8/2: Volcanic stuff

[CyclopONE]

Originally posted by Shivetya
I would love to see just what Mother Nature can do, remembering that Pintabu (spelling) supposedly beat man out easily when it went off.

Yeah, Pinatobo(sp?) was a big eruption. However, you should take a look at the Krakatoa eruption of 1883 in Indonesia. Some quick facts:

-the explosion was heard as far away as Australia.
-After the eruption, only 1/3 of the island remained, the rest having been sunk into the ocean.
-the total amounts of ash, dust, etc, was enough to lower global temperatures by 1.2C. Global temps did not return to normal until 1888, five years after the eruption.
-The total energy released by the eruption was about 200 MegaTons of TNT. By comparison, the Hiroshima bomb was only 20 KiloTons.

I'm always in awe of the power of Mother Nature's fury. If you've ever seen a tornado in person, you'll know what I mean.

-Cyc