Volcanic activity is working its way around the "Ring of Fire." Seismic activity is also on the rise. It is safe to speculate that the entire area is adjusting itself to recent changes which occurred during Indonesia's great quake and tsunami. No one can predict earthquakes and volcanoes yet. However, we can identify patterns - and it seems that one is developing which may lead to an extinction level event.

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As an interested observer, it appears that volcanic activity is working its way around the “Ring of Fire.” Seismic activity is also on the rise, and I believe it’s safe to speculate that the entire area is adjusting itself to compensate for the recent changes which occurred during Indonesia’s great quake and tsunami. No one can predict earthquakes and volcanoes yet, however, we can identify patterns - and it seems to me one is developing.

I mentioned to my son a few days ago that I believed this was happening, and when Columbia’s volcano erupted Thursday night, it seemed too much of a coincidence not to document and mention. It appears to be moving in a northerly direction and I now believe we will see some serious volcanic activity in the United States.

For those who have not visited this site before, my interest was piqued when I caught CNN minimizing the danger of Yellowstone National Park, Earth's only known active “super volcano”. The ground has swelled in Yellowstone 27 centimeters in the last century.  However approximately one third of that groundswell occurred in the past three years.

CNN referred to Yellowstone as the site of an “ancient volcano” which was light-years from the truth, so I did an in-depth article that virtually went around the world. CNN Oversimplifies The Danger of Yellowstone National Park I have a firm belief when a news organization as astute as CNN purposely plays-down a story there’s a reason, and I imagine they don’t want to cause fear or panic if some people over-reacted to the situation, which quite frankly, there’s absolutely nothing we can do about. An eruption of a super volcano the size of Yellowstone is an extinction level event.

Ever since that article, I have paid particular attention to volcanic activity as it relates to this hemisphere, and if you note the locations, it is increasing in frequency as well as moving north.

January 10 - 14, 2008

LLAIMA Chile 38.692°S, 71.729°W; summit elev. 3125 m

SERNAGEOMIN reported that seismicity from Llaima decreased in energy, but the number of events increased during 10-14 January. Based on seismic interpretation, weak explosions produced plumes of gas and ash. On 11 January, lava flows on the W flank that were observed during an overflight were cooled and snow-covered near the crater but snow-free, and therefore still hot, about 500 m further down on the flank. Blocks of incandescent material rolled about 1.5 km and caused steam emissions at several points where they contacted the glacier. Ash plumes drifted NE. Abundant cracks in glaciers to the SW of the crater were noted. Based on observations of satellite imagery and pilot reports, the Buenos Aires VAAC reported that ash plumes rose to an altitude of 5.5-6.7 km (18,000-22,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted NE and SW on 11 and 13 January, respectively.

Geologic Summary. Llaima, one of Chile’s largest and most active volcanoes, contains two historically active craters, one at the summit and the other to the SE. The massive 3,125-m-high, glacier-covered stratovolcano has a volume of 400 cu km. A Holocene edifice built primarily of accumulated lava flows was constructed over an 8-km-wide caldera that formed about 13,200 years ago, following eruption of the 24 cu km Curacautín Ignimbrite. More than 40 scoria cones dot the volcano’s flanks. Following the end of an explosive stage about 7,200 years ago, construction of the present edifice began, characterized by Strombolian, hawaiian, and infrequent subplinian eruptions. Frequent moderate explosive eruptions with occasional lava flows have been recorded since the 17th century.

January 2 -7 - 12, 2008

NEVADO DEL HUILA Colombia 2.93°N, 76.03°W; summit elev. 5365 m

Based on seismic interpretation, INGEOMINAS reported ash emissions from Nevado del Huila on 2, 7, and 12 January.

Geologic Summary. Nevado del Huila, the highest active volcano in Colombia, is an elongated N-S-trending volcanic chain mantled by a glacier icecap. The andesitic-dacitic volcano was constructed within a 10-km-wide caldera. Volcanism at Nevado del Huila has produced six volcanic cones whose ages in general migrated from south to north. Two glacier-free lava domes lie at the southern end of the Huila volcanic complex. The first historical eruption from this little known volcano took place in the 16th century. Two persistent steam columns rise from the central peak, and hot springs are also present.

January 9 - 14, 2008

POPOCATEPETL México 19.023°N, 98.622°W; summit elev. 5426 m

CENAPRED reported that emissions of steam and gas from Popocatépetl were visible during 9-14 January. The plumes occasionally contained slight amounts of ash during 9-12 January. On 14 January, high-frequency seismic tremor was followed by an explosion that produced ash emissions and propelled fragments from the crater.

Geologic Summary. Popocatépetl, whose name is the Aztec word for smoking mountain, towers to 5,426 m 70 km SE of Mexico City and is North America’s second-highest volcano. Frequent historical eruptions have been recorded since the beginning of the Spanish colonial era. A small eruption on 21 December 1994 ended five decades of quiescence. Since 1996 small lava domes have incrementally been constructed within the summit crater and destroyed by explosive eruptions. Intermittent small-to-moderate gas-and-ash eruptions have continued, occasionally producing ashfall in neighboring towns and villages.

January 9 - 15, 2008

TUNGURAHUA Ecuador 1.467°S, 78.442°W; summit elev. 5023 m

IG released a special report on 9 January noting that increased seismic activity at Tungurahua was comparable to that of the few days prior to the eruption of 14 July, 2006.

IG reported that although visual observations were occasionally limited due to cloud cover, ash-and-steam and ash plumes were observed and rose to altitudes of 6-9 km (19,700-29,500 ft) a.s.l. during 9-15 January. Ashfall was reported almost daily in areas to the NE, N, NW, W, and SW. Roaring noises and “cannon shots” were heard daily and windows and floors vibrated on 9, 10, 12, and 15 January, as far away as the Tungurahua Observatory (OVT) in Guadalupe, about 13 km NW. Incandescence at the summit was observed and incandescent blocks rolled 0.5-1 km down the flanks. On 11 January, Strombolian activity at the summit crater was observed and blocks rolled 600 m down the flank.

According to news articles, residents from two provinces continued to evacuate at night and about 20,000 health masks were distributed to residents from Baños and Quero.

Geologic Summary. The steep-sided Tungurahua stratovolcano towers more than 3 km above its northern base. It sits ~140 km S of Quito, Ecuador’s capital city, and is one of Ecuador’s most active volcanoes. Historical eruptions have all originated from the summit crater. They have been accompanied by strong explosions and sometimes by pyroclastic flows and lava flows that reached populated areas at the volcano’s base. The last major eruption took place from 1916 to 1918, although minor activity continued until 1925. The latest eruption began in October 1999 and prompted temporary evacuation of the town of Baños on the N side of the volcano.

January 11, 2008

FUEGO Guatemala 14.473°N, 90.880°W; summit elev. 3763 m

INSIVUMEH reported on 11 January that weak explosions from Fuego produced ash plumes that rose to altitudes of 4.1-4.3 km (13,500-14,100 ft) a.s.l. CONRED reiterated that the Alert Level remained at Yellow.

Geologic Summary. Volcán Fuego, one of Central America’s most active volcanoes, is one of three large stratovolcanoes overlooking Guatemala’s former capital, Antigua. The scarp of an older edifice, Meseta, lies between 3,763-m-high Fuego and its twin volcano to the N, Acatenango. Construction of Meseta volcano continued until the late Pleistocene or early Holocene, after which growth of the modern Fuego volcano continued the southward migration of volcanism that began at Acatenango. Frequent vigorous historical eruptions have been recorded at Fuego since the onset of the Spanish era in 1524, and have produced major ashfalls, along with occasional pyroclastic flows and lava flows. The last major explosive eruption from Fuego took place in 1974, producing spectacular pyroclastic flows visible from Antigua.

January 9 - 15, 2008

ST. HELENS United States 46.20°N, 122.18°W; summit elev. 2549 m

Data from deformation-monitoring instruments indicated that during 9-15 January lava-dome growth at Mount St. Helens continued. Seismicity persisted at low levels, punctuated by M 1.5-2.5, and occasionally larger, earthquakes. Clouds occasionally inhibited visual observations.

Geologic Summary. Prior to 1980, Mount St. Helens formed a conical, youthful volcano sometimes known as the Fuji-san of America. During the 1980 eruption the upper 400 m of the summit was removed by slope failure, leaving a 2 x 3.5 km horseshoe-shaped crater now partially filled by a lava dome. Mount St. Helens was formed during nine eruptive periods beginning about 40-50,000 years ago, and has been the most active volcano in the Cascade Range during the Holocene. The modern edifice was constructed during the last 2,200 years, when the volcano produced basaltic as well as andesitic and dacitic products from summit and flank vents. Historical eruptions in the 19th century originated from the Goat Rocks area on the N flank, and were witnessed by early settlers. LINK

I don’t believe the above events are something to get overly excited about, but it does appear that recent activity on the Asian side of the “Ring of Fire” is progressively causing corrections and adjustments on this side of the world. It’s simply a matter of cause and effect; the pressure and violence of the Indonesian Great Quake was so significant it made the earth wobble on its axis, and the sheer enormity of the plate that slid under the other has to cause pressure that will eventually equal out in other parts of the world. Whether I’m right or not will be proven in the next few months.

Based on what we’ve seen so far, with natural disasters rising at an unprecedented rate, and especially in consideration of the “overdue” status of several of our areas that are prone to major disasters, those on the west coast should take heed and prepare themselves as best they can for what by all scientific standards is overdue. That includes the Cascadia Seduction Zone, several faults in addition to the San Andreas Fault, some which have been “locked” for far too long that crisscross several areas of California.

We haven’t had a major quake or volcanic eruption in the United States for several years which has almost been too good to be true, but with events transpiring as they are, I’m making an educated guess that as soon as tomorrow, but more than likely in the next few months, we will experience a catastrophic quake or major volcanic activity in the continental United States, and we can’t write Alaska or Hawaii off either; there have been recent rumblings in the Aleutian Islands and KILAUEA started acting-up on January 2 - 8, 2008.

I just learned there was another quake in the Aleutian Islands at 12:25 this morning, the magnitude which has not yet been stated. This is a visual link to the recent earthquake activity throughout the “Ring of Fire”. Please note the heavy activity in Alaska and the minor activity in California. The West Coast and Alaska are on the “Ring of Fire”, and in consideration of the events that have transpired, it appears to be possible, if not probable that South and North America could soon experience some major volcanic/seismic activity. Visual LINK This site constantly updates itself, so if you want to keep an eye on matters yourself, this is a good site to bookmark.

As it concerns Yellowstone National Park, I do believe that one third of the budging that has occurred over the past century happened within the last three year to be significant, and in raw scientific terms I’m not sure what it means, however based on the way CNN attempted to downplay the story indicates to me there may be some serious concern in that area; but, worrying about Yellowstone blowing is akin to a huge asteroid strike on the world. If either were ever to happen, there is absolutely nothing we can do about it, so why worry?

NOTE: The most recent information I have suggests the US is only in possession of a fifty-three (53) day food supply. With natural disasters on the rise worldwide, this is not acceptable. New Orleans proved we are not invincible and were grossly under prepared, and some of these events are long overdue; we’ve been lucky, but with a population of 300,000,000+ million people, to fail to prepare as a nation is a crime in of itself - and if it’s not corrected, the potential death toll could stagger the imagination. Think about Avian Flu, which could morph into a dangerous virus that mutates until we have human to human transmission. In those circumstances, how long will a fifty-three day food supply actually last to a nation that is experiencing a pandemic?

Authors Bio:

My Bio is as varied as my life. In 2012, my twin sons murdered a Journalist in Pensacola, Fl., for 100K worth of "Magic The Gathering" playing cards and buried the body in my backyard. I was once a regular writer here, but PTSD from my son's actions took their toll. First, I lost everything I had. Second, I lost my fiancee. Third, I almost lost my life. Recovery has been a hard and lonesome road, and it isn't quite over yet. I will overcome this disaster as I have others, and return to college to resume my quest to receive a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism.

Admittedly, I have chosen to get back in the mix and do my duty to help destroy any chance that Trump may have of being elected to a second term.