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Parkography

The Sleeping Volcano

Parkography

RV Miles Network

Nature, Society & Culture, History, Society & Culture:places & Travel, Science, Places & Travel

4.8911 Ratings

🗓️ 17 August 2018

⏱️ 24 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted — it was the "deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, generating “about 500 times the force that the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima,” it killed 57 people and thousands of animals and lopped 1,300 feet off the top of the mountain. Still, there's another volcano that is much more concerning to volcanologists. On this episode of America's National Parks, Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park, and its namesake volcano’s potential for mass destruction.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

The America's National Parks Podcast is sponsored by L. L. L. Bine believes the more time you spend outside together, the better.

0:09.5

That's why they design products that make it easier to take longer walks, have deeper talks,

0:15.5

and never worry about the weather.

0:18.1

Discover clothing, outerware, footwear, and gear made for every type of adventure with the outside built right in.

0:25.0

Because on the inside we are all outsiders.

0:28.0

Be an outsider with L.L. Beam. You're going to. About a month ago, a large Fisher opened up in the wall of a cliff face at Grand

1:10.6

Teton's National Park.

1:13.4

A Fisher is a separation of rock caused by geological movement.

1:18.8

It's a fairly normal occurrence.

1:21.1

The park closed off the surrounding area because loose rock can dangerously tumble for extended periods of time after a Fisher opens up.

1:29.0

Again, this was a totally normal occurrence, but you can't tell that to a conspiracy theorist. Grand Teton's National Park neighbors Yellowstone National Park,

1:49.0

full of all its wonderful, dramatic geothermal features. All of that bubbling and gurgling and

1:56.1

spraying is caused by a plume of molten rock that rises beneath the surface.

2:07.0

A Superfau. that rises beneath the surface, a supervolcano. The first major eruption of the Yellowstone volcano occurred 2.1 million years ago

2:19.0

and it's one of the largest volcanic eruptions we know of, covering over 5,790 square miles with ash.

2:28.0

So if you do a quick Google search for the Yellowstone Supervolcano,

2:32.0

you're going to find some pretty terrifying theories

2:36.2

about what will happen when the northwest corner of Wyoming erupts again.

2:41.2

What's more, you'll find a heck of a lot of articles in YouTube videos in particular

2:46.0

about how the government is keeping the signs of an impending eruption secret.

2:52.1

They'll point to the changes in Old Faithful's predictability, increased earthquakes,

2:58.0

and other totally normal geothermic occurrences that they can make sound uncommon.

...

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