geekosystem

We may have ducked the end of the world last week, but a new study by researchers from Brigham Young University reminds us, that in some small way or another, the world is always kind of ending. The study suggests that Hawaii's volcanic islands are, ever so slowly, being returned to the sea. The culprit is not erosion, or rising sea levels brought on by climate change, but something much more insidious. The islands, it seems, are being dissolved by their own groundwater.

The above is a time-lapse video of the inner workings of Mount Kilauea, a Hawaiian volcano that is one of the most active in the world. The scenes were captured this year between February 15 and March 6, featuring general laval flow and volcano walls breaking off and collapsing into the fiery crater. According to the US Geological Survey, one crater in the volcano houses a lake of lava two-hundred meters deep. Reports estimate that the eruption has caused about 150 detectable earthquakes, but luckily, locals aren't in danger. 200 meters deep of lava and 150 earthquakes add up to 350 scary things, by the way.

(via New Scientist)

Within minutes of the earthquake just off of Chile's coast early this morning, the US Geological Survey had it pegged - an 8+ on the Richter scale, ten times as strong as Haiti's 7.0.

A short time later, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration presented a map of expected energy distribution throughout the Pacific Ocean. In other words, where one could expect tsunamis. Hawaii, it appeared, was well within the danger zone.

The state moved into action, sounding tsunami warning alarms before sunrise, evacuating beaches and low-lying areas, sending boats out of harbors and into the open sea, where surges of high water posed no harm. KHON Fox 2 in Honolulu went on the air, exploring possible ramifications and providing updates.

Then someone put a camera in front of his TV, aimed it at KHON, and put it on Ustream.tv. At its peak, the stream had over 80,000 viewers.

It's been declared a state of emergency in Hawaii, where officials have started to plan for the possible tsunami caused by yesterday's earthquake in Chile. The first waves are expected to hit at 4:19 EST this afternoon. Sirens blare to alert residents in the coastal areas to instruct them to evacuate, even as Hilo International Airport has been shut down and the planes grounded. American officials are prepared to visit both Chile and Hawaii, according to a Washington Post report.