Categories > Celebrities > 30 Seconds to Mars > The Volcanologist
The entire risk area surrounding the volcano had fled without a fuss. We still can't believe how smoothly it went! Then again, Villarrica is Chile's most active volcano, so people know what to expect. When this volcano starts making threats, we know it'll hold it through to the end. It will not break its promise.
Speaking of promises, Jared has stuck to his word too. He has not left the hotel room. He still keeps in touch with Mom. He keeps himself occupied by finishing that artwork of the mountain. I have to say I'm impressed! It took him 6 days to finish. He used white acryllic paint for the snowy peak to give it an extra layer of texture, charcoal for the mountainside, oil for the surrounding area - he'd put so much thought into different textures and layers so that nothing would look out of place. I couldn't believe my brother had made that! Such talent!
With his artwork finished, he now sits on his bed and strums his guitar. He sings smoothly, teasing Dannielle with his new song "Into the night, desperate and broken, the sound of..." A sour chord comes from his guitar as something makes him jump - a loud bang.
"The sound of a volcano?" I finish for him.
"I was gonna say 'a fight', but its your call!"
We look out the window at the volcano, and see... nothing.
Looking at the sheets, Dannielle points out a large seismic wave, and marks the time it happened. This eruption is definitely under way. But when? My guess is within the next 2 days. Dannielle and Luke agree. They know just as well as I do. And this mountain was known for loud explosions with eruptions.
And true enough, the harmonic tremors pick up within an hour and an eruption starts before nightfall. Knowing we are at a safe distance, I encourage Jared to watch with us. Dannielle does too, reassuring him that Strombolian eruptions are only small to medium level eruptions - not the worst in the world.
The first thing he asks is where the snow has gone. Some of it still sits halfway down the mountain, but the stuff at the top has now completely gone. Some of it was dislodged during another strong tremor earlier on. We also knew it was possible that the rising magma had filled the lava lake and dribbled over the surface, melting some of it and causing it to flood down the mountain. The hot steam rising from the crater was certainly a sign of increased heat.
There is no lava yet, but we know we can expect plenty - especially with a persistently active fluid lake in the crater, and Strombolian decreases in gas pressures...
But first, the snow and ice halfway down the mountain. Another violent tremor shakes the rest of it away, but it seems to move differently on one side compared to the other. The snow crumbling away reveals it - the side of the mountain is deformed - a large bulge inflated on the once perfect slope. A possible lava dome had been hidden by the thick ice sheet.
The one that grew on the side of Mt St Helens in 1980 was hidden too. It was uncovered just before the eruption - causing a major landslide - revealing a glowing lava dome just before the mountain exploded sidewards and was severly damaged. We are hoping that this is not the case with Villarrica. The mountain may be bulging with a lava dome, or it just magma rising into the magma chamber.
With another loud bang, an arc of lava suddenly blows into the air. The main show has begun. Strombolian eruptions were known for the lava shows, being thrown into the air like an arc by a sudden bubble of gas decompressing through the magma chamber and exploding when they reach the top. I suppose its similar to when a bottle of soda-pop fizzes.
Jared is still nervous, but getting used to the idea of being safe at this distance. He watches the show, asking questions. Not worrying about the video camera as the sound will be edited and dubbed later, I explain everything to him.
The lava arcs look - and even sound! - like fireworks against the dark backdrop of night. It is a thick lava, so doesn't travel very far down the sides of the mountain. It was no wonder the mountain had grown so high since we climbed it! But with another loud bang, something unexpected happens. The top of the mountain succumbs to the new weight and explosive force of the lava, and it completely collapses! We knew that Strombolian eruptions were explosive, but we were always under the impression that Strombolian-type volcanoes were built to withstand the explosions of the gas and lava! That is why they are able to start new eruptive cycles mere weeks or months after an eruption - because they are not built to release all their energy at once, but to continue releasing it slowly until the magma chamber is empty. And this Strombolian volcano is the most active in Chile, so just imagine what its capable of.
With the eruption finished a day later, we are hoping that Villarrica does not start an eruptive cycle again soon, even providing that the lava lake still exists. We will not know if the magma chamber has anything in it as a result. Only one person has ever been inside a magma chamber. It was in a dormant volcano in Iceland, which could awaken at any time. But there is no lava lake, only an open crater, which allowed him to be lowered in by a crane and even allowed him to crawl through lava tubes, which will fill the chamber with magma from the mantle of the Earth whenever it awakens. As interested as I am in volcanoes, you could never persuade me to go inside a volcano personally.
The damage has been done to the crater of Villarrica. The violent explosions have drastically shortened the once towering height of the mountain. From this distance, it looks like just under half of the mountain has gone - I'd say 1400 metres missing from a mountain of nearly 2850 meters! But with a single stroke of luck, the lava dome had not exploded, but had leaked just a small amount of lava from the top of the bulge, possibly creating a new vent and even a new cone on the mountain.
Speaking of promises, Jared has stuck to his word too. He has not left the hotel room. He still keeps in touch with Mom. He keeps himself occupied by finishing that artwork of the mountain. I have to say I'm impressed! It took him 6 days to finish. He used white acryllic paint for the snowy peak to give it an extra layer of texture, charcoal for the mountainside, oil for the surrounding area - he'd put so much thought into different textures and layers so that nothing would look out of place. I couldn't believe my brother had made that! Such talent!
With his artwork finished, he now sits on his bed and strums his guitar. He sings smoothly, teasing Dannielle with his new song "Into the night, desperate and broken, the sound of..." A sour chord comes from his guitar as something makes him jump - a loud bang.
"The sound of a volcano?" I finish for him.
"I was gonna say 'a fight', but its your call!"
We look out the window at the volcano, and see... nothing.
Looking at the sheets, Dannielle points out a large seismic wave, and marks the time it happened. This eruption is definitely under way. But when? My guess is within the next 2 days. Dannielle and Luke agree. They know just as well as I do. And this mountain was known for loud explosions with eruptions.
And true enough, the harmonic tremors pick up within an hour and an eruption starts before nightfall. Knowing we are at a safe distance, I encourage Jared to watch with us. Dannielle does too, reassuring him that Strombolian eruptions are only small to medium level eruptions - not the worst in the world.
The first thing he asks is where the snow has gone. Some of it still sits halfway down the mountain, but the stuff at the top has now completely gone. Some of it was dislodged during another strong tremor earlier on. We also knew it was possible that the rising magma had filled the lava lake and dribbled over the surface, melting some of it and causing it to flood down the mountain. The hot steam rising from the crater was certainly a sign of increased heat.
There is no lava yet, but we know we can expect plenty - especially with a persistently active fluid lake in the crater, and Strombolian decreases in gas pressures...
But first, the snow and ice halfway down the mountain. Another violent tremor shakes the rest of it away, but it seems to move differently on one side compared to the other. The snow crumbling away reveals it - the side of the mountain is deformed - a large bulge inflated on the once perfect slope. A possible lava dome had been hidden by the thick ice sheet.
The one that grew on the side of Mt St Helens in 1980 was hidden too. It was uncovered just before the eruption - causing a major landslide - revealing a glowing lava dome just before the mountain exploded sidewards and was severly damaged. We are hoping that this is not the case with Villarrica. The mountain may be bulging with a lava dome, or it just magma rising into the magma chamber.
With another loud bang, an arc of lava suddenly blows into the air. The main show has begun. Strombolian eruptions were known for the lava shows, being thrown into the air like an arc by a sudden bubble of gas decompressing through the magma chamber and exploding when they reach the top. I suppose its similar to when a bottle of soda-pop fizzes.
Jared is still nervous, but getting used to the idea of being safe at this distance. He watches the show, asking questions. Not worrying about the video camera as the sound will be edited and dubbed later, I explain everything to him.
The lava arcs look - and even sound! - like fireworks against the dark backdrop of night. It is a thick lava, so doesn't travel very far down the sides of the mountain. It was no wonder the mountain had grown so high since we climbed it! But with another loud bang, something unexpected happens. The top of the mountain succumbs to the new weight and explosive force of the lava, and it completely collapses! We knew that Strombolian eruptions were explosive, but we were always under the impression that Strombolian-type volcanoes were built to withstand the explosions of the gas and lava! That is why they are able to start new eruptive cycles mere weeks or months after an eruption - because they are not built to release all their energy at once, but to continue releasing it slowly until the magma chamber is empty. And this Strombolian volcano is the most active in Chile, so just imagine what its capable of.
With the eruption finished a day later, we are hoping that Villarrica does not start an eruptive cycle again soon, even providing that the lava lake still exists. We will not know if the magma chamber has anything in it as a result. Only one person has ever been inside a magma chamber. It was in a dormant volcano in Iceland, which could awaken at any time. But there is no lava lake, only an open crater, which allowed him to be lowered in by a crane and even allowed him to crawl through lava tubes, which will fill the chamber with magma from the mantle of the Earth whenever it awakens. As interested as I am in volcanoes, you could never persuade me to go inside a volcano personally.
The damage has been done to the crater of Villarrica. The violent explosions have drastically shortened the once towering height of the mountain. From this distance, it looks like just under half of the mountain has gone - I'd say 1400 metres missing from a mountain of nearly 2850 meters! But with a single stroke of luck, the lava dome had not exploded, but had leaked just a small amount of lava from the top of the bulge, possibly creating a new vent and even a new cone on the mountain.
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