The world's biggest volcano

crocodile deathroll · 16th January 2006, 11:24 PM

It has just occurred to me, the world's largest volcano is not as one would expect in Indonesia, Hawaii or Japan - or even Yellowstone (a volcano which could be 1000 time more explosive than Mt St Helens did in 1980) . But in one of the more unlikely places not known for it's volcanic activity. This place is the Great Artesian Basin in outback Australia, the largest artesian basin on earth and also may well be the world's biggest volcano. Over 700 hundred mound springs are active today; many of them extremely hot.
It was a common fallacy for over a century that the waters of the GAB was due to rainfall on exposed sediments even though such flow of groundwater can be shown to be physically impossible. It is in Prof Lance A Endersbee's view that the groundwaters in the Basin are derived from deep within the Earth.
His web page is here

There is now reliable evidence the upper mantle is a highly probable source of as such copious amounts of it are in fact more than 400 kilometres inside the Earth there may be enough water to replace the surface oceans more than ten times.
Read here

It is in my view that if the GAB were to erupt it would probably hit the Australian regolith like a bullet though glass and open up a great rift valley splitting the island continent in two.
Volcanos of this magnitude have happened before on this Earth. The last one was in Ethiopia about 30 million years ago leading to formation of the Great Rift Valley and the Red and Mediterranean sea. The Earth did survive that one and I am sure it will survive this. Albeit Australia would be a little worse for wear if it happens here again any time soon.

Not being a prophet of doom I feel I have to assure people that eruptions of this kind may be spaced tens of millions of years apart so the frequency of such eruptions would be even far more infrequent than eruptions at Yellowstone which may erupt at intervals of 800 thousand years. So I do not feel I need to be in any hurry to pack up and leave Australia.

CDR

LawnOven · 16th January 2006, 11:39 PM

Quote:

So I do not feel I need to be in any hurry to pack up and leave Australia.

That's it! I'm packing up and leaving Austrailia!

Oh, wait...

fishbob · 16th January 2006, 11:40 PM

Both links go to the deep waters paper.
Neither link goes to Endersbee's web page.

LawnOven · 16th January 2006, 11:40 PM

But seriously, thanks for sharing

Bone_Vulture · 16th January 2006, 11:56 PM

Originally Posted by crocodile deathroll

There is now reliable evidence the upper mantle is a highly probable source of as such copious amounts of it are in fact more than 400 kilometres inside the Earth there may be enough water to replace the surface oceans more than ten times.
Read here

I wonder how many creationist sites are out there already, using this as evidence for a biblical flood?

Soapy Sam · 17th January 2006, 12:38 AM

Water is a chemical like any other. Minerals are chemicals. Rocks are made of minerals. Of course there's water in the mantle. I wouldn't advise drinking it though. It contains DHMO and it's hot.

Interesting thread. I confess to knowing next to nothing about the geology of Australia. Time I found out.

crocodile deathroll · 17th January 2006, 06:06 AM

Originally Posted by fishbob

Both links go to the deep waters paper.
Neither link goes to Endersbee's web page.

Sorry about that I should have tested it, Endersbee's web page is
here
He thinks the it is a relic from fifty million years ago. I hope he is right
Another concerning volcanism in the GAB is here

Soapy Sam · 18th January 2006, 06:11 AM

It reads rather strangely to me. If the section is correct, I see no reason why it should not be an artesian basin, but I confess again to an almost total ignorance of the detailed geology of the area.
His credentials look good. I would be interested to know what his colleagues think.

fishbob · 19th January 2006, 12:45 AM

Originally Posted by crocodile deathroll

He thinks the it is a relic from fifty million years ago. I hope he is right.

I don't see nearly enough information to begin considering what to think about whether he might be right or not.

crocodile deathroll · 19th January 2006, 05:37 AM

One thing I find interesting it that the GAB is very low thermal conductivity sediments superposed of a bed of extremely hot granite covering over a million square kilometers in area. This geothermal energy source is sure to become energy bonanza for Australia which should cater for the country's energy needs for centuries to come. But the down side is it may create a pressure cooker effect and increase convection in the underlying mantle leading to the formation of catastrophic new magna plume breaking the continent apart.
Probably why the most explosive volcanic upheavals have by on the thick lithosphere over land on not at the oceans like with Hawaii

aggle-rithm · 19th January 2006, 05:47 AM

Originally Posted by Bone_Vulture

I wonder how many creationist sites are out there already, using this as evidence for a biblical flood?

Funny how the fundamentalists pick and choose which scientific factoids they can exploit to support their cause, while rejecting all the rest of science as ungodly. I remember when the analysis of mitochondrial DNA led to the discovery that all humans descended from a single female. A minister on the radio said, "They didn't have to go to all that trouble. They could have just read the Bible!"

See how much simpler life is if we simply turn off our brains? Come, join us!

Correa Neto · 19th January 2006, 07:08 AM

I say: Flee from Australia before the impendig catastrophe!

Since I am a very nice person, I offer myself to buy your estate, in order to make the beginning of a new life easier. Sure, I will be able to pay only a minimal percentage of today´s value, since I am trying to help as many people as possible and my resources are limited. But think of this: once buried by tons of lava and ash or blasted in pieces, it will be worth of nothing. Specially if you are dead.

I can also sell lands in other countries for those willing to migrate. Sure, the price will be somewhat higher, due to market's constraints.

Diamond · 19th January 2006, 10:38 AM

In 50 million years Australia has moved an awful long way. There's no evidence that Australia is under a mantle plume now

jj · 19th January 2006, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by Diamond

In 50 million years Australia has moved an awful long way. There's no evidence that Australia is under a mantle plume now

Any idea where said plume is, now, or if it even exists? The whole "plume" thing looks a lot like a probabilistic sort of thing, to say the least.

Bone_Vulture · 19th January 2006, 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by jj

Any idea where said plume is, now, or if it even exists? The whole "plume" thing looks a lot like a probabilistic sort of thing, to say the least.

Wish I knew more about how the Earth's crust has acted in the course of millions of years. It's an interesting thought; that there might be solid volcanic conduits, that have scorched and pockmarked the continents slowly shifting over them.

Moon-Spinner · 19th January 2006, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by Correa Neto

I say: Flee from Australia before the impendig catastrophe!

That's right, and moved to nice, quiet cottage near Yellowstone Park...
http://www.unmuseum.org/supervol.htm

crocodile deathroll · 19th January 2006, 03:39 PM

Originally Posted by aggle-rithm

Funny how the fundamentalists pick and choose which scientific factoids they can exploit to support their cause, while rejecting all the rest of science as ungodly. I remember when the analysis of mitochondrial DNA led to the discovery that all humans descended from a single female. A minister on the radio said, "They didn't have to go to all that trouble. They could have just read the Bible!"

See how much simpler life is if we simply turn off our brains? Come, join us!

That is the old Eve hypothesis, the fundamentalists were having a field day just in view of the theory's name alone. I just pondered over it at the time why did the scientist call it the Eve hypothesis?
I hope no scientist refers to those deep mantle waters as the Noah hypothesis.

CDR

crocodile deathroll · 19th January 2006, 04:00 PM

Originally Posted by Diamond

In 50 million years Australia has moved an awful long way. There's no evidence that Australia is under a mantle plume now

Under a mantle plume, I should think not. Australia would be thousands kilometers underground inside the inner mantle. Glad there is no evidence of that.
Over a mantle plume there is evidence of five hot spots that probably are caused by one of those theoretical mantle plumes, one is under Mt Gambier where there have been explosive Holocene maar eruptions as well as numerous cinder cones and another in North Queensland that under the Pleistocene Undara lava tubes the largest lava tube complex in the world. There is also two hotspots nearby in the Tasman sea and one at Macquarie Island.

CDR

Soapy Sam · 20th January 2006, 04:06 AM

Originally Posted by Diamond

In 50 million years Australia has moved an awful long way. There's no evidence that Australia is under a mantle plume now

Well- Oz might be "under" the mantle from where Diamond is sitting. It's under everything else...

16th January 2006, 11:24 PM	#1
crocodile deathroll Muse Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Darwin Posts: 620	The world's biggest volcano It has just occurred to me, the world's largest volcano is not as one would expect in Indonesia, Hawaii or Japan - or even Yellowstone (a volcano which could be 1000 time more explosive than Mt St Helens did in 1980) . But in one of the more unlikely places not known for it's volcanic activity. This place is the Great Artesian Basin in outback Australia, the largest artesian basin on earth and also may well be the world's biggest volcano. Over 700 hundred mound springs are active today; many of them extremely hot. It was a common fallacy for over a century that the waters of the GAB was due to rainfall on exposed sediments even though such flow of groundwater can be shown to be physically impossible. It is in Prof Lance A Endersbee's view that the groundwaters in the Basin are derived from deep within the Earth. His web page is here There is now reliable evidence the upper mantle is a highly probable source of as such copious amounts of it are in fact more than 400 kilometres inside the Earth there may be enough water to replace the surface oceans more than ten times. Read here It is in my view that if the GAB were to erupt it would probably hit the Australian regolith like a bullet though glass and open up a great rift valley splitting the island continent in two. Volcanos of this magnitude have happened before on this Earth. The last one was in Ethiopia about 30 million years ago leading to formation of the Great Rift Valley and the Red and Mediterranean sea. The Earth did survive that one and I am sure it will survive this. Albeit Australia would be a little worse for wear if it happens here again any time soon. Not being a prophet of doom I feel I have to assure people that eruptions of this kind may be spaced tens of millions of years apart so the frequency of such eruptions would be even far more infrequent than eruptions at Yellowstone which may erupt at intervals of 800 thousand years. So I do not feel I need to be in any hurry to pack up and leave Australia. CDR
	__________________ Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company Mark Twain Last edited by crocodile deathroll; 16th January 2006 at 11:37 PM. Reason: spelling

16th January 2006, 11:39 PM	#2
LawnOven robot Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Matsuyama... well close to it anyways Posts: 1,302	Quote: So I do not feel I need to be in any hurry to pack up and leave Australia. That's it! I'm packing up and leaving Austrailia! Oh, wait...
	__________________ Principia Discordia

16th January 2006, 11:40 PM	#3
fishbob Seasonally Disaffected Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chilly Undieville Posts: 4,817	Both links go to the deep waters paper. Neither link goes to Endersbee's web page.
	__________________ When you believe in things you don't understand, then you suffer . . . " - Stevie Wonder Arlen Specter to Alberto Gonzales: "You may be treading on your interdiction and violating common sense, Mr. Attorney General." I hate bigots.

16th January 2006, 11:40 PM	#4
LawnOven robot Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Matsuyama... well close to it anyways Posts: 1,302	But seriously, thanks for sharing
	__________________ Principia Discordia

17th January 2006, 12:38 AM	#6
Soapy Sam NLH Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 19,602	Water is a chemical like any other. Minerals are chemicals. Rocks are made of minerals. Of course there's water in the mantle. I wouldn't advise drinking it though. It contains DHMO and it's hot. Interesting thread. I confess to knowing next to nothing about the geology of Australia. Time I found out.
Soapy Sam NLH Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 19,602

16th January 2006, 11:56 PM	#5
Bone_Vulture Appealing and hollow Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Espoo, Finland Posts: 487	Originally Posted by crocodile deathroll There is now reliable evidence the upper mantle is a highly probable source of as such copious amounts of it are in fact more than 400 kilometres inside the Earth there may be enough water to replace the surface oceans more than ten times. Read here I wonder how many creationist sites are out there already, using this as evidence for a biblical flood?

17th January 2006, 06:06 AM	#7
crocodile deathroll Muse Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Darwin Posts: 620	Originally Posted by fishbob Both links go to the deep waters paper. Neither link goes to Endersbee's web page. Sorry about that I should have tested it, Endersbee's web page is here He thinks the it is a relic from fifty million years ago. I hope he is right Another concerning volcanism in the GAB is here
	__________________ Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company Mark Twain Last edited by crocodile deathroll; 17th January 2006 at 06:25 AM.

18th January 2006, 06:11 AM	#8
Soapy Sam NLH Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 19,602	It reads rather strangely to me. If the section is correct, I see no reason why it should not be an artesian basin, but I confess again to an almost total ignorance of the detailed geology of the area. His credentials look good. I would be interested to know what his colleagues think.
Soapy Sam NLH Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 19,602

19th January 2006, 12:45 AM	#9
fishbob Seasonally Disaffected Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chilly Undieville Posts: 4,817	Originally Posted by crocodile deathroll He thinks the it is a relic from fifty million years ago. I hope he is right. I don't see nearly enough information to begin considering what to think about whether he might be right or not.
	__________________ When you believe in things you don't understand, then you suffer . . . " - Stevie Wonder Arlen Specter to Alberto Gonzales: "You may be treading on your interdiction and violating common sense, Mr. Attorney General." I hate bigots.

19th January 2006, 05:37 AM	#10
crocodile deathroll Muse Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Darwin Posts: 620	One thing I find interesting it that the GAB is very low thermal conductivity sediments superposed of a bed of extremely hot granite covering over a million square kilometers in area. This geothermal energy source is sure to become energy bonanza for Australia which should cater for the country's energy needs for centuries to come. But the down side is it may create a pressure cooker effect and increase convection in the underlying mantle leading to the formation of catastrophic new magna plume breaking the continent apart. Probably why the most explosive volcanic upheavals have by on the thick lithosphere over land on not at the oceans like with Hawaii
	__________________ Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company Mark Twain

19th January 2006, 05:47 AM	#11
aggle-rithm Philosopher Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 7,826	Originally Posted by Bone_Vulture I wonder how many creationist sites are out there already, using this as evidence for a biblical flood? Funny how the fundamentalists pick and choose which scientific factoids they can exploit to support their cause, while rejecting all the rest of science as ungodly. I remember when the analysis of mitochondrial DNA led to the discovery that all humans descended from a single female. A minister on the radio said, "They didn't have to go to all that trouble. They could have just read the Bible!" See how much simpler life is if we simply turn off our brains? Come, join us!
	__________________ To understand recursion, you must first understand recursion. Woo's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be adequately explained by aliens.

19th January 2006, 07:08 AM	#12
Correa Neto Philosopher Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Hunting rocks somewhere in Brazil Posts: 5,370	I say: Flee from Australia before the impendig catastrophe! Since I am a very nice person, I offer myself to buy your estate, in order to make the beginning of a new life easier. Sure, I will be able to pay only a minimal percentage of today´s value, since I am trying to help as many people as possible and my resources are limited. But think of this: once buried by tons of lava and ash or blasted in pieces, it will be worth of nothing. Specially if you are dead. I can also sell lands in other countries for those willing to migrate. Sure, the price will be somewhat higher, due to market's constraints.
	__________________ Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room! President Merkin Muffley

19th January 2006, 10:38 AM	#13
Diamond SkepticWiki Founder Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: 'Stralia Posts: 4,748	In 50 million years Australia has moved an awful long way. There's no evidence that Australia is under a mantle plume now
	__________________ "The good thing about the Internet is that no matter how many repressed cretins with outmoded morals and religious fundamentalist idiots hate what you have to say, they cannot burn a website." -www.rinderpest.com

19th January 2006, 12:07 PM	#14
jj grumpy old skeptic Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Redmond, Washington Posts: 14,801	Originally Posted by Diamond In 50 million years Australia has moved an awful long way. There's no evidence that Australia is under a mantle plume now Any idea where said plume is, now, or if it even exists? The whole "plume" thing looks a lot like a probabilistic sort of thing, to say the least.
	__________________ Watch the looting. Those "left behind" are a lot less poor than they were on Sunday. They're mostly black, too, from all accounts. - Jocko, 09-01-05 What did you think would happen when there was no police around? NO has a concentration of African Americans, most of the residents there are black. - JayGW 09-02-05 The 'tards. The window lickers. The mouth breathers. Duh.Jocko 04-13-06 The power to quit.

19th January 2006, 12:26 PM	#15
Bone_Vulture Appealing and hollow Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Espoo, Finland Posts: 487	Originally Posted by jj Any idea where said plume is, now, or if it even exists? The whole "plume" thing looks a lot like a probabilistic sort of thing, to say the least. Wish I knew more about how the Earth's crust has acted in the course of millions of years. It's an interesting thought; that there might be solid volcanic conduits, that have scorched and pockmarked the continents slowly shifting over them.
	__________________ "Must confess, Satan rocks."

19th January 2006, 01:49 PM	#16
Moon-Spinner Muse Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Within a star too far to dream of Posts: 884	Originally Posted by Correa Neto I say: Flee from Australia before the impendig catastrophe! That's right, and moved to nice, quiet cottage near Yellowstone Park... http://www.unmuseum.org/supervol.htm

19th January 2006, 03:39 PM	#17
crocodile deathroll Muse Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Darwin Posts: 620	Originally Posted by aggle-rithm Funny how the fundamentalists pick and choose which scientific factoids they can exploit to support their cause, while rejecting all the rest of science as ungodly. I remember when the analysis of mitochondrial DNA led to the discovery that all humans descended from a single female. A minister on the radio said, "They didn't have to go to all that trouble. They could have just read the Bible!" See how much simpler life is if we simply turn off our brains? Come, join us! That is the old Eve hypothesis, the fundamentalists were having a field day just in view of the theory's name alone. I just pondered over it at the time why did the scientist call it the Eve hypothesis? I hope no scientist refers to those deep mantle waters as the Noah hypothesis. CDR
	__________________ Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company Mark Twain

19th January 2006, 04:00 PM	#18
crocodile deathroll Muse Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Darwin Posts: 620	Originally Posted by Diamond In 50 million years Australia has moved an awful long way. There's no evidence that Australia is under a mantle plume now Under a mantle plume, I should think not. Australia would be thousands kilometers underground inside the inner mantle. Glad there is no evidence of that. Over a mantle plume there is evidence of five hot spots that probably are caused by one of those theoretical mantle plumes, one is under Mt Gambier where there have been explosive Holocene maar eruptions as well as numerous cinder cones and another in North Queensland that under the Pleistocene Undara lava tubes the largest lava tube complex in the world. There is also two hotspots nearby in the Tasman sea and one at Macquarie Island. CDR
	__________________ Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company Mark Twain Last edited by crocodile deathroll; 19th January 2006 at 04:07 PM.

20th January 2006, 04:06 AM	#19
Soapy Sam NLH Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 19,602	Originally Posted by Diamond In 50 million years Australia has moved an awful long way. There's no evidence that Australia is under a mantle plume now Well- Oz might be "under" the mantle from where Diamond is sitting. It's under everything else...
Soapy Sam NLH Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 19,602