Dormant Volcanoes Show Signs of Life
Studying volcanos can be dangerous. In the 1990's, for example, a dozen scientists were killed in two separate accidents while studying volcanos. Clearly, improving our ability to predict the likelihood of volcanic eruptions could save lives.
Some volcanos thought to be long dormant are now showing signs of life. Fortunately, we no longer need to go to the volcano’s rim to confirm this. NASA’s Terra satellite is equipped with an Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer instrument called Aster. New images from Aster indicate that two previously dormant volcanos are now showing signs of activity. These volcanos are located in the belt called ‘the ring of fire’ around the Pacific Ocean.
In January 2002, satellite thermal images showed new hot spots of volcanic activity in northern Chile. In addition, thousands of miles away, changes were detected near one of the long dormant Three Sisters volcanos in the Oregon Cascade Mountains. Over the last six years, the ground has risen there approximately ten centimetres. This is indicative of a slow flow of underground lava in the region.
So next time you want to explore a volcano, it might be wise to first let Aster check it out for potential activity before you venture too close.
It’s amazing how volcanos which lie dormant for years can come back to life. Some give indications over a long time that lava is brewing. This provides geologists and seismologists opportunities to evaluate the progress. Local authorities have time to issue warnings to the inhabitants of the area. Spewing rocks, lava flows, seismic shudders and ash fallout are all significant concerns for local residents.
There are other cases in which volcanos give little warning of their return to life. They quickly become active and ready to explode. Everyone, it seems, is caught by surprise.
In our own life we sometimes experience personal sleeping volcanos. Perhaps some ancient, painful incident has been put to rest, only to return years later. In some situations, there are ongoing indications that something is brewing. But the individuals are able to cope with living under these conditions, as distressing as they may be to themselves or others. In other situations, certain triggers elicit an emotional reaction which is all out of proportion with the given stimuli. Everyone (often including the person who is blowing up as well as those around) is caught off-guard. They are unprepared to deal with the eruption and fallout.
Unresolved trauma, subterranean feelings of anger or rejection, or the deep-seated pain of guilt, grief or remorse can spring to life in various ways. Although the process of coming to terms with these difficult issues is itself painful, the alternatives also exact a toll. It depends on which price one chooses to pay.
Living in a world which is not as it was meant to be brings pain of various kinds. No one is immune - people just experience different quantities or different types of pain.
Pain can be a warning sign that something is wrong. In this way, pain is actually our ally because it draws our attention to an area in need of care. This is true on both a physical level as well as a relational one. There is disharmony, dysfunction. And in response, we seek ways to minimize the discomfort or eliminate it altogether.
For people who are sensitive to the spiritual dimension in life, there is a recognition of spiritual disharmony, distress and dysfunction. This pain can actually be healthy if it motivates us to search for spiritual remedies. Consider where your own spiritual quest is taking you today. What are the ways in which you are measuring your success in this journey? How will you know when you have found the object of your search?
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/earth/volcano/index.html Chiliques volcano in Chile http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/earth/volcano/aster_chiliques_browse.jpg
David Humphreys and Debbie Hughes
© August 2004
