Quote:
Originally Posted by Twosugars
Looks like Kilauea is shifting its magma southeast, which is in line with the general drift of the underlying plume
http://www.geo.cornell.edu/hawaii/22...T_hotspot.html
The plate is moving NW and since the plume (hot spot) is stationary it drifts SE. These things don't work like clockwork and are unpredictable, but SE of the island is the most vulnerable when it comes to new vents and lava. |
I remember this from Geology. So fascinating... lava plumes and the development of volcanoes in general. Plate tectonics are are also fascinating. I went spelunking after I took the course, in Pennsylvania (near Penn State) where there is a fault line and deep chasms. I'm not really into commercialized junk when I go on vacations... I like to go out in the middle of no where, out to a desert or visit the hill country. Utah and New Mexico are our the list for a painting trip at some point... sometime after I finally get a DSLR.
It sounds like some of these folk knew what they were getting into when they built so close to the volcano. Still, I don't think it makes it any less painful to watch your home get stripped out from underneath you... In our case, the bayous are expanding (from erosion) from the dwindling wetlands (yay suburban sprawl) and with each major storm. There's a shopping strip not far from where I live getting closer and closer to the edge of a major bayou where I live... between this and climate change, we are living in interesting times. We have to make the necessary adjustments individually, I think, to accommodate for this.