Japan's Mount Kirishima Volcano Erupts Explosively

[AsahinaKimi]

A spectacular volcanic eruption is currently under way in Japan. The mountain Kirishima is firing red-hot magma and volcanic bombs into the air.

Mount Kirishima, a volcano on the southern island of Kyushu, began erupting on Jan. 26. A giant ash cloud poured from the volcano, prompting the Tokyo VAAC to issue an ash warning for places above 25,000 feet (7.6 kilometers).

Volcanic material shot from the crater, triggering pyroclastic flows, according to the blog Big Think.

Kirishima ejected volcanic bombs — lava fragments that are rounded as they fly through the air — more than a mile (2 kilometers) high from its vent, according to news reports. Images of the eruption show plumes of glowing material shooting a few hundred feet in the air. A volcanic vent is a gap in the Earth's crust through which lava and volcanic gases can escape.

http://www.ouramazingplanet.com/japanese-volcano-kirishima-eruption-110126-1020/
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Amazing video footage at the link!

[Catherina]

1. Why does it seem like there's SO much going on right now?

That footage is terrifying!

[snappyturtle]

2. The power of that volcano is terrifying! I wonder if there's really more

going on now as compared to the past or if with satellites and news produced at the speed of light that we're just more aware of these tremendous weather events?

[Catherina]

3. I wondered the same thing and then realized I don't want to know

You see these three volcanoes?



I live right smack dab between the three of them. Two of them are active. For my peace of mind, I prefer to think we're just more aware and not dwell on it.

[reggie the dog]

5. what country is that in?

[pokerfan]

7. Guatemala

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigua_Guatemala#Volcanoes

[Catherina]

10. What Pokerfan said- Asteroide B 612

It's funny that you of all people would ask. Remember Le Petit Prince? St Exupery used to stop here to refuel his plane and had a plane crash here in 1938. He spent 5 days in a coma and several years recuperating.

The country has a total of 37 volcanoes.




"Oh, where I live," said the little prince, "it is not very interesting. It is all so small. I have three volcanoes. Two volcanoes are active and the other is extinct. But one never knows."

"One never knows," said the geographer.

"I have also a flower."

"We do not record flowers," said the geographer.

"Why is that? The flower is the most beautiful thing on my planet!"

"We do not record them," said the geographer, "because they are ephemeral."

"What does that mean-- 'ephemeral'?"

"Geographies," said the geographer, "are the books which, of all books, are most concerned with matters of consequence. They never become old-fashioned. It is very rarely that a mountain changes its position. It is very rarely that an ocean empties itself of its waters. We write of eternal things."

"But extinct volcanoes may come to life again," the little prince interrupted. "What does that mean-- 'ephemeral'?"

"Whether volcanoes are extinct or alive, it comes to the same thing for us," said the geographer. "The thing that matters to us is the mountain. It does not change."

"But what does that mean-- 'ephemeral'?" repeated the little prince, who never in his life had let go of a question, once he had asked it.

"It means, 'which is in danger of speedy disappearance.'"

"Is my flower in danger of speedy disappearance?"

"Certainly it is."

"My flower is ephemeral," the little prince said to himself, "and she has only four thorns to defend herself against the world. And I have left her on my planet, all alone!"

That was his first moment of regret. But he took courage once more.

"What place would you advise me to visit now?" he asked.

"The planet Earth," replied the geographer. "It has a good reputation."

And the little prince went away, thinking of his flower.

...

In 1929 Saint-Exupéry moved to South America, where he was appointed director of the Aeroposta Argentina Company.

Saint-Exupéry flew post through the Andes. This experience gave the basis for his second novel, Night Flight, which became an international bestseller, won the Prix Femina, and was adapted for screen in 1933, starring Clark Gable and Lionel Barrymore. In the story Rivière, the hard-bitten airport chief, has left behind all thoughts of retirement and sees the work of flying the mail as his fate. "We don't ask to be eternal', he thought. 'What we ask is not to see acts and objects abruptly lose their meaning. The void surrounding us then suddenly yawns on every side." (from Night Flight)

Saint-Exupéry married in 1931 Consuelo Gómez Carillo, a widow, whose other literary friends included Maurice Maeterlinck and Gabriele D'Annunzio. "He wasn't like other people," she wrote later in Mémoires de la rose, "but like a child or an angel who has fallen down from the sky." The marriage was stormy. Consuelo was jealous for good reasons and felt neglected, when her husband did not spend much time at home. He also had affairs with other women.

...

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/exupery.htm

He wrote Le Petit Prince while he was recuperating and published it in 43. Antigua's volcanoes and mountains where his primary inspiration. I find his wife's comment "like a child or an angel who has fallen down from the sky" so striking.

That video still terrifies me. I expected more of a gentle, flowing eruption.

[TalkingDog]

20. He also wrote "The Wind, the Sand and the Stars"

Which, frankly, I preferred over The Little Prince.

The man was a damned good writer.

(but you have to be prepared make exception for the sexism and racism of the times)

[Catherina]

21. I'll look for it based on your recommendation.

The sexism and racism of the times doesn't upset me. It's not like you can go back and change things. Thanks for the hint TalkingDog :hi:

[Possumpoint]

9. Really?

Right smack dab between the three of them would be on the summit of the middle one. Doesn't look like a good place for a residence.

[Catherina]

12. That was my thought too

but I'm working with my sister on a rescue project and this was where she wanted to do it.

One of them has 2 peaks so you could say it's really 4 volcanoes, 2 are to the Southwest and I can see them clearly. Volcanoes are just part of the scenery in Central America. You don't even think about it until someone posts a video of a violent eruption

[MineralMan]

11. Guatemala's a beautiful country. Are you a permanent resident

there, or just there temporarily?

[Catherina]

13. Permanent resident

You're right about its beauty. I wasn't expecting to love it so much. Have you been here?

[MineralMan]

14. Once, back in the 1970s. I enjoyed my short visit.

[Catherina]

15. Good for you. I feel richer for this experience. It's a great place. n/t

[MineralMan]

17. I visited Guatemala City and Antigua, and was there for a week.

Not long enough to see enough. As always, back then (and now), my budget was very limited. From the photo of the volcanos, I'm guessing you're in Antigua.

[Catherina]

18. Yes and loving every single minute of it.

Between going to the mercado a few times a week to buy fresh fruits, vegetables and meats unwrapped in terrible plastic and the beautiful sceneray, I couldn't be happier. Our budget is limited but we can make do very well. I'm learning a lot about more sustainable living here. I'm also seeing firsthand how much people are still suffering from our foreign policy, like what we did for United Fruit, the long 36 years, US funded, civil war against workers that left over 200,000 dead, and neoliberal economics.

Living right smack dab in the middle of the result of our foreign policy is a real education.

Antigua is like fantasy island compared to the rest of the country. If you ever decide to come visit again, let me know.

[snappyturtle]

16. I really do think it's just that we're more aware. However, I can also understand

your not wanting to dwell on it! That looks beautiful!

[reggie the dog]

4. because information spreads so quickly today

cell phone video cameras, the net, twitter.... we have more info at our hand that EVER BEFORE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD!!!! that is why it SEEMS that more is happening, we are just MORE AWARE!

[Tunkamerica]

6. the internet.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

8. Too much shit,

lots of fans.

Too little action.

[lonestarnot]

19. I read here, that 2010 was the worst year in history for natural disasters around the world.

[beevul]

22. Uh oh... (Cue the Akira Ikfube theme now)

:evilgrin: