Volcano Trivia/Factoids

[The Gipper]

This was a Trivia quiz I had put out on another forum. I thought I would reproduce the questions and answers here:

 

TheGipper wrote:

Here are some volcano trivia questions for you:

 

Answers here:

 

1. Where is the closest volcano to NE Ohio, active or extinct?

 

The closest volcano to NE Ohio is the now extinct Taum Sauk volcano in southeast Missouri.

 

2. Not including Kilauea, which has been erupting constantly for years, when and where was the last volcanic eruption in the USA?

 

This was Mt. Redoubt in Alaska which erupted March 2009.

 

3. Which UK city has an extinct volcano right in the center of town practically: Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester?

 

Edinburgh is correct.

 

4. Like the "Richter" scale, their is a scale for volcanos called the "VEI", Volcano Explosive Index, which measures the strength of volcanic explosions. When and where was the last time a 6 on the VEI occurred?

 

The last 6 was in 1991 with Mt. Pinatubo in The Phillipines. The previous 6 before that occurred in 1912.

 

5. There has not been an "8" on the VEI scale in recorded human history. The last 8 was 25,000 years ago. Where did it occur?

 

New Zealand, the Taupo volcano.

 

6. In the last 25 million years, there have been 13 "8"s on the VEI scale on Earth. How many of those occurred on what is now U.S. Territory?

 

7 of the 13 worldwide "8"s occurred on U.S. Territory. Four of them were associated with the Yellowstone hotspot and 3 of them occurred in southern Nevada in the Paintbrush and Mt. Timber calderas. The others worldwide were: 2 at Mt. Taupo in New Zealand, two different sites in the Andes had one each, the one TJ referred to in Russia on Kamchatka Peninsula, and the last at what is now Lake Toba in Indonesia on Sumatra.

 

7. Where is/was Mt. Mazama?

 

Mt. Mazama is the volcano that formed Crater Lake. Thus, Oregon is correct.

 

8. In recorded history, what volcanic eruption killed the most people?

 

The 1815 eruption of Mt. Tambora in what is today Indonesia killed 92,000 people. Do not confuse this with the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883, also in Indonesia which is second on the fatality list with 36,500, most from the ensuing tsunami.

 

9. What volcanic eruption is believed to have highly affected Biblical events?

 

The eruption of Santorini volcano on today's Greek Island of Thera which occurred approximately 1600-1500 BC. is believed to be responsible for numerous known/unknown events: a. As TJ said, it did destroy the Minoan culture on Crete which is south of there and was in the path of any ash cloud/tsunami. b. it has been hypothesized that this volcanic eruption was plausibly the cause of the many plagues of Egypt described in Genesis. (frogs, lice, locusts, etc. etc. even the red Nile and the parting of the sea may have been attributed to its effects) c. The Philistines, who were actually a Hellenic people (Greek) were likely refugees from this volcanos consequences who fled to the Eastern Mediterranean and settle there, only to have their later famous run-ins with the Hebrews; and finally d. it is hypothesized that Thera and the ancient discovered town of Akrotiri may have in fact been the basis for the tales of Atlantis written by Plato.

 

10. What Volcanic eruption is believe to have created a "genetic bottleneck" of the human species?

 

The Mount (Lake Toba) eruption that occurred approximately 75,000 years ago is hypothesized to have killed 99.9% of the human population on earth. Evidence reflects that prior to Toba there may have been as many as 60 million humans on Earth. After it blew, it is believed that the human population may have been reduced to as few as 1000-10,000 people. Mitochondrial DNA testing have shown this to be the case.

 

11. Aside from Mt. St. Helen's when/where was the last volcanic eruption on the continental U.S.?

 

In the lower 48 states, the last volcano to erupt before Mt. St. Helens was Lassen Peak in northern California in 1917. It is now a national park. In fact of the 58 National Parks, the following have had some volcanic activity associated with it:

Lassen Peak

National Park of American Samoa

Haleakala

Hawaii Volcanos

Wrangell-St. Elias

Lake Clark

Katmai

North Cascades

Mt. Ranier

Crater Lake

Death Valley

Yellowstone

both Yosemite and Sequoia are just outside of volcanic activity areas.

 

 

[The Gipper]

Here was the final question/answer plus other info of that quiz:

 

I am going to give you the answer to #12 at this point, and advise if I have been to any volcanoes in these states:

 

The most volcanos in the US are in Alaska which has at least 100 active and inactive peaks..most along the Aleutian Chain. From afar I have seen both the Wrangell Mountain and Sanford volcanos (not part of Aleutians.)

 

Oregon has 51. I have been both on the rim and down into Crater Lake. Wizard Island inside Crater Lake is inactive but not extinct. Plus I have been to a couple of other Oregon volcanos including the Newberry Lava Flow.

 

California has 27. I have climbed part way up Lassen Peak

New Mexico has 21. I have been on the rim of the Capulin Volcano.

Hawaii has 16 including Haleakala which I have been to the top of.

Arizona also has 16. I have hiked around the base of Sunset Crater.

Idaho has 15. I have driven through the wide expanse of the Island Park Caldera. A remnant of the Yellowstone hotspot.

Washington has 13. I have been to Mt. Ranier, Mt. St. Helen's, Mt. Baker.

Utah has 6. I have been to the Santa Clara cinder cone in Snow Canyon State park, near St. George.

Nevada has 5. I have driven by the Steamboat Springs caldera which sits between Reno and Carson City.

Colorado has 2. I haven't been to either, but came close by the Dotsero caldera which is close to Glenwood Springs.

Wyoming has 2 including the biggest: the 35 mile diameter active Yellowstone Caldera, which I have been through.

Mississipi has 1... an underground extinct volcano under Jackson, Mississipi. I have driven through Jackson...for what that is worth.

Missouri has 1...the Taum Sauk peak in SE Mizzou. I have not been there.

Finally, South Dakota has 1....Bear Butte outside Sturgis. I have been to Sturgis, but not to Bear Butte.