I'm a geologist. I wouldn't be one if I didn't love doing it and seeing the wonderful things that I see all over the world. For me, NOT knowing about something makes makes it intrinsically less interesting than knowing about it. That's why we scientists do what we do. We are DRIVEN to know, or to figure something out because we understand that as soon as that knowledge or understanding is revealed, we are often struck with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and wonder.

To the layman a volcano is just a mountain that occasionally blows up or spews lava, but to a geologist a volcano is an elaborate treasuretrove of smaller wonders like mineral deposits, hydrothermal vents, different rocks that show how the magma mixed within the chamber, or what other nearby volcanoes might be associated with the same magma system, and many other minute details.

A LOT more wonder and amazement can be gained or found through the pursuit of knowledge and science, than with sustained ignorance.

Let's get one thing out of the way first: If the Earth should somehow be compressed enough to form a black hole, its mass would stay exactly the same. What makes black holes so spectacular is not their huge mass, but the fact that their mass is compressed into a very small area. This again means that you are able to get dangerously close to the center of gravity. This is not possible here at Earth, since there is a lot of rock and magma preventing you from getting that close.

But even if you were able to burrow yourself down to the center of the earth, you still wouldn't be swallowed by a black hole. This is because the amount of Earth dragging you downwards would be much less, and all of the rock above you would be dragging you upwards. You would in fact be weightless, since all the parts of the Earth would be dragging you in opposing directions. You would still be crushed because of the high pressure, but that is another story.

All massive objects have a property called the escape velocity, which is the speed you need to escape its gravitational well starting from its surface. And this property would increase if you compressed the Earth, since its surface would then come closer to its center of gravity. If you compressed it to a radius of 8mm, this velocity would excede the speed of light, which means that nothing, not even light, could escape.

This is the definition of a black hole.

This is why caldera volcanoes such as Yellowstone are so explosive. Water seeps down and contacts the shallow magma chamber causing a rapid increase in chamber pressure by the volatilization of the water and other fluids. This pressure builds fast until the pressure exceeds that of the roof crust of the caldera. In this case the walls of ice and the bucket on top created a sort of pressure chamber in the middle which allowed for the buildup and explosion.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'Volcanic, killer, lakes, magma, gas, mammoth' to 'Volcanic, killer, lakes, magma, gas, mammoth, national geographic' - edited by kronosposeidon

>> ^jwray:
Mars is not terraformable. Its gravity is too weak to hold water (literally) at earth-like temperatures. In theory we could send a shitload of methane and CO2 over there to warm it up, but that would escape into space rather quickly.
Titan has a similar situation (with half the escape velocity and a bit less than half the surface temperature of mars) but its atmosphere is probably constantly being replenished from frozen and liquid hydrocarbons in its mantle and cryovolcanism induced by tidal interactions with Saturn.


More to the point, because Mars doesn't have an active magma region to interact with the upper crust, Mars doesn't create much of a magnetic field. This would mean that even a Mars with a terraformed surface and a breathable atmosphere would still be subjected to potentially lethal solar radiation.

that's so far into the uncanny valley that we've hit magma.

i watched this documentary, La Constellation Jodorowsky, where he speaks about how he was suppose to film Herbert's "Dune". famous comic artist Moebius did a wonderful conceptual script for the movie and the soundtrack would feature Pink Floyd and Magma. the project was abandoned by the producers after the other Dune flick hit the screens.
more here: http://www.duneinfo.com/unseen/moebius.asp
http://www.duneinfo.com/unseen/jodorowsky.asp

Producer Jeff: Mike?

Actor-on-screen Mike: (to off camera) Yes Jeff? (to camera) It's my producer. It must important product information. (off camera) Go ahead Jeff.

Jeff: You're fired. You know that right?

Mike: (off camera) I most certainly do, Jeff, and by the way, my wife says hello, and you left your underwear on the floor in our bedroom... you know, the leather ones? (camera) It's MAG-MA... from the center of the earth; the shit's HOT. For real. Don't touch this thing. It'll burn your ass.

Jeff: Mike, about that thing with your wife, we--wait, are you high?

Mike: (off camera) I most certainly am, Jeff, but not as high as the price I'll pay for my divorce. (to no one in particular) MAG-MA. MAAAAG-MA. It's some hot shit. MAGMA! That's way better sounding than lava right? Magma Lamp. This is a MAGMA LAMP folks. It's hot shit. Buy it now, but don't touch it. It'll burn your ass, and not in the way Jeff likes my wife to burn his ass with melted wax. Next up? I go on a shooting spree in the studio, AAAND affordable diamond rings for your marriage proposal that will inevitably end in the treachery of a close friend taking place in your own bedroom while you mourn the death of your mother in another state... right after this message. ... ... Alright, who wants to play with daddy first? Jeff? ... Jeff?

I have a level 49 Jesus with 12 points repeating magma armor. Top that!

For more info:
http://www.canyonsworldwide.org/crystals/mainframe3.html
and here
http://www.naica.com.mx/ingles/index.htm

It's hot because of the magma chambers below it. That's how they were formed to begin with.

Awesome post, btw. I didn't know there were any videos of it.

OK when I look over the edge of a caldera and its filled with a lake of magma generating its own huge waves, I am turning and running like hell

Man he looks tired....it's hard, it must be, running around the globe advocating shut-down. Again, please, most agendas are multi-faceted, and surely, Gore's motivation is partially sincere, in his dire and grave scenario of Carbon dioxide: "The evil gas"
The plaentary emergengy he speaks of is real- and it is grave-a grave he will dig for us all if he wins over the hearts, and emotions of those who deny real issues...The real issue of the mechanism that is defective, exclusive, and still alive-We are headed for planetary change, but nothing as linear as us slowly polluting ourseves.....this is the pollution that may kill us-the masters of disinformation, like Gore, like Raytheon, like HAARP staff/Navy Dept.

The climate crisis, the possibility exists, is cyclical.....not to mention the core samples of the ice shelves, sea-floors, and datum that point to a massive eruption that fucked this planet up 75000yrs ago.

Make no fucking mistake! If Yellowstone, Etna and those assoc with her, or the magma chambers that Japan has under her , ever decide to pop......you may as well suck a tailpipe, or breath in a big healthy dose of free-silica from a sandbag, because humans are history....and not in some 1000 yr iteration, but BOOM!

When you hear Gore say some subjective bullshit like "These aren't normal times"
"What, Mr. Gore, does that mean?"

This poor guy-most poor folks-

However many millions of tons of C02 we dump, planet Earth dumps more!!!
One thing is certain.....We are all going to die.
Most likely, it will be from paying attention to diversion like this.

Stop Sunspots!!
Better than that, stop bullying yerself Al......

THE CAPS ARE NOT MELTING FROM CO2.......(..."AND THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW IT IS DOING IT SO QUICKLY")GORES OWN WORDS.....WE DON'T KNOW, BUT SOME WOULD LIKE TO BLAME HUMANS-I blame humans for shiting in their own nest, and in their own brains.

...."In the future, wobally glormed wimdmills, will pump magma up to the surface, to relieve pressure, from earth's graoning, human gas!"

Anekdoten is a Swedish progressive rock band, comprised of guitarist/vocalist Nicklas Barker, cellist Anna Sofi Dahlberg, bassist/vocalist Jan Erik Liljeström and drummer Peter Nordins. They are notable for the use of the mellotron and the heavy and trippy sound, dominated by a pounding bass guitar. Their music is associated with the tradition of 1970s progressive rock music, especially the one of King Crimson, but they have also covered songs by Van Der Graaf Generator and Magma on their live performances.

One of my favorite songs evar!

- More @ Wikipedia

'but they are just bugs' I'm not a hippie or a Buddhist. I also eat meat. I just don't agree with pointless death for entertainment. Wicked animal the wind scorpion by the way.http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0407/feature5/index.html?fs=www3.nationalgeographic.com