- 2 weeks ago
Join us on an awe-inspiring journey as we delve into the mesmerizing world of volcanoes and their fiery eruptions
Category
🎈
FunTranscript
00:00The ground shakes beneath you. The pictures rattle on the walls. You hear a rumble off in the distance. Then,
00:06boom, a deafening explosion.
00:09The shockwave blasts through the windows and sets off car alarms. You duck under the dining table for cover, but
00:15then you remember you live not far from a supervolcano in the middle of a tropical jungle.
00:20So, staying in one place isn't a good idea. The shaking finally halts. You take this chance to peek outside
00:27and see a giant cloud of smoke covering the sky.
00:31It's lunchtime, but you wouldn't know it. The sun is completely veiled and darkness falls. The power is out in
00:37the whole city.
00:38In this darkness, you see red molten lava shooting from the sky and spilling on the rim.
00:44You run outside, along with dozens of your neighbors. Your priority right now? Find safe shelter and fans.
00:52You think about taking the car, but with everyone running on the road, that's a no-go.
00:56So, you run on foot where the crowd is going.
01:00Supervolcanoes are in a league of their own when it comes to natural disasters.
01:03Surprisingly, it's not all about size or height.
01:06A volcano is dubbed super if it erupts more than 240 cubic miles of magma.
01:12That's more than enough to overfill Lake Erie.
01:15It must also have a history of erupting and a magnitude of 8 on the volcanic explosivity index.
01:21The largest active volcano on Earth is Hawaii's Mauna Loa.
01:25It's so big, it would cover the entire state of Rhode Island, plus some.
01:29And next time you see a commercial plane flying high in the sky, remember that 30,000-some-foot altitude
01:36is about as tall as Mauna Loa is from base to summit.
01:40It's technically taller than Everest when you measure it like that, yet it's not considered a supervolcano.
01:46So, you're running along the dark road, not knowing and barely seeing where to go.
01:51Then, all of a sudden, a massive flaming boulder smashes through the bridge in front of you.
01:56You and everyone else are now stranded on the side of the volcano, as it's getting more chaotic each second.
02:02Most of the crowd disperses, finding their own ways to safety.
02:06You remember there's a way to the other side not many people know about, but you'll have to cross a
02:12raging river through the dense jungle.
02:14You calm what's left of the crowd, and everyone follows you to your secret getaway.
02:19You finally get out of the city limits and head into the jungle.
02:22With the sky already dark, the tall trees and thick leaves make it almost pitch black.
02:28Everyone gets out their phone flashlights to navigate through the dark path.
02:32You all need to stick together and make sure nobody gets lost.
02:36Suddenly, fiery rocks strike the trees not far from you.
02:40Everyone jolts and tries to rush ahead.
02:43But nowhere is safe when it's raining, scalding fire all around.
02:47You and your group have to pick up the pace or else.
02:49Imagine a typical avalanche or mudslide.
02:53Very dangerous situations on their own.
02:55Now, imagine an avalanche of lava rocks and lava sliding down a mountain instead of mud.
03:02That's what's making its way towards you right now.
03:05More and more people catch up with your group and bring news that the entire neighborhood is submerged in lava.
03:11It's traveling quicker than you thought.
03:13You can never really predict how fast a lava flow will be until you see it.
03:19It all depends on how thick it is and how steep the mountain slope.
03:23Lava canoes slowly at about 20 feet a minute, a fraction of the average person's walking speed.
03:29Or it can flow as fast as 30 miles per hour, which even the fastest person on Earth can't outrun.
03:35But the lava isn't even the most dangerous problem.
03:38If you didn't have protection, the gases spewing from the eruption would fill your lungs.
03:43And those spread faster and further than the lava flow.
03:46Your eyes and throat would be itchy.
03:48You'd get a headache, dizziness, increased heart rate, difficulty breathing.
03:53The worst would be passing out from the lack of oxygen.
03:56Luckily, everyone managed to grab their gas masks before leaving their homes.
04:00You're now entering the treacherous terrain of the jungle and the danger zone.
04:06Everyone's phone batteries are giving out one by one, so your vision is even more limited.
04:11The terrain is tougher and you can't hear any sounds from the river.
04:15At this point, you're not even sure if you're going the right way.
04:19But your instincts tell you the deeper you go, the safer you'll be.
04:23The path is muddy and the vines are hindering everyone's movements.
04:27That's when you hear something big running through the jungle.
04:30It's coming up on you fast.
04:32You can't see a thing until it's right up on you.
04:35A bear.
04:36And there goes a rhino.
04:38Wildcats, domestic cats, dogs, different creatures of all sizes and species.
04:43They all come running through the jungle right past you.
04:47You and your fellow humans aren't the only ones fleeing from the eruption.
04:50The rumbling is still going on.
04:53Before you know it, a shower of fire rocks strikes right behind you and ignites parts of the jungle.
04:58There's no going back.
05:00Everyone picks up and runs for it.
05:03You hear thunder in the distance.
05:05A flash of lightning lights up the dark sky.
05:08You think, finally, some rain to wash away this fiery nightmare.
05:12But that's not a regular storm brewing.
05:14These giant smoke clouds can mimic a thunderstorm under similar conditions.
05:19Your luck finally pays off.
05:21You hear the river straight ahead.
05:23You reach the bank and have to hop on some stones to get to the other side.
05:28You almost slip when someone from the group catches you just in time.
05:32Whew, that was too close.
05:34Not far down the river is a large waterfall, leading straight to a shallow lake with sharp rocks at the
05:40bottom.
05:40The ash from the lava falls like snow, covering most of the trees and landing on the river.
05:46Ash is one of the most dangerous things about volcanic eruptions.
05:50You're soaked to the bone, but it's a lot better than ash and smoke.
05:55And then the rest of the group follow.
05:57The next thing you know, the river starts steaming as lava meets the bank and runs into the water.
06:03You try your best to speed things up.
06:05The lava can heat this water up to dangerous levels, and there are still people slowly crossing the river on
06:12the slippery rocks.
06:13Luckily, you manage to get everyone across.
06:16Well, almost everyone.
06:18You turn around and see someone's leg got caught between two rocks.
06:22The lava continues to pour into the river.
06:25You can feel the heat of the steam.
06:27You rush back to this person and try to pull them out.
06:30Their leg won't bud.
06:31Someone else from the group comes to help, and you're finally able to pull them out in the nick of
06:36time.
06:37You and everyone else, now exhausted from your trek, keep going as far as possible.
06:43That's when you see the main road that connects you to the broken bridge.
06:47There are others on the road that got out safely, and even some cars filling up with survivors and heading
06:53fast out of the area.
06:55The volcano is still spewing lava, and the entire city is flooded with it.
07:00What was once your town now looks like a giant burning lake.
07:05Planes and helicopters can't fly because of the smoke and ash, so don't count on an air rescue.
07:10You're still at risk, even though you're on safer ground, so it's still too early to celebrate.
07:16Everyone continues to move away from the city.
07:19The further, the better.
07:20The ground continues to shake, but this time it's even more intense than before.
07:25Sure, supervolcanoes are powerful enough to cause many earthquakes, but it's a good thing you're out in the open far
07:32from the buildings and debris in the city.
07:34Now, back to reality.
07:37Rest assured that a volcanic eruption of this intensity won't happen for a very long time, as in millions of
07:44years.
07:45Besides, thanks to warning systems and humanity's preparation for such an event,
07:50it's extremely rare for even a regular volcano to do as much damage as it could.
07:55So, don't scratch Yellowstone off your travel list just yet.
08:03Massive tsunamis, destructive tornadoes, giant meteorites, devastating earthquakes.
08:10Ooh, better have insurance.
08:11But all these are minor natural disasters compared with the eruption of a volcano.
08:17Some volcanoes can destroy a city, as it was with Pompeii, or some islands in the Pacific Ocean.
08:23But there's a dangerous type of eruption that can destroy all life on the planet.
08:28This type is called flood vessel.
08:31But first of all, let's figure out what a volcano is.
08:35Rivers of hot liquid metals and incandescent rocks flow deep inside our planet.
08:40And the deeper it gets, the hotter they are.
08:43The source of this hot mask is the mantle, which is the middle layer of Earth,
08:48located between the core and the crust.
08:50These fiery streams are called magma, and it flows everywhere.
08:54But we don't feel its heat because of the thick layer of our planet's crust.
08:59Magma is lighter than the crust, so it always tries to break out to the surface.
09:04And in some places, it succeeds.
09:06At the junctions of tectonic plates, it splashes out when one plate moves under a thicker one.
09:12When magma reaches the surface, it becomes lava.
09:16This substance burns the ground around and cools down quickly.
09:20It hardens and forms a new layer of rock.
09:23The following splash of magma falls on the top of this layer.
09:27Thus, a mountain appears layer by layer over millions of years.
09:31And in its mouth, a fault of tectonic plates splashes out magma.
09:36This mountain is called a volcano.
09:38It spits lava and ash into the sky, then falls asleep and wakes up again during seismic activity.
09:45Now, imagine that several giant volcanoes begin to splash out an infinite amount of magma.
09:51It just doesn't end and covers an entire continent.
09:55This is a flood basalt.
09:57And one day, it did happen.
09:59About 252 million years ago, in the northern part of our planet, a lot of magma accumulated under Earth's crust.
10:08Trillions of tons of hot rock were concentrated in one place on a gigantic territory.
10:13And gradually, all this fiery energy began to seep out of the ground.
10:18Hot gas started to come out in different places in this territory.
10:22The ground shook endlessly, and the crust rose hundreds of feet, all pointing to the approach of an imminent catastrophe.
10:29And then, at some point, magma began to pour out.
10:34Giant fountains of fire burst out of the ground.
10:37Do you know these geysers in Iceland?
10:39So imagine the same things, but dozens of times higher and with hot lava and ash instead of water and
10:45steam.
10:46The ash and lava flows were so strong that they reached the clouds.
10:51Under Earth's crust, there was a gigantic bubble of magma, and it squeezed out fiery jets under the pressure of
10:57rock and ground.
10:58The rift was getting bigger.
11:00Magma was flowing out everywhere.
11:02It began to fill the entire North Continent.
11:05The flood of lava spread wider and wider.
11:08The streams of molten rock seemed endless.
11:12Layers of molten basalt rock overlapped one another, forming a giant tsunami of lava 160 feet high.
11:19It poured out of the ground for hundreds of thousands of years, flooding forests, rivers, lakes, and meadows.
11:25At the same time, billions of tons of volcanic ash rose into the sky, which could lead to a volcanic
11:32winter,
11:33since sulfur dioxide in the ash reflected the sun's rays.
11:36This might have lowered the temperature on the continent by several degrees.
11:40Then, dust and ash probably condensed and formed giant clouds that watered the surface with toxic acid rain.
11:48But after that, the cold lava formed a giant thick shield, preventing magma from seeping out of the endless fire
11:56bubble.
11:56The global catastrophe was over, but only for a short time.
12:01Trillions of tons of magma were still flowing under a thick layer of solid basalt.
12:06The fiery rivers couldn't reach the top, so they spread out to the sides.
12:10As a result of this expansion, huge nets were formed under the thick rock.
12:15They ran in different directions like a spider web and heated Earth's crust.
12:20Gas had started coming out from under the surface again.
12:24More and more energy accumulated there, until an explosion of unimaginable force occurred.
12:30In addition to magma, carbon dioxide and ash escaped to the surface.
12:35They filled the atmosphere and caused the greenhouse effect.
12:39The temperature on the whole planet increased by several degrees.
12:43This release provoked another catastrophe that began in the ocean.
12:48There were deposits of methane and explosive gas on the seabed.
12:52Under ice-cold water, the methane was frozen and harmless.
12:56But the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere warmed up the entire ocean.
13:01Millions of tons of methane began to rise to the surface.
13:04This gas is more potent than carbon dioxide.
13:07Therefore, when it hit the atmosphere, the temperatures on Earth increased again.
13:12The whole globe turned into a hot sauna.
13:15In previous cool and humid places, the temperature reached those of a modern Sahara.
13:21Of course, most animals and insects couldn't survive such a cataclysm.
13:25But ocean life took much more damage.
13:28The heat and methane reduced the amount of oxygen in the ocean.
13:32Fish and other marine life couldn't survive in such conditions.
13:36New problems appeared when anaerobic bacteria started to multiply in non-oxygen water.
13:42They fed on methane and carbon dioxide and released hydrogen sulfide,
13:47a toxic substance that poisoned water even more.
13:50About 75% of land animals and 95% of the ocean's inhabitants went extinct.
13:57This flood basalt eruption was the only disaster in the planet's history
14:02that destroyed almost all plants and significantly reduced the insect population.
14:07Several species of the hardiest animals managed to survive in these conditions.
14:12The planet took about 10 million years to recover completely.
14:16After that, evolution began a new process of developing life.
14:21And here are two pieces of news.
14:23The bad one is that flood basalt will happen again
14:26and will be no less devastating than 252 million years ago.
14:30The good news is that it will happen in hundreds of millions of years.
14:35But when that happens, humanity will need to be prepared.
14:39It will start on the ocean floor.
14:41First, lava fountains miles high will begin boiling the water
14:45and emit sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, where it will reflect sunlight.
14:50Along with ash and magma, a massive amount of water vapor will rise into the air.
14:56Livestock won't survive, and people will have breathing problems.
15:00Acid rain and increased humidity caused by the evaporation of the oceans
15:04will lead to the corrosion of buildings.
15:07All flights will be canceled.
15:09People will have to wear gas masks.
15:11Many animals won't be able to handle this eruption, but humans will adapt quickly.
15:15But then another and another eruption will follow,
15:18and this endless catastrophe will soon deplete the resources of humanity.
15:23Plants and trees won't recover so fast,
15:26and oxygen production will be significantly reduced.
15:29Let's hope that humanity will have colonized other planets,
15:33including those outside the solar system by that time.
15:36And now, let's jump back to the present.
15:39Ah.
15:40About 70% of the seismic activity associated with volcanoes occurs underwater.
15:46So let's see how ordinary volcanoes on the ocean floor work.
15:50Water, as well as land, rests on tectonic plates.
15:54Therefore, if their structure is broken at the joints, magma seeps through them.
15:59But unlike terrestrial volcanoes, lava here doesn't spread in different directions,
16:04burning everything it meets.
16:05It solidifies under the pressure of cold water.
16:09Underwater volcanoes can erupt for a long time with breaks in between.
16:13Magma covers the seabed.
16:15After another hundred or a thousand years,
16:18a new eruption begins, and a new layer of rock forms over the previous one.
16:23Over millions of years, layer by layer, magma is rising.
16:27And then, one day, a volcano rises out of the water.
16:31Magma splashes out of it and increases its height.
16:34And now, we have a large volcanic island.
16:38Then, the volcano falls asleep, and life appears on the newly formed piece of land.
16:44Magma flows from the planet's mantle, filled with various chemical elements.
16:48This hot mix saturates the soil with useful substances,
16:52and thus, promotes the growth of plants and trees.
16:55Then, birds and other animals arrive there,
16:57and the volcanic island turns into a paradise.
17:00Then, humans arrive and pave over paradise to put up a parking lot and a franchise burger joint.
Comments