The Complete Idiot's Guide to 2012 - Dr. Synthia Andrews Nd [62]
NASA explains that the cracks are due to changes at the earth’s core. As the molten center of the earth moves, it generates the magnetic field that creates the magnetosphere and determines the north and south poles. Fluxes in the core cause the magnetic poles to shift. NASA thinks this might be causing the cracks. If this is the case, then cracks in the magnetosphere are actually signs and symptoms of a magnetic flux, which can lead to a pole reversal.
Check out the following illustration to get an idea of the magnetic poles.
The earth’s magnetic field.
Here’s the scene: it’s 2012, the solar maximum is stronger than ever, a huge solar flare sends a massive wind of electrified particles into the earth’s magnetosphere. The Southern Atlantic Anomaly crack is open, allowing the solar wind to blow through the atmosphere. The Northern Lights can be seen in South America, the jet stream goes haywire, and extreme weather pounds the planet. Impossible? Not really.
Super Volcanoes
You may have thought that a super volcano is the same as a regular volcano only stronger. Yes and no. A super volcano is stronger, as powerful as 1,000 Hiroshima-type nuclear bombs. But they look much different and can easily hide for centuries with no one knowing they are there.
A regular volcano looks like a mountain with a large cone-shaped funnel. A super volcano is a depression, called a caldera, forming a basin. It’s like an upside-down volcano with the cone going into the earth. Super volcanoes are called “hot spots.” The basin usually fills with water, hiding the signs of the lurking volcano underneath the calm surface of a lake.
Yellowstone
The largest super volcano hot spot ever discovered is at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Identified in 1993, it lies right under the beautiful glacial lake. Underneath the calm surface, within the depression, flowing along underground tributaries and rivulets is a searing caldron of magma, solid and liquefied rock, and highly combustible volcanic gas. It’s estimated to be an 8 on the Volcano Explosivity Index, the highest possible level.
Covering 136 acres, the area under the lake has been rising since 2004, forming a bulge. This indicates activity in the caldera. Areas of the lake have been closed to the public and water temperatures have been rising.
Codex Cues
To keep track of seismic changes at Yellowstone, tune in to the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, a U.S. geological survey project that provides regular updates on monitoring findings. Go to http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo.
The Making of a Super V
Super volcanoes form at the boundary between the molten core of the planet and the mantle. Columns of smoldering rock move slowly upward through the boundaries of the tectonic plates. Most of them exist on the ocean floors because this is where the plates come together. Iceland, Hawaii, and the Galapagos Islands were all formed from explosions of past super volcanoes. But don’t think super volcano explosions are all in the far distant past; the most recent explosion of a super volcano happened in 3500 B.C.E. in Greece. That’s not so long ago in the scheme of things. More importantly, super volcano activity is being monitored at several locations around the world.
Yellowstone is different than the ordinary super volcano. It’s fueled by underground accumulations of uranium, formed over millions of years. When this volcano blows, it will spew radioactive lava across the states of Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana, and parts of Canada.
Will Yellowstone Blow?
Evidence suggests yes; the Yellowstone super volcano shows signs of activity. Temperatures in the glacial lake have been rising. The bulge in the lake floor has gotten larger. Steam vents along the Norris Geyser basin have raised soil temperatures significantly. Seismic activity and other signs are being monitored. The question is when, not if. Of course no one knows when and there is no way to predict it. But people are thinking 2012. Why? Because the earth is