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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Thera quote

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: Karl Randolph <kwrandolph AT email.com>
  • Cc: Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Thera quote
  • Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2004 22:32:04 +0100

On 26/08/2004 20:09, Karl Randolph wrote:

...

Secondly, how big was the Theran eruption? Ash falls of 100 feet indicate
that it could have been huge, or was it a continuous, simmering eruption like
the continuing one in Hawaii that laid the ash over many years, even decades?
If the latter, it is possible that it left little to almost no record in tree
ring or glacier stratigraphic records.


No, it wasn't like this. There are two main kinds of volcanic eruption, the gentle lava flow type like Hawaii, and the powerful explosive type like Mount St. Helens. Thera was certainly the latter, but on a very much larger scale. There is plenty of geological evidence.

But then there could have been a huge explosion which didn't leave much record in tree rings or glaciers. The climatic variations are triggered by specific factors which may not have been characteristic of Thera. For example, they depend on huge quantities of material being blown into the upper atmosphere, but that might not have happened if Thera blew out sideways rather than upwards as Mount St. Helens did. And they are also dependent on the exact chemical composition; some chemicals might warm the atmosphere rather than cool it.
...

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/






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