimpse of Mount St. Helens," she said. When the earthquake hit on May 18, its northern side collapsed. That triggered a debris avalanche, forcing down enough rock, dirt, and snow to fill a million Olympic swimming pools. Some of it traveled as far as 14 miles away. Ash-filled plumes rocketed 650 feet into the sky. A super-hot mix of rock, gas, and ash caused incredible destruction. The avalanche sheared off part of the cryptodome, a magma-filled bulge that had swollen part of Mount St. Helens' north side by about 450 feet. Rapidly expanding gas then caused a devastatingly powerful blast that exploded sideways instead of up and formed what's called a pyroclastic flow. The mixture can reach blistering temperatures of 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. "That is such a hot, thick, gas-rich flow that it essentially kills everything in its path," Westby said. The heat, force, and high-speed debris can all be deadly. It knocked over trees, leaving them stripped and looking like toothpicks. Moving at 300 miles per hour, the flow traveled faster than the debris avalanche, covering roughly 230 square miles, an area nearly the size of Chicago. "Then you see this plume rising up," Westby said. This one, full of ash and rock, rose as high as 80,000 feet. The eruption lasted nine hours. Melting snow and ice mixed with rocks and ash turned into mudslides. Mount St. Helen was still snowcapped in May when it erupted. The scorching heat turned ice and snow into gushing water that took rocks and soil with it. Known as lahars, these 100-mile-per-hour volcanic mudslides ripped up trees, destroyed over 200 houses, and took out bridges. Millions of tons of ash traveled hundreds of miles, closing highways and canceling flights. Westby was at Eastern Washington University, not far from the Idaho border, when the volcano erupted. What looked like an ominous line of dark clouds drifted in the sky above. "I thought, wow, that's the weirdest thunderstorm I've ever seen," she said. It turned out to be ash. Wind blew roughly 520 million tons of ash and volcanic glass to eastern Washington, Idaho, and Montana. It was dark enough to obscure the sun in some cities. It settled on everything, leaving trees with a dusting of what looked like snow. "This ash, it's fine like baby powder," Westby said. Driving through it would stir it back up into the air. For days afterward, authorities closed highways and canceled flights because of the poor visibility and the ash's potential to damage plane engines, Westby said. The eruption killed 57 people, including USGS geologist David Johnston. One of the first USGS geologists at the volcano was David Johnston. He had been closely monitoring Mount St. Helens during its many earthquakes. On May 18, Johnston was only 6 miles from the volcano. As the eruption started, he radioed a final message to a nearby Washington city: "Vancouver, Vancouver. This is it." After that, Johnston's death would have come within a minute, his fellow geologist Swanson wrote. "It hit home to us as geologists, as volcanologists, how important it is to have monitoring up at the volcanoes and to install sensors before unrest so that we don't have to have people up there in harm's way," Westby said of Johnston's death. Leading up to the eruption, experts created safety zones around the volcano. Only essential workers could go to the red zone. However, the majority of the 57 people who lost their lives were outside the red zone, NPR reported. Many were killed by the lateral blast, Westby said. It ended up being more powerful than anticipated. "It still gets me a little bit, thinking about that," she said, "but that really influences how we feel about hazards today." Now, she said, hazard maps are much more accurate and take into account a range of an eruption's possible outcomes. The eruption destroyed trees and killed wildlife, but many species survived. Over a week after the eruption, researchers from the USDA Forest Service started looking at the ecological impact. Ecologists were shocked by what they saw at Johnston Ridge, about 6 miles from the summit. They had expected to find nothing. Instead, there were still carpenter ants, frogs, pocket gophers, spiders, and other signs of life. Thousands of large mammals like elk and bears didn't survive, but other species of plants and animals were buried in snow or sleeping in their dens. The blast zone where a hot flow of gas toppled trees is now known as the pumice plain, named for the porous rock that volcanoes create. Initially, nothing survived in this area. It was two years before researchers saw the first plant, a prairie lupine. The purple-flowered perennial is known to be resilient. It took four years following the eruption for new greenery to shoot up in the "ghost forests" where the volcano left broken and dying trees. A few gophers had a remarkable impact on the volcano's recovery. In 1983, scientists realized not much was growing on the lava-scorched regions of Mount St. Helens. They tried an experiment. They flew a few northern pocket gophers to the volcano and put them in enclosures for about 24 hours. They did what gophers do, digging holes. Burrowing into the soil helped aerate it and dispersed bacteria and fungi that promote plant growth. "They're often considered pests, but we thought they would take old soil, move it to the surface, and that would be where recovery would occur," University of California, Riverside microbiologist Michael Allen said last year. Little did they know the lasting, positive impacts the gophers' tunneling would have. After six years, 40,000 plants had sprung up where they'd turned over the soil. The other areas stayed bare. In the decades since, the environment has drastically changed. A new ecosystem has slowly emerged on the volcano. In the absence of larger predators, their prey thrived. The smaller animals and dormant plants that survived the volcano's destruction are still there, and bears, cougars, elk, and mountain goats have been spotted, too, The Seattle Times reported in 2020. That doesn't mean Mount St. Helens is back to normal, ecologist Charlie Crisafulli told the Seattle Times. With the pumice plain area starting from scratch, ecologically, what's happening there now is unique. The eruption spurred changes to how the US monitors and responds to earthquakes. In addition to ecology, Mount St. Helens offers opportunities for other kinds of scientific research. Two years after the eruption, the USGS established the Cascades Volcano Observatory to better monitor the volcanic range. The Observatory, which was dedicated to David Johnston, is one of only five in the US. It's become a kind of laboratory for volcanic research and monitoring. It's also helping to train what could be the next generation of volcanologists. Every summer, Westby and the Mount St. Helens Institute run a camp for middle school girls called GeoGirls. "We treat them as though they were our field assistants, to give them an idea of what it's like to work on volcanoes," Westby said. Mount St. Helens could erupt again. Mount St. Helens continued to have smaller eruptions through 1986 and then had more between 2004 and 2008. "They are active volcanoes," Westby said of the Cascades, the volcanic arc that runs through several states and Canada. "They've erupted in the past, and we know they'll erupt in the future." Of all the Cascade volcanoes, Mount St. Helens is the most active and most likely to erupt again, Westby said. But the technology to predict eruptions has vastly improved. In 1980, Mount St. Helens only had a single seismometer, Westby said. "Now we've got 20," she said. These newer devices are more sophisticated and can detect smaller earthquakes that could signal an impending eruption. GPS data can also alert scientists if the ground is deforming. And software can help them process the data more quickly. In the 1980s, scientists were making the calculations by hand. As the sensors help geologists keep an eye on what's happening beneath the ground, Westby says people should feel free to enjoy the volcanoes. "They're safe to be around right now," she said, "but you never know what happens in the future." This story was originally published on May 18, 2024 and was updated on May 18, 2025. Read the original article on Business Insider
