North Korea's nuclear test 'could jolt volcano back to life'

www.telegraph.co.uk ^ | 3:56PM GMT 18 Feb 2016 | By Julian Ryall, Tokyo

[Red Badger]

Experts say one of Mount Paekdu's previous eruptions was 'one of the largest explosive events in human history'

Seismologists have warned that North Korea's repeated nuclear tests could cause its highest mountain Mount Paekdu to erupt - and they add that one of the volcano's previous eruptions was "one of the largest explosive events in human history".

More than 9,000 feet high, the volcano straddles the border between North Korea and China and last erupted in 1903. Experts have warned of increasing seismic activity beneath the peak in recent years, however, including seismic uplift and rising levels of sulphur dioxide, suggesting that the magma chamber is expanding.

Just 72 miles from North Korea's Punggye-ri proving grounds - where satellite images suggest that Pyongyang may already be ready to carry out a fifth underground nuclear test - scientists believe another detonation could jolt the dormant volcano back into life.

In a paper published in Nature, four South Korean scientists, led by Hong Tae-kyung, stated, "Strong ground motions induce large dynamic stress changes that may disturb the magma chamber of a volcano, thus accelerating the volcanic activity.

"An underground nuclear explosion near an active volcano constitutes a direct threat to the volcano".

[ETL]

"I wonder what would happen if someone drilled a shaft down into Yellowstone at the volcanic caldera and detonated a nuke in it?"

That "solution" to relieve pressure has been talked about for awhile. Don't know if it's actually ever been tried or not. Not nukes, but some sort of large explosive device. Sounds like it could potentially work if placed in the right location.

[Mouton]

Maybe the Norks can do what LeMay wasn’t allowed to.

and MacArthur.

[Mouton]

Would you take a chance that our government could actually accomplish this in a correct fashion??

[SandRat]

See Reply #4.

[PATRIOT1876]

Oh yeah, this is the Gilligan episode where Vito Scotti played Kim Il-sung and talked the professor into starting up the volcano again.

[ETL]

Related...

From USGS.gov:

Can you release some of the pressure at Yellowstone by drilling into the volcano?

Scientists agree that drilling into a volcano would be of questionable usefulness. Notwithstanding the enormous expense and technological difficulties in drilling through hot, mushy rock, drilling is unlikely to have much effect.

At near magmatic temperatures and pressures, any hole would rapidly become sealed by minerals crystallizing from the natural fluids that are present at those depths.

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone/yellowstone_sub_page_50.html

[Red Badger]

Gilligan Obozo will screw it up!.....guaranteed!.............

[ETL]

A nearby volcano is about to erupt, and the Jupiter-2 is close enough to be in jeopardy. In order to avert this catastrophe, Don and Dr. Smith have set out in the chariot with explosives to cap the volcano before it can cause any harm.

When Don and Smith arrive at the volcano's base they are taken prisoner by a tribe of cavemen. They see the cavemen worshiping a giant computer. The tribe's spokesman, Rongah, says the computer is Protineus, their leader. Protineus thinks the presence of humans contaminates their future destiny and orders Smith and Don to be put in quarantine in a cave.

Meanwhile, the crew of the Jupiter 2 find they have lost communication with the chariot and John goes out in the space pod to search. Will and the Robot decide to conduct a secret search of their own and find the chariot covered in vines. Apparently, it has somehow become 'primitive.' John meets up with Will and the Robot, and Will tells his father what he has seen.

Locked away in the cave, Don and Smith dig a hole so they can plant an explosive. They set the timer it and run for cover. Don almost falls to his death, but in a strange act of bravery Dr. Smith pulls him to safety and saves his life. They then discover that the entrance to the cave has collapsed and they are sealed inside. Having no method of escape, there is little they can do but sit and wait in the hope that they will be rescued. Since they have a lot of time on their hands, Don and Smith get to talking and they decide that they are friends.

John and Will sneak up on the cavemen while the Robot disguises himself as one of them and blends in. Rongah spots John and takes all three of them prisoner. John decides to challenge the authority of Protineus, claiming that the Robot can do anything that the computer can do. The Robot then goes about impressing the cavemen with a variety of magic tricks until Protineus becomes annoyed with him and shrinks him.

While the cavemen are distracted by the Robot's show, John rescues Don and Dr. Smith and manages to cap the volcano just in time to prevent an eruption. Protineus mends his ways and vanishes along with his tribe of followers. The Robot is returned to normal, and Don and Smith become enemies once again.

http://lostinspace.wikia.com/wiki/The_Space_Primevals

[Leaning Right]

All we have to do is tell them they shouldn't and they will........................

Slight correction, if you don't mind: All we have to do is tell them they shouldn't, pay them so they won't, and they will........................

[JimSEA]

That’s an ominous photo! It could be a bad day for a lot more than China and North Korea. From the looks of the “fresh” lava up so far from the crater lake, the last eruption was all the article says it was.

[JimSEA]

Yeah, you’d be drilling into a hot plastic like material that would just plug the little hole. It wouldn’t be like drilling into a very low viscosity material. Of course the mental picture of a drill rig exploding with a great plume of fire would make a good movie. I guess it’s already been done.

[SevenofNine]

Yup I just hope Godzilla nail Chia Chub one of these days LOL!

[SevenofNine]

I think it would wake up Jet Jaguar and Montha

[ETL]

Yeah, you'd be drilling into a hot plastic like material that would just plug the little hole.

How about a drill encased within a thick pipe such to prevent the hole from filling in? Then they can pull the drill out after they've reached the hot molten fluid core of the volcano?

[SgtHooper]

Depends on the yield, but I doubt it would have much effect.

[JediJones]

If we're not careful, we could have World War 3 on our hands.

[JimSEA]

How’d you get the “gunk” up the hole. Plus, you’d be dealing with felsic material with a lot of gas and water not separated yet from the lava. You’d probably have a non event.

There is undoubtedly a lot of faulting that would provide a route up and out if the lava is mafic and flows easily. Like what you get in Iceland.

[ETL]

How'd you get the 'gunk' up the hole.

Not sure what you mean. Are you referring to molten or semi-molten material going up the open front end of the pipe?

[clearcarbon]

"North Korea's nuclear test 'could jolt volcano back to life'"

Global warming effects they allow decades for, but volcanic response to man-made stimuli they expect on demand.

[JimSEA]

When a volcano “explodes” it’s a rhyollte magma. Very high viscosity with lots of water and gas under great pressure. When it gets to the upper levels of the volcano where the pressure holding the gas and water lessens, you have a big explosion. This stuff is plastic in the magma chamber and on its way up, it causes lots of faults. It’s not liquid or even like honey so it won’t go up a drill hole. I suppose a basalt lava might if the diameter of the hole was large enough but I don’t know.

If you go to a smelter, you will immediately see the difficulty they have keeping the tuyeres and tap holes open. The slag will solidify if there is any lessening of hear so lances are used to keep it flowing. The drill hole will have rapidly decreasing heat as you go up and I can’t think of any way to avoid that if you’re going any distance. You can’t artificially retain the heat and pressure of the magma chamber.