#impending volcanic eruption

[miniar]

Wow... The amount of traction my volcano post is getting is a little bit more than my average experience...

Seriously tho, thanks folks, for getting the word out. The situation is much more serious than a lot of people are aware.. but also weirdly less serious than some people think.

International news either seem to not be covering this at all, OR!... they've got headlines suggesting we've evacuated all of Iceland... which is not the case, at all.

Keflavík Airport is Not at direct risk, but should the magma break surface in or very near the ocean... there may be a prohibitive amount of ash and steam flung into the air, essentially stopping all air traffic through the area for duration.

This is a possibility, but not the most likely scenario at the moment.

Either way, if you've got any transatlantic flights coming up for the rest of 2023, you may want to keep an eye on the situation. That means any flights between pretty much anywhere in Europe and anywhere in North America (both USA & Canada), or any flight to Iceland from either side.

As of writing this the volcano has not erupted, but this may change any second now. Could be two minutes after I write this post but who knows, it might be going by the time you see this.

Heartbreakingly, groups of volunteers that are asking to enter the Grindavík area to attempt to retrieve people's pets have not yet been given permission to do so. There are cats, dogs, parrots, as well as livestock (horses, sheep and chickens) still in the area. Getting them out means putting human lives in danger, so the lack of permission makes a terrible kind of sense, but people are still pleading to be allowed to try and save as many as they can.

That's it, that's all the update I got for you today. If you want to help, want to donate, may I suggest you donate to support Palestinian victims of man-made horrors instead for now. All of the people here have food and shelter at a safe distance from the natural disaster brewing, so...

[geology-side-of-tumbler]

Holy shit holy shit holy Schist!!!!!

A hydrothermal explosion happened Yellowstone!! And I’m alive to see it! I wish I was there.

From USGS Facebook:

A small hydrothermal explosion occurred in Yellowstone National Park today (July 23, 2024) around 10:00 AM MST in the Biscuit Basin thermal area, about 2.1 miles (3.5 km) northwest of Old Faithful. Numerous videos of the event were recorded by visitors. The boardwalk was damaged, but there were no reports of injury. The explosion appears to have originated near Black Diamond Pool.

Biscuit Basin, including the parking lot and boardwalks, are temporary closed for visitor safety. The Grand Loop road remains open. Yellowstone National Park geologists are investigating the event.

Hydrothermal explosions occur when water suddenly flashes to steam underground, and they are relatively common in Yellowstone. For example, Porkchop Geyser, in Norris Geyser Basin, experienced an explosion in 1989, and a small event in Norris Geyser Basin was recorded by monitoring equipment on April 15, 2024. An explosion similar to that of today also occurred in Biscuit Basin on May 17, 2009.

More information about hydrothermal explosions is available at https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/news/hydrothermal-explosions-yellowstone-national-park.

Monitoring data show no changes in the Yellowstone region. Today’s explosion does not reflect activity within volcanic system, which remains at normal background levels of activity. Hydrothermal explosions like that of today are not a sign of impending volcanic eruptions, and they are not caused by magma rising towards the surface.

Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) provides long-term monitoring of volcanic and earthquake activity in the Yellowstone National Park region. Yellowstone is the site of the largest and most diverse collection of natural thermal features in the world and the first National Park. YVO is one of the five USGS Volcano Observatories that monitor volcanoes within the United States for science and public safety.

YVO Member agencies: USGS, Yellowstone National Park, University of Utah, University of Wyoming, Montana State University, UNAVCO, Inc., Wyoming State Geological Survey, Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, Idaho Geological Survey

Image courtesy of Vlada March.

[quitealotofsodapop]

So we been DMing. And thought the greater group would like this odea I had.

FFM is in a volcanic ring, so it goes to show that it's likely an active volcano as well. What if the first time MK sees Wukong's kaiju form is due to an impending eruption?

It was a beautiful day put when MK and Wukong were having a training session when the mountains shook and trembled, interrupting the two monkeys as the play fought. MK was confused about the matter, but shrug it off thinking he and Wukong had been too rough and caused the tremors. It certainly hadn't been the first time.

Wukong, who is a monkey born of the earth and knows the mountain better than anyone else, knows better.

He immediately cuts the training short and tells MK to get off the mountain. All training is canceled until further notice, and he is to stay clear of the place unless instructed otherwise. That tremor was the first warning sign of an impending eruption, and it was a large one, too.

MK had gone home that day confused, wondering why his mentor had suddenly kicked him off the mountain. When he tells his friends, he can't even answer why Wukong had done so as he had been so desperate to get MK to safety the king had forgotten to tell him what the problem even was! This will lead to a problem when the eruption happens, because the whole group wasn't going to let MK be kicked fork training without an answer and they decided to go confront Wukong, not realizing they were stepping foot on an active volcano within hours of a Cesuvius level eruption

Prev.

Wukong goes full "General-King-Mode" during this time. He can't risk his subjects (demonic and wild) or his beloved island from getting hurt in the eruption.

Wukong breathes steady but nervous, all things are going to plan. The volcanic ring around FFM isn't just a useful security measure - but also evidence of previous redirected eruptions. The danger is ultimately caused by heat and gas being under pressure beneath the earth. Normally all Wukong has to do is punch a hole in the magma chamber every so often to "let off steam".

He calls upon begrudging allies like Macaque (using his portals to evacuate the monkeys) and Iron Fan (to redirect the poisonous fumes). Red Son and DBK are even involved since they are super-heat resistant (DBK literally walks through a waterfall of lava with dinner during "The First Ring") and can help punch holes into the crust to help ease the pressure beneath the earth. Royal sea dragons like Ao Guang are on call to minimize any tidal waves caused in the eruption's wake.

It's a mutual understanding between the immortals. Wukong never wants devastation like The Burning to ever happen again.

He can't let innocent people be hurt by-

MK, waving from Sandys' ship: "Hi Monkey King!! Wukong, furious with worry: "I thought I told you to go home!" MK: "I did go home! And me and the guys are worried why you sent me away like that? If that earthquake was sign of something bigger then we could help!" Mei: "Yeah! And my parents got weird and flew off after the earthquake too! We shouldn't be kept in the dark like this!" Wukong: "Guys, listen very, very carefully; I sent MK home so suddenly because The Island is About to BLOW!!" The Noodle Gang, looking furiously at MK: "WHAT!?" MK, wincing with realisation: "Oooooo... I don't think we can help with that." Wukong, eyes glowing red: "YA THINK!?"

Whilst Wukong is partially to blame for not explaining himself clearly, he isn't blamed for his sheer worry. This isn't some tangible enemy he could defeat, but Nature itself.

Eventually Wukong feels this terrible pit in his stomach. Like his heart is about to burst out of his chest.

Huaguoshan itself is about to blow.

And all his friends are in its' path.

With a Heaven-shaking roar he activates his War Form.

Macaque activates his own, forcing the entirety of the Noodle Gang through one of his portals (boat included) a safe distance from the island. In the shadow's eyes is no longer fear as he once felt towards his mate's form, but adoration.

Wukong plunges to the bottom of the sea beneath the island chain, digging through the silt and rock until he reaches the mantle. With each new punch he releases a new viscous explosion of magma that violently shoots to the surface like an underwater bomb. But with each new punch, the pressure beneath the island itself lessens.

He feels no pain from the heat - it's not comparable to the True Fire he felt within the Furnace.

Around him miles away in all four cardinal directions, sea dragons (including the Ao-Long couple) come to his aid; redirecting the waves away from the cities and islands that would be swept away in the tide.

Above the waves, Iron Fan gets to work fanning the fires and clouds of poisonous sulphur away from the island, a skill she perfected from protecting her home in the Flaming Mountains. (Tang in particular squees at see her in action, followed soon by PIF's own husband).

DBK and Red Son are running along the existing volcanic ring - destroying the old chimneys and opening new channels in the hardened basalt to ease the load off of the King's shoulders. Red Son's fiery mane even seems to be increasing in volume the longer they work to release the heat.

Soon it seems like the ring of fire has been built from the mantle-up.

The Gang are watching the whole thing with amazement. Depending on what happens in between, they may actually try and help the Demon Bull fam with their efforts.

Mei gets a crash course in her own sea-dragon abilities when she has to direct the waves away from Sandy's boat. Her and Red Son laugh, teasing that for a sea dragon, she's more familiar with flames than water!

Pigsy might not be able to withstand the heat - but the indestructible, size altering rake he inherited can! He slingshots it towards DBK's waiting hand - the nine teeth of the rake making nine times the amount of new chimneys in the mantle.

MK is tempted to follow the Monkey King below the waves, but the gentle hand of Sandy (and the not-so-gentle hand of Macaque's kaiju form) stop him from leaving the ship.

As the tremors quiet and the spouts become less frequent, the peak of Huaguoshan seems to "sneeze", and settles back to normalcy as if no great danger was a foot.

After many tense minutes, the Monkey King emerges from the sea - cloaked in salt and lava like he was born from the core of the earth itself.

Macaque makes an appreciative growling sound before slinking his way through the water to greet his King.

All three face of the King are confused. Confused and afraid. Not because his mission failed, far from it.

But because he honestly didn't expect the reaction of his allies;

MK: "MONKEY KING!! YOU LOOK AMAZING!!!" Mei, emerges from the waves: "WE ROCKED!!" Red Son, victory-hugging his parents: "We certainly did rock!" Tang: (*fainted from fanboy-ing too hard*) Pigsy, catching Tang: "YOU DID GREAT, KING!!" Sandy, softer shouts: "I don't think anyone else could have done that!"

Wukong is so taken aback. They... aren't afraid of him??

Each face of the King blushes beneath the yellow-orange glow as the cheers fail to cease. The Demon Bull couple applauding their sworn brother's courage to let his inner self free after so long.

Macaque sidles up to his King. The Shadow's bandage-like tendrils examining Wukong's golden body for injuries or burns. His soft but deep voice whispering into his mates' now-matching six ears.

Kaiju!Macaque: "I t o l d y o u, P e a c h e s. B E A U T I F U L."

[forest-falcon]

The Butterfly Effect

Chpr 10

⚠️ Trigger Warning for angst

This could have probably been an earlier chapter, but hey, better late than never! Alan and Gordon arrive home post-TB4-mission.

❤️💛 🚀

Alan let the warmth of the shower seep into his bones. He was sure his squid brother was secretly cold-blooded. Stepping into a shower after Gordon, was akin to performing the ice bucket challenge - the water barely more tepid than the sea itself. Alan, was the polar opposite - disassociating in the molten mist until he'd generated his very own steam room.

The teen grabbed a towel and headed for the lockers.

"Gordon, what the hell?"

He slammed the locker door shut.

Asshole had taken his spare clothes.

He searched through the other lockers. John's was empty, Virgil's; locked. He opened Scott's and pulled out a finely pressed shirt and jeans. 

Gordon had better hope that Four had no further call outs today or he'd drown the fish himself.

The designer jeans were far too long in the leg. He had to fold the ends up twice to avoid tripping on the excess material as he waddled. The shirt was equally ridiculous. He looked like a child trying on their father's work clothes. It wasn't too far from the truth. But he was nineteen, not nine. And he loathed anything that could be used as ammunition by his brothers to remind him that yes... he was the baby of the family - he got it, alright?

He hooked his thumbs into the belt loops of Scott's jeans, desperate to protect himself from further embarrassment and shuffled his way back to his room. Brothers sucked ass.

*.  *.  *.

The astronaut's mood subsided a little on seeing that Grandma had been and spruced his room in his absence. His favourite green guitar top had been washed, ironed and laid out on the end of his bed.

Scooping up the casual wear; he buried his face into the soft fabric and inhaled its floral scent. Grandma was one of the few members who actually bothered to remember to add the softener to washes. He was so used to the Birds, bedrooms and gym smelling like...well, a gym; that it was a secret pleasure to enjoy the floral scent of cleanliness. Alan decided that it was the little things in life that brought the greatest pleasure.

He headed to his closet to grab his go-to shorts; pulling the tee over his head as he walked.

"FUCK!"

The floor beneath him shifted. 

His room, the villa, maybe even the island shaking with a ferocity usually reserved to a Two Bird callout.

Alan was flung to the floor. He groaned. Where was his super-plush rug to cushion his fall-

His world suddenly tipped.

Blindly reaching out; somewhat encumbered in his half-dressed state, Alan managed to grasp the doorframe to his closet. 

"GUYS! HELP!"

It sounded like a volcanic eruption...

His room roared like fracturing rock.

Steel screamed and splintered above him.

"Agh!" The sound was deafening, but he didn't dare let go.

Alan's thoughts were racing faster than Fireflash.

John. John would not have missed an impending  eruption?

...Other than that one time with Professor Quentin Questa at Hrómundartinhurmindur. 

No, this was nothing like a volcano. So what then?

His mind flitted through other possibilities. .

Earthquake? Landslide?

His room stopped shaking with one last feeble quiver.

Alan dared to pull his head through his top with a singular hand - the other still firmly glued to the doorframe.

The teen blinked; not trusting his eyes with the reality they presented him with. 

One of his bedroom walls...

His floor length windows...

They were just... gone.

A wall of silver filled the space.

[yourfavsasdragondescriptions]

Anxiety from Inside Out, maybe? Thanks ☺️

Here is your free orange freak

This bright orange dragon seems to tremble constantly as though it was either in pain but unable to express it or in a constant state of anticipation. Its jaws are deceptively large (think a sarcastic fringehead) and are lined with keratinous spikes separate from its actual teeth which close together (think Porco Galliard's Jaw Titan). Its wings, front limbs and upper body are lined with white stripes that turn brown and get thicker at the tail and back limbs, becoming solidly brown at the back feet and halfway down the tail. It has orange bony plates running down the length of its back that causes the dragon to have a silhouette resembling a volcanic eruption then viewed from the front or back. Its breath weapon is a nerve gas structurally similar to Novichok that, when first breathed in, gives whoever breathed it in a sense of impending doom.

[kp777]

Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula is now in a new era of volcanic eruptions that will last for up to 500 years, and the building magma beneath Sundhnúkur and Grindavík is part of this millenia-long cycle.

[xtruss]

Fagradalsfjall Volcano Erupting in July. In 2021, Fagradalsfjall erupted for the first time in about 800 years, kickstarting a new era in volcanic activity in Iceland 🇮🇸. Image credit: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

'Time's Finally up': Impending Iceland Eruption is Part of Centuries-Long Volcanic Pulse

Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula is now in a new era of volcanic eruptions that will last for up to 500 years, and the building magma beneath Sundhnúkur and Grindavík is part of this millenia-long cycle.

— By Hannah Osborne | Live Science

Iceland's potentially imminent eruption in the Reykjanes Peninsula is part of a 1,000-year cycle of volcanic activity that will likely cause eruptions for centuries, scientists say.

"Time's finally up," Edward W. Marshall, a researcher at the University of Iceland's Nordic Volcanological Center, told Live Science in an email. "We can get ready for another few hundred years of eruptions on the Reykjanes."

Seismic activity began increasing in the south of the peninsula in October, with hundreds of earthquakes recorded there each day. On Nov. 10, authorities evacuated the town of Grindavík, with experts warning an volcanic eruption could take place in just days.

Infographic showing the seismic activity that has hit Iceland in recent weeks. Image credit: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

According to the Icelandic Met Office (IMO), a magma tunnel stretching 9.3 miles (15 kilometers) formed beneath the ground between Sundhnúkur in the north and Grindavík. The area affected also encompasses the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa — a tourist hotspot that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.

Magma in the tunnel — also known as a dike — appears to be rising to the surface, and there is a high risk of it breaking through. The greatest area of magma upwelling is currently close to Sundhnúkur, about 2 miles (3.5 km) northeast of Grindavík, according to the IMO. Researchers believe the amount of magma in the tunnel is "significantly more" than what was present during the eruptions at Fagradalsfjall, which sparked back to life in 2021 after more than 800 years of inactivity.

That 2021 eruption marked the start of a new cycle of volcanic activity on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Geological records show periods of inactivity last between 600 and 1,200 years, which is then followed by pulses of eruptions lasting between 200 and 500 years, Clive Oppenheimer, a professor of volcanology at the University of Cambridge in the U.K., told Live Science in an email.

"It looks like 2021 kicked off a new eruptive phase which might see the several fault zones crossing the [Reykjanes Peninsula] firing on and off for centuries," he said.

Grindavík has been evacuated over fears an eruption may take place in or near the town. Image credit: Kjartan Torbjoernsson/Getty Images

The Reykjanes Peninsula sits above two tectonic plates that are being pulled apart. The strain that builds up is released in bursts as part of the cycle. "We are now in one of these pulses," David Pyle, a volcanologist and professor of Earth sciences at the University of Oxford, U.K, told Live Science in an email. "Each eruption releases just a bit more of the stored-up strain, and eventually, when all of that strain has been released, then the eruptions will stop."

It is currently unclear if an eruption will take place as a result of the magma tunnel. "These sorts of dikes are actually a tectonic, not a magmatic feature. In other words, the lava is filling a fracture, not forcing its way into the rock," Marshall said.

Should a fissure emerge, an eruption could last for several weeks. The large amount of magma involved compared with previous eruptions in the region could result in more lava flow at the surface, Oppenheimer said.

What happens next is a waiting game, Marshall said. "I predict — if an eruption occurs — that it will occur between a few days to threeish weeks. If it hasn't erupted in three weeks, I don't think it will happen. Cooling will begin to close the fractures."

— Hannah Osborne is the planet Earth and Snimals Editor at Live Science. She worked for several years at Newsweek and at International Business Times U.K. as the Science Editor. Hannah holds a Master's in Journalism from Goldsmith's, University of London.

[heliopauseentertainments]

Branched Paths

Part of MegaSound Week 2023 - Hosted on Tumblr by @mega-wave-superior Prompt: Day 4 - Solidarity/Solitude

Continuity: IDW1

Rating: Teen

Relationship: Megatron/Soundwave

Characters: Soundwave

Summary: In which Soundwave reflects on Megatron’s absence.

Crossposting: AO3 | Dreamwidth

Fic under cut. See AO3 for complete notes.

The mottled yellow-green volcanic world of Io, backlit by the light of Jupiter’s thick, gaseous atmosphere made for lovely viewing as Soundwave stood at one of the windows in his quarters.

The day’s labors of mediating disputes and trying to increase resident morale could finally be put aside; Soundwave could appreciate the true value of a few hours of respite.

Even at the cost of being nearly alone with his own thoughts.

Sanctuary Station, orbiting slowly in Io’s gravity well, was just that… a sanctuary, free from the prejudices of their homeworld. Or at least it was in theory.

Soundwave knew that Galvatron didn’t truly believe in the core of their cause; he had merely seen an army to leverage for further conquest in the vacuum caused by Megatron’s departure. At least Galvatron had given Soundwave, with the help of Earth’s humans, much latitude to make a home for the Decepticons who were finished with all of it.

Thankfully Galvatron was rarely here, Soundwave thought, leaning his hands against the wall on either side of the reinforced glass. That Golden Age relic’s brand of loud domination wasn’t right; it wasn’t the same. He was a hollow substitute for the real thing, for the visionary he replaced.

Ravage’s reports from the Lost Light were few and far between, no sign of changed minds. No sign of remembering what they had promised each other in the dark on so many nights, hunkered down in some besieged base or tucked away into a secure corner of the Nemesis with their cables intimately entwined. No sign of repayment for Soundwave’s unerring devotion over millions of years.

But Ravage didn’t know.

Soundwave had never shared the secret and Megatron likely never would either. Ravage would become… disappointed in them both, he was sure.

The sounds of Rumble and Frenzy breaking glass in the hallway barely made it into Soundwave’s quarters, momentarily disrupting his thoughts. He ought to invest in better soundproofing.

This peace, even if it was fragile and hinged on the conditional generosity of understandably mistrustful organic aliens, was the start of what they had wanted all along. It wasn’t ideal, but the Decepticons had always been skilled at the art of “making do.”

Megatron should have been here, with him, helping him herd their soldiers into the future, into the beginnings of everything they had ever wanted.

The promise of no longer hiding their sparks in the shadows behind professionalism and the chain of command.

One of Io’s volcanoes began to smoke, indicative of an impending eruption. The lack of a thick, obscuring atmosphere meant much of the surface geological activity was visible to the optics, even from orbit. The moon’s thin blanket of sulfur dioxide gas left nothing to the imagination.

While Soundwave’s spark had not yet forgotten Megatron’s defection, his betrayal, the righteous hurt did nothing to alleviate the lonely chill without his presence.

He knew that, if the opportunity arose, he would welcome Megatron back with his arms wide open.

[supremeuppityone]

Klaroline fanfic update: Romancing the Brimstone

Working on the next chapter of my Klaroline story, Romancing the Brimstone. Here's a quick look:

Chapter 14: Fourteenth Circle (Paparazzi)

            Despite the dire situation, Klaus couldn’t help the derisive snort that escaped as Rebekah flew into the chamber shouting, “Mikael’s on his way!”

            Leveling a menacing glare at Mikael, Klaus wryly told his sister, “Excellent lookout, dear sister. You certainly took your time — perhaps next you can alert us of an impending volcanic eruption after we’re scraping the lava off our claws.”

            Rebekah snapped her head around to snarl, “Well, I wasn’t the one who insisted on a wardrobe change because you wanted to reenact Idaho Johnson for Caroline and threw a tantrum when you couldn’t find the whip.”

            Bollocks. He shifted self-consciously, ears suddenly hot when he felt Caroline’s quizzical gaze on him. “The leather jacket wouldn’t fit over my wings,” he muttered, tugging at his linen garments, still mystified that Caroline was so taken by the monochromatic adventurer with poor teaching habits. 

            “Um...do you mean Indiana Jones?”

[lunarsilkscreen]

One MORE: Clocktown is LonLon is Hyrule

What happened to the citizens of Hyrule Castle in z64? Well, they simply left. When Death Mountain started erupting, the King out of commission, and Zelda missing.

The townsfolk simply left, either temporarily staying at Kakariko Town, or simply moving elsewhere.

And what is the nearest safe haven if Ganondorf is *also* out of the picture?

Lon Lon ranch. That square plot of land I talked about before looking like a particular castle from a particular Twilight Zelda game.

My Theory Goes; after the events of Z64, and being sent back to the past by elder Zelda, Link is given a specific set of instructions to give to her childhood self (That other theory that I set forth before, was for the whole section of the fanbases that is *obsessed* with the Ben drowned and Link Died theories. The one I don't particularly like.)

That unstoppable volcanic eruption causes global warming and rising tides. (And the Zora in Z64s Zoras Domain aren't River Zora, they're Ocean Zora. River Zora are closer to reverse mermaids in the series lore, and they're not friendly most of the time. See z1-3. And the Oracle of Seasons which says it outright.)

Which means that *lake hylia* might just be a basin left over from very low tides. (And if you think the falling moon really is the moon, the reason for rising tides, and in the wisdom timeline which doesnt have Link, causes eternal flooding. And in the MM timeline with Link, stops it.)

(I am not gonna do the entire map examination since all I have is my phone)

The Deku Scrub temple is in a swamp, caused by the flooding, which brought prosperity to the monkeys and the Deku scrubs (The monkeys could be monkeys, or that particular installment of Koroks, which isn't clarified, but when the Koroks/Kokiri are missing, there always seems to be monkeys...)

So what do villagers do after fleeing both the castle and Kakariko because of the impending doom Mt. Pompei brings?

Start building. Which explains why the construction workers are nonstop busy building housing for displaced people. And why the Bomber Kids seemingly don't have parents. (They were lost or injured themselves due to Ganon AND the eruption)

But, if that *is* the case, why doesn't those giants help protect Hyrule?

And my answer is that; They're too powerful to care about a single kingdom, they come and go.

But when it comes to the world's destruction, that's when they care.

That was kind of the entire story of MM's Skull Kid. Feeling abandoned by the greater powers their friends had. And leaving the Kingdom of Hyrule to die.

But which is more important; one kingdom, or every kingdom?

[goodqueenaly]

@twicelivedsummer reblogged your post “Volantis Is Doomed”

So polite of the Volantenes to put all their high-born slave-owning nobles in one convenient high-walled spot. ☺

Indeed, continuing the idea that Volantis is the heir to virtually everything about Valyria (including its impending Doom), the very concentration of the Old Blood in Volantis within the Black Walls echoes the almost absolute concentration of dragonlords within Valyria (the city) prior to the Doom. Just as the dragonlords lived pretty much exclusively in the Freehold's capital "as was their wont" (save those few in Lys and Tyrosh, the would-be Emperor Aurion, and of course the Targaryens on Dragonstone), so the aristocratic neighborhood encircled by the Black Walls is populated by "those who can trace their ancestry back to Old Valyria". Here, just as in Valyria of centuries past, the Valyrian gods continue to be worshipped; here, just as in Old Valyria, the most powerful potentates of the city keep their palaces and households (and, of course, their many slaves). As Valyria the city was the heart of the Valyrian empire, the first dwelling place of the ancient Valyrian shepherds, so this city-within-a-city is the "black-walled heart of Old Volantis", the first toehold of the Freehold at the mouth of the Rhoyne, and the center of everything (in the minds of its denizens, at least).

Yet just as Doom came for Valyria and its dragonlords, so Doom is coming for Volantis - and just as Valyria's destruction came from its surroundings, so too will Volantis be destroyed by the very thing which surrounds it. Whether or not Valyria was literally ringed with volcanoes (as suggested in Ted Nasmith's picture), the city certainly seems to have been located near enough to them; indeed, Yandel describes the Valyrians as being "[s]heltered there [i.e. on the Valyrian peninsula], amidst the great volcanic mountains known as the Fourteen Flames". Nestled in the shadow of these volcanoes, cheerfully sending legions of enslaved people to horrible deaths within them, the Valyrian dragonlords little if ever considered how these people might retaliate against their imperial program of cruelty and human misery. If, as the kindly man suggests, the Faceless Men brought the "gift" of death to the Valyrian slave masters, and if, as Yandel offers in TWOIAF, "the assassinations of too many of the reputed mages who renewed and maintained the rituals that banked the fires of the Fourteen Flames" led to the Doom, then it may be supposed that the Fourteen Flames erupted precisely as a punishment on the Valyrians for centuries of slavery - that the very mountains which had concentrated the Valyrians and their power would now be the instrument of their total destruction, wielded by those who had suffered so long under the Valyrian yoke.

The Black Walls, in turn, may be thought as a sort of artificial successor to the Fourteen Flames: not housing dragons but made of "dragonstone", not actively burning with the fire of earth and dragons alike but "fused" using (presumably) dragonflame, but nevertheless great and imposing, just as much the physical symbol of Volantene elite power as the Fourteen Flames had been of Valyrian draconic might. As the Fourteen Flames had shadowed Valyria, marking a sort of border between the city's glory and the world of the Freehold's subjects and slaves beyond (as well as within the volcanoes themselves), so the Black Walls isolate the top tier of Volantis' aristocracy from the "[o]utlanders, foreigners, and freedmen" - and, of course, slaves not assigned to those aristocratic households - who inhabit the rest of the city (especially on the far side of the Long Bridge). Yet as the Valyrians condemned thousands upon thousands of slaves to the fires of the surrounding volcanoes to satisfy their lust for the ore of the mountains, so the Volantene elites consigned the people they deemed unsavory to dwellings outside their city-within-a-city, there to serve the specific labor functions the Volantene Old Blood expect from them. Consequently, just as the slaves of Valyria may well have looked to the Fourteen Flames as apocalyptic punishment on the dragonlords, so the slaves and freedmen outside the Black Walls look to the fire-worshiping priests of R'hllor - and, through them, to the chain-breaking Daenerys and the fires of her dragons. If the Black Walls will not literally erupt and Doom the inhabitants of the city-within-a-city, then I nevertheless expect that, as the Valyrian dragonlords, nestled in the valley of the some or all of the Fourteen Flames, were caught all around by the destruction they themselves had caused, so the Old Blood of Volantis, slumbering in the shadow of the Black Walls, will be surrounded on all sides by the fires of vengeance (literal and metaphorical) when Daenerys comes.

[maximumtalewonderland]

Krakatoa explodes

One of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recorded history occurs on Krakatoa (also called Krakatau), a small, uninhabited volcanic island east of Sumatra and west of Java, on August 27, 1883. Heard 3,000 miles away, the explosions threw five cubic miles of earth 50 miles into the air, created 120-foot tsunamis and killed 36,000 people.

Krakatoa exhibited its first stirrings in more than 200 years on May 20, 1883. A German warship passing by reported a seven-mile high cloud of ash and dust over Krakatoa. For the next two months, similar explosions would be witnessed by commercial liners and natives on nearby Java and Sumatra. With little to no idea of the impending catastrophe, the local inhabitants greeted the volcanic activity with festive excitement.

On August 26 and August 27, excitement turned to horror as Krakatoa literally blew itself apart, setting off a chain of natural disasters that would be felt around the world for years to come. An enormous blast on the afternoon of August 26 destroyed the northern two-thirds of the island; as it plunged into the Sunda Strait, between the Java Sea and Indian Ocean, the gushing mountain generated a series of pyroclastic flows (fast-moving fluid bodies of molten gas, ash and rock) and monstrous tsunamis that swept over nearby coastlines. Four more eruptions beginning at 5:30 a.m. the following day proved cataclysmic. The explosions could be heard as far as 3,000 miles away, and ash was propelled to a height of 50 miles. Fine dust from the explosion drifted around the earth, causing spectacular sunsets and forming an atmospheric veil that lowered temperatures worldwide by several degrees.

Of the estimated 36,000 deaths resulting from the eruption, at least 31,000 were caused by the tsunamis created when much of the island fell into the water. The greatest of these waves measured 120 feet high, and washed over nearby islands, stripping away vegetation and carrying people out to sea. Another 4,500 people were scorched to death from the pyroclastic flows that rolled over the sea, stretching as far as 40 miles, according to some sources.

In addition to Krakatoa, which is still active, Indonesia has another 130 active volcanoes, the most of any country in the world.

[glitteriztical]

i had only 3 hours of sleep and the impending volcanic eruption is messing with my emotions so i'm listening to hozier but now my heart is aching for aziracrow again and it's only 8 in the morning and i'm stuck in work for another 10 hours

[monadhunter]

Mastering Tsunami Science Essential Tips! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIBqssegsbrt__GAJG_xIsQ

Mastering Tsunami Science Essential Tips! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIBqssegsbrt__GAJG_xIsQ https://ift.tt/Mi3Y4Os SUBSCRIBE For More Exciting New Videos Every Week! Mastering Tsunami Science the Tips You Must Know Discover the terrifying power behind tsunamis! In this video, we delve into the science of these colossal waves, triggered by underwater earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or landslides. Learn how tsunamis can travel up to 500 miles per hour, making them nearly invisible in deep waters but causing massive waves as they reach shallow shores. Find out why a sudden and unusual retreat of the ocean from the shore can be a critical warning sign of an impending tsunami, and why swift evacuation to higher ground can save lives. Don’t miss this essential information on natural disasters! youtube.com/channel/UCIBqssegsbrt__GAJG_xIsQ?sub_confirmation=1 #tsunami SUBSCRIBE For More Exciting New Videos Every Week! from GSD Brainers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUSIvjocJTc via GSD Brainers https://ift.tt/qR8y7b5 August 21, 2024 at 05:44PM

[viviantnolan]

Mastering Tsunami Science Essential Tips! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIBqssegsbrt__GAJG_xIsQ

Mastering Tsunami Science Essential Tips! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIBqssegsbrt__GAJG_xIsQ https://ift.tt/2AJomMR SUBSCRIBE For More Exciting New Videos Every Week! Mastering Tsunami Science the Tips You Must Know Discover the terrifying power behind tsunamis! In this video, we delve into the science of these colossal waves, triggered by underwater earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or landslides. Learn how tsunamis can travel up to 500 miles per hour, making them nearly invisible in deep waters but causing massive waves as they reach shallow shores. Find out why a sudden and unusual retreat of the ocean from the shore can be a critical warning sign of an impending tsunami, and why swift evacuation to higher ground can save lives. Don’t miss this essential information on natural disasters! youtube.com/channel/UCIBqssegsbrt__GAJG_xIsQ?sub_confirmation=1 #tsunami SUBSCRIBE For More Exciting New Videos Every Week! from GSD Brainers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUSIvjocJTc via GSD Brainers https://ift.tt/uNT7PhJ August 21, 2024 at 05:44PM

[tanyarperez]

Mastering Tsunami Science Essential Tips! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIBqssegsbrt__GAJG_xIsQ

Mastering Tsunami Science Essential Tips! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIBqssegsbrt__GAJG_xIsQ https://ift.tt/TYVg35J SUBSCRIBE For More Exciting New Videos Every Week! Mastering Tsunami Science the Tips You Must Know Discover the terrifying power behind tsunamis! In this video, we delve into the science of these colossal waves, triggered by underwater earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or landslides. Learn how tsunamis can travel up to 500 miles per hour, making them nearly invisible in deep waters but causing massive waves as they reach shallow shores. Find out why a sudden and unusual retreat of the ocean from the shore can be a critical warning sign of an impending tsunami, and why swift evacuation to higher ground can save lives. Don’t miss this essential information on natural disasters! youtube.com/channel/UCIBqssegsbrt__GAJG_xIsQ?sub_confirmation=1 #tsunami SUBSCRIBE For More Exciting New Videos Every Week! from GSD Brainers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUSIvjocJTc via GSD Brainers https://ift.tt/xY2Vho3 August 21, 2024 at 05:44PM