Scaaaaaaaary!!!!!!

Waiting for the big one, and I mean BIG.

Is a massive earthquake in the Pacific Northwest overdue?



I'll never complain about a prairie blizzard again.

Who Ya Gonna Believe?

Warning signs that Yellowstone may Erupt

Five Things Most People Get Wrong About the Yellowstone Volcano

Misconception #1: When Yellowstone erupts…. it'll be Armageddon.

Misconception #2: The Yellowstone magma chamber is growing.

Misconception #3: Yellowstone is overdue for a supereruption.

Misconception #4: Yellowstone is rapidly rising.

Misconception #5: Earthquake data indicates moving magma.

Fascinating...

...history of planet earth. Kinda drives home the real possibility that some day we will be extinct.

About That Big Bang...

..try bang, bang, bang, bang...

Canadian Geological History

The constancy of change and the new catastrophism: a personal reflection on crisis-driven science

"What is patently obvious from reviewing Canada’s ancient history is that scientists still do not have an adequate understanding of Earth’s complex systems on which to base sound economic and environmental policy. From the upper reaches of the atmosphere to the depths of the oceans onwards to the deep interior of the planet our knowledge of complex earth systems is still rather rudimentary. Huge areas of our planet are inaccessible and are little known scientifically. There is still also much to learn from reading the rock record of how our planet functioned in the past.

In so many areas, we simply don’t know enough of how our planet functions.

And yet……

Scarcely a day goes past without some group declaring the next global environmental crisis; we seemingly stagger from one widely proclaimed crisis to another each one (so we are told) with the potential to severely curtail or extinguish civilization as we know it. It’s an all too familiar story often told by scientists who cross over into advocacy and often with the scarcely-hidden sub-text that they are the only ones with the messianic foresight to see the problem and create a solution. Much of our science is what we would call ‘crisis-driven’ where funding, politics and the media are all intertwined and inseparable generating a corrupting and highly corrosive influence on the scientific method and its students. If it doesn’t bleed it doesn’t lead is the new yardstick with which to measure the overall significance of research.

Charles Darwin ushered in a new era of thinking where change was expected and necessary. Our species as are all others, is the product of ongoing environmental change and adaption to varying conditions; the constancy of change. In the last 15 years or so however, we have seemingly reverted to a pre-Darwinian mode of a fixed ‘immutable Earth’ where any change beyond some sort of ‘norm’ is seen in some quarters as unnatural, threatening and due to our activities, usually with the proviso of needing ‘to act now to save the planet.’ Honest scientific discourse and debate is often rendered impossible in the face of the ‘new catastrophism.’

Trained as geologists in the knowledge of Earth’s immensely long and complex history we appreciate that environmental change is normal. For example, rivers and coastlines are not static. Those coasts, in particular, that consist of sandy strand-plains and barrier-lagoon systems are continually evolving as sand is moved by the waves and tides. Cyclonic storms (hurricanes), a normal component of the weather in many parts of the world, are particularly likely to cause severe erosion. When recent events such as Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy cause catastrophic damage, and spring storms cause massive flooding in Calgary or down the Mississippi valley, and droughts and wildfires affect large areas of the American SW these events are blamed on a supposed increase in the severity of extreme weather events brought about by climate change. In fact, they just reflect the working of statistical probability and long term climate cyclicity. Such events have happened in the past as part of ongoing changes in climate but affected fewer people. That the costs of weather and climate-related damage today are far greater is not because of an increased frequency of severe weather but the result of humans insisting on congregating and living in places that, while attractive, such as floodplains, mountain sides and beautiful coastlines, are especially vulnerable to natural disasters. Promises of a more ‘stable future’ if we can only prevent climate change are hopelessly misguided and raise unnatural expectations by being willfully ignorant of the natural workings of the planet. Climate change is the major issue for which more geological input dealing with the history of past climates would contribute to a deeper understanding of the nature of change and what we might expect in the future. The past climate record suggests in fact that for much of the Earth’s surface future cooling is the norm. Without natural climate change Canada would be buried under ice 3 km thick; that is it normal state for most of the last 2.5 million years with 100,000 years-long ice ages alternating with brief, short-lived interglacials such as the present which is close to its end."

Brrrrrrrr.

Related:

World Disasters Report for 2013 – lowest number of catastrophies and deaths in 10 years

Smooth sailing as Great Lakes levels continue their rebound

"The story of improving Great Lakes water levels can be discerned in the things unheard this summer — such as complaints.

Record snowfalls last winter, coupled with a rainier-than-usual spring and summer, have Great Lakes levels recovering faster than they have in decades.

With a second straight year of rebounding from record-low lake levels, gone are the panicked harbormasters, concerned marina owners, grumbling charter fishermen and befuddled freight shippers. No longer are city officials expressing an urgent need for dredging funds."

I'm sure there are some greenie-weenie babies that will be very disappointed with this news. They've always wanted their catastrophe scenarios to come true, just so they can say they told us so.

Round Up

Shawn Atleo was a different type of National Chief, and that’s what led to his ouster

This could be the beginning of the end of the Indian Industry, and not a moment too soon.


Police pile onto tractor as farmer helps track suspects through muddy field

"Four RCMP members hitched a ride on a farmer’s tractor Friday afternoon as they tracked down three suspects through a wet and muddy field near Briercrest, Sask."

[---]

"The suspects, without transportation to leave the town, were now somewhere in the area on foot, police said.

A canine unit and neighbouring police detachments were called to assist the tracking efforts. Word spread among residents to keep an eye out for the three suspects and to alert police of sightings.

Several residents assisted police by searching grid roads in their pickup trucks. Others canvassed wet and boggy areas with quads and one resident, a pilot, took to the air to search."

Lots of fun.

New views about Neanderthal Man:


Neanderthals not incompetent dimwits: study

"That is the message a pair of researchers have delivered after analyzing archaeological evidence detailing the capabilities of Neanderthals, our closest extinct human relatives, compared to the early modern humans who first crossed their path about 40,000 years ago."

Gap Between Neanderthals and Us Narrows, But Does Not Close

[---]

Tsunamis

Someday...

...before too long, in geological time, there will be no more Chile:

Chile 8.2 earthquake: Tsunami spurs evacuation along coast, at least two deaths reported

I expect there will still be Chili though.

Waiting For The Big One...

...never mind global warming, climate change, the really big earth quake on the left coast, try dealing with this one:

Yellowstone supervolcano larger than previously known, study shows

"...beneath the famous caldera and the steaming pools, there is a supervolcano that could erupt with 2,000 times the force of the 1980 Mount St. Helens blast." beneath the famous caldera and the steaming pools, there is a supervolcano that could erupt with 2,000 times the force of the 1980 Mount St. Helens blast.

[---]

"The massive chamber contains enough volcanic material to match the supervolcano's last three eruptions."

[---]

"If the next eruption is anything like its last, which happened 640,000 years ago, it will spew large amounts of volcanic ash and material into the atmosphere, Farrell said. The volcanic material will circle around the Earth."

Lots Of Stuff..

...that I like:

Resurrected protein's clue to origins of life

"The resurrected protein is thought to have existed almost four billion years ago in single-celled organisms linked to the earliest ancestor of all life.

The protein survives in the extreme environments of high acidity and temperature expected on early Earth and, intriguingly, also Mars."

Mind you, the language in the article is barely understandable to a non-scientist like me, but it does speak to the question about the origins of life, which has always fascinated me.

THAILAND: Muslims in the South are slaughtering Buddhists in order to ethnically cleanse the area (WARNING: Graphic Images)

"Muslims account for a mere 4.6% of population, yet have been spreading fear among the indigenous Buddhists of the region, using violence and brutality. They have resorted to the random killing of Buddhists, including school teachers and Buddhist monks."

Hardly news, but.... I went to graduate school with a woman from Thailand. I hope she's alright.

Major Danish Daily Warns: “Globe May Be On Path To Little Ice Age…Much Colder Winters…Dramatic Consequences”!

"So now even the once very green Danish media is now spreading the seeds of doubt. So quickly can “settled science” become controversial and hotly disputed. The climate debate is far from over. And when it does end, it looks increasingly as if it’ll end in favor of the skeptics."

Really good read, BTW, but damn it!! I so wanted some of that global warming stuff. Oh well. This should solve some of that "overpopulation" hysteria. If only it would take "the sky is falling" hysterical folks first.

Holy Moly

Gaia is mad at us. Hurricane to the east. Tsunami to the west.

By Golly!!!

We've found our next man-caused cosmic disaster. Waiting for leftards to grab on to this one:

Earth is overdue for magnetic field flip with possible enormous consequences

Eat, drink and be merry, 'cause we're all gonna die.

Here's One Place...

...where the sea is not rising:

Giant 'balloon of magma' inflating under Greek island could cause first eruption in more than 60 years

"A giant 'balloon of magma' is inflating under the volcanic Greek island of Santorini, a study has warned.

The balloon is so big it has forced the island upwards by 14cm between January 2011 and April this year."

Don't tell Al Gore et al.

I remember reading somewhere a while ago that there is a similar bubble under the surface of much of the northern plains/prairies of the continent I live on. It's what makes all those geyzers in Yellowstone National Park so hot and likely the hot springs in Banff and Moose Jaw. If it ever blows we're all gonna be toast. Mom Nature just keeps on going no matter what her most stupid children do or think they can do.

Hmm. First Time I've Seen That Admitted...

...underwater volcanoes, that is. According to Ian Plimer, 80% of earth's volcanoes are under the oceans, along the continental ridges, quietly spewing lava and various greenhouse gasses into the water. Something that past IPPC reports have chosen to ignore. Perhaps folks are starting to pay attention. Folks other than James Hansen, that is, who seems to think that what happens on American soil (droughts) amount to human caused "global" warming, while just to the north we've had one very, very wet year. But I digress.

In the meantime, you don't see many or any environuts fretting about this:

Super volcano could kill millions

Indeed, they'd probably be happy to see millions die.

Oops. I lied. Lefty Huff 'n' Puff Post has covered it. And will you look at this:

"Such an event could make thermonuclear war or global warming seem trivial, spewing untold tons of ash into the atmosphere to block sunlight. The result would be many years of frigid temperatures, wiping out millions of species. A super-volcano that erupted 250 million years ago is now believed to have created the greatest mass extinction the world has ever seen, wiping out up to 95 percent of all plant and animal species. Some renegade scientists believe it was a volcano, not an asteroid, that killed off the dinosaurs 65 million years ago."

And it stinks, too.

The Earth Passes ...

... gas. Move over cows.

Here's Something...

...to replace the AGW scam especially made for scaremongers, except this one has happened before and could be genuinely catastrophic:

Mysterious Siberian blasts point to rapid pole reversal

First time I've heard of Tunguska explained this way. Not much we can do about it, either.

Grab A Towel..

...You're gonna need to wipe the sweat off your brow:

Giant asteroid to get closer than the moon

NASA eyes asteroid's close encounter with earth

Man Versus Nature

Welcome to Lake Agassiz.

Nature always wins.

Humans are weaklings. Payback is a bitch. Just wait for the next ice age.

I say we should be pumping more CO2 into the atmosphere. Faster, please.

And speaking of geological catastrophes:

Previous.

PS: Speaking of things geologic. Kinda puts humans in perspective, don't it.  Note the period of time during which Earth was a "snowball" compared to the time we humans have been on the planet.

Red River Floods

UPDATE: Red, Souris rivers overflowing banks

And of course, rain is in the forecast.
=====================
Way back in January, authorities were predicting another flood in store for communities along the Red River this spring. This had communities downstream, on the Canadian stretch of the river valley, worried.  They are still worried. But Manitobans seem prepared. Duff's Ditch has been opened.

Since I was living in Manitoba when the last major flood occurred, the biggie, I have my eyes and ears open for news concerning the impending deluge.

Here's some background information:

Floods and Flood Control

1826: The 1826 Flood; The Mighty Red River Flooding; Red River Flood 1826

1950: Red River Flood of 1950; A City Submerged: Winnipeg and the flood of 1950

1997: Red River Flood

In anticipation of the usual bullcrap from the AGW crowd (including Obama), this problem along the Red is nothing new:

Flunking Global Warming 101

Why We Flood

Geoscientific insights into the Red River and it's Flood Problem in Manitoba; Geologic controls on Red River Flooding and Table 1

Folks who live in Manitoba will know, the Red River is a narrow channel carved in the middle of a huge, expansive FLAT plain, which was once the bottom of a large inland sea. Of course it floods! The biggest flood on record occurred in 1826, and that was - er - before fossil fuel burning combustion engines. Several people actually drowned in that flood. And the second and third largest floods were in 1852 and 1861.

Good luck to all those people who live in the inappropriately named Red River Valley. I'm sure we are all grateful that flood control techniques today are far superior to what was available to the inhabitants of the original Red River Settlement.

Stoicism At Its Finest

Postcard from Japan

"One day, in a local market, my wife and I passed a stall selling fresh seaweed. The middle-aged woman who ran it kept saying that this was the last she would be getting and we should savour it because it was very good. She persuaded us to taste it and it was so delicious that we bought two bags.

Later we discovered that she was from a coastal town in Miyagi, one of the worst-flooded areas. She couldn't get in touch with her sister's family, the fishermen who had produced the seaweed, but it didn't occur to her to stop working. She probably didn't want to waste the last consignment her family might ever deliver to her."

Much more...