00:00These disturbing rumblings, the ground shaking under your feet, wait a little, it's my belly,
00:07or maybe it's Mount Adams, in the state of Washington, waking up.
00:12This is the largest volcano in this state, so much surface in volume.
00:17And it has recently started to show signs of life, after being silent for thousands
00:22of years.
00:23Scientists have noticed an alarming increase in seismic activity around the mountain.
00:28The last eruption occurred 3,800 to 7,600 years ago, humanity was still at the age of stone.
00:36This sudden locality aroused the curiosity of scientists.
00:40The American Geological Institute, or USGS, was in a hurry to set up temporary seismic stations
00:46around Mount Adams to monitor the situation.
00:49At the same time, it reassures the public by telling them that there is no need to panic.
00:54Mount Adams does not reach the height of Mount Rainier, better known.
00:57It is no less so that it covers a vast area, making it the largest active volcano in the
01:02state of Washington.
01:03It is interesting to note that before September of this year, Mount Adams had on average
01:08experienced only one small earthquake every two or three years since 1982.
01:14However, the Cascades Volcanological Observatory and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
01:20detected a total of six earthquakes in the space of a single month, in September.
01:25These earthquakes were all tiny, with a magnitude between 0.9 and 2 on the Richter scale.
01:33In other words, they were so weak that no one felt them on the surface.
01:38In addition, the satellite imagery confirmed that there was no deformation of the ground
01:42in the region.
01:44For the moment, the USGS maintains the alert level of Mount Adams on normal green.
01:48So we have no reason to fear that the ground will tear and swallow cities and villages.
01:53But the latest seismic shocks have encouraged the agency to install additional equipment
01:58for more precise monitoring.
02:01This extensive network will allow scientists to detect the smallest earthquakes, which
02:06will help them understand what is happening under Mount Adams.
02:10These instruments could also allow to determine whether this recent activity is an annunciator
02:15of future eruptions, or if it is simply a fortuitous anomaly.
02:20If Mount Adams erupts, it is likely that it produces slow-evolving lava flows rather
02:25than explosive eruptions like that of Mount St. Helens.
02:29After all, past eruptions have led to lava flows that spread only a few kilometers
02:34from the volcano.
02:35So this is not something to worry about.
02:38The lahars, these bubbling flows that form when volcanic ashes, rocks and melted ice
02:43mix during an eruption, are much more dangerous.
02:47Lahars have already formed near Mount Adams, even in the absence of eruptions.
02:52The rock, weakened by the hydrothermal processes at the top of the volcano, suddenly detached,
02:57creating rapid and destructive mudslides.
03:00This is precisely why the USGS ranks Mount Adams in the high-risk volcano category.
03:07Although it does not frequently erupt, it is still a serious danger to neighboring
03:11localities.
03:13The Katla, in Iceland, is another volcano to closely monitor.
03:17It is one of the most powerful and dangerous volcanoes in the country.
03:21Its last eruption dates back more than a century, in 1918.
03:25But if it erupts again, its power could be ten times greater than that of another
03:31Icelandic volcano, which I can't pronounce the name of, sorry.
03:35The latter erupted in 2010, completely disrupting air transport throughout Europe.
03:42An eruption of the Katla could release large amounts of sulfur dioxide, which could
03:46form sulfated aerosols in the atmosphere.
03:49These aerosols reflect the sun's light, which could even cause a temporary cooling
03:54of the planet.
03:55Such a phenomenon has often occurred after catastrophic volcanic eruptions in the past.
04:01Although eruptions are rare in Iceland, the Katla ash cloud would probably rise
04:06higher in the European sky and cover larger areas than that of the other volcano.
04:11It would nail planes to the ground and have negative impacts on the economy of the
04:16concerned countries.
04:17The Katla eruption would also harm agriculture, water supply and air quality.
04:24In 2014, scientists noted that a large-scale eruption could even cause a tsunami that
04:31would spread along the southern coast of Iceland and into the ocean.
04:35But the potential impact of such a tsunami is not yet clear.
04:39The Katla tends to erupt at regular intervals, every 40 to 80 years.
04:44This means that a new eruption is statistically very likely in the near future.
04:50This is why the Katla remains under close scientific surveillance.
04:55The Vieja Chamber on the Canary Islands recently erupted in 2021, reminding us of its destructive
05:01potential.
05:03The lava flow of this eruption was devastating.
05:06It covered entire neighborhoods and poured into the ocean, destroying more than 3,000
05:11houses.
05:12Thousands of people must have been evacuated.
05:14But the craziest thing?
05:16Even if the damage was significant, scientists think the situation could have been much worse.
05:22A massive eruption of the Vieja Chamber could have caused the collapse of the entire
05:27western flank of the volcano in the Atlantic Ocean, triggering a mega-tsunami.
05:32This hypothetical tsunami could have created waves several dozen, even hundreds of meters
05:37high.
05:38They could have flooded the coasts of the Atlantic Basin, including some parts of the
05:43United States and Europe.
05:45Fortunately, recent studies have shown that a collapse of this magnitude is unlikely.
05:51Even if the probability of a mega-tsunami is low, scientists think it is wise to prepare
05:57for possible eruptions, because the damage may be considerable.
06:01The lava flows that occur on this volcano tend to be important and dangerous to human
06:06life and the island's infrastructure.
06:10If you decide to go to Ecuador, you must beware of Cotopaxi, one of the most active
06:15volcanoes in the country.
06:16Since 2022, it has experienced a few minor eruptions.
06:19If these eruptions were relatively low, Cotopaxi has a high potential for major eruptions,
06:24which has put scientists on alert.
06:27If Cotopaxi erupted on a large scale, it could produce a cloud of ash over 19 kilometers
06:33high, endangering the lives of about 200,000 people in the neighboring region.
06:37The snowy top of Cotopaxi is a serious danger.
06:41It would melt very quickly in the event of a major eruption.
06:44This could lead to floods and landslides that could reach populated areas.
06:50This combination of volcanic activity and glacial flooding makes Cotopaxi a high-risk
06:55volcano.
06:56A powerful eruption could occur soon, or in several years, or even a few decades.
07:01But surveillance measures have been put in place to detect any signs of an avant-garde.
07:05The next volcano to be monitored is already sadly famous.
07:09Mount Vesuvius.
07:11Its catastrophic eruption in 1979 destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
07:18Its last eruption dates back to 1944.
07:22But Vesuvius remains very active and represents a major risk for Naples, one of the largest
07:27cities in Italy.
07:29A major eruption would threaten more than 3 million people.
07:33A large part of the population lives near the volcano, some even directly on its slopes.
07:39If Vesuvius erupted, we would witness an explosion of ash, rocks and gas.
07:45All ejected at extremely high speeds.
07:48Even if we do not expect such a destructive event a few hundred years from now, Vesuvius
07:53remains one of the most monitored volcanoes in the world.
07:55After all, it could cause catastrophic damage in a densely populated area.
08:01The Popocatépetl, nicknamed El Popo, is one of the most important volcanoes in North America.
08:07It is one of the highest active volcanoes in the region, located about 64 km from Mexico.
08:13This proximity with a metropolitan area of 22 million inhabitants makes the Popocatépetl
08:18particularly dangerous.
08:20A major eruption could produce a huge cloud of ash above the Mexican capital,
08:26causing widespread disruption.
08:28The ashes could obstruct the city's drainage systems, contaminate water reserves,
08:33and even cause power outages by short-circuiting electrical systems.
08:37In addition, lahars could swallow the volcano and reach neighboring cities.
08:42The Popocatépetl has had an almost constant seismic activity since the early 2000s,
08:47and small eruptions are quite frequent.
08:50At the beginning of 2024, 13 minor eruptions were recorded, which alarmed neighboring cities.
08:56However, volcanologists consider that such eruptions are normal for the Popocatépetl.
09:03If we talk about super dangerous volcanoes, we cannot ignore Yellowstone National Park.
09:09It houses one of the largest supervolcanoes in the world.
09:12Its last massive eruption occurred about 640,000 years ago.
09:16But if this monster erupted today, the impact would be much more devastating for the whole planet.
09:23The states closest to Yellowstone, including Montana, Idaho and Wyoming,
09:28would be the most affected and would probably suffer disastrous pyroclastic flows.
09:34These flows, composed of a dangerous mixture of lava, ash and gas,
09:38can destroy everything in their path.
09:41Large parts of the country would also be covered with volcanic ash, more than a meter in some regions.
09:46On a global scale, an eruption in Yellowstone would send tons of ash and gas into the stratosphere,
09:52which would risk blocking sunlight and causing global temperatures to drop for several years.
09:58This would disrupt agriculture, destroy transport systems and cause large-scale food shortages.
10:05However, if a popular myth wants Yellowstone to be close to erupting and even late,
10:11geologists say it is not true.
10:13Volcanoes do not follow a specific calendar, and the activity of the region does not indicate an imminent eruption.
10:19So this is good news.
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