Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Salton Buttes Volcano Vents
Another Visit to the Salton Buttes Volcano
Today I revisited the Salton Buttes Volcano, near the Salton Sea, in Imperial Country, CA. I got a lot of footage and stills of it today. I last visited it this volcano in Feb., and I feel that on this visit today, it was a bit more active. It was really tossing hot mud with frequency, and made various hissing sounds. One volcanic vent sounded as if it was breathing. It was awesome to hear. While we were there, I could smell the usual smells. that of hydrocarbons, but I could also smell what resembled the smell of matches. A kind of burning smell.
It was 110 degrees F there today, and it seemed a bit humid by the volcano, while it felt dry in other parts of the desert. One fellow on this trip wondered if we were seeing a plume as we approached the volcano, still a distance away. We concluded that it was more than likely an agricultural burn off. The volcano hasn't been known to steam off.
This trip was a combo of catching more footage for my documentary California Zipper, a documentary about the rifting zone in California - and taking an earthquake researcher to this site. The research is on the dramatically increase of earthquakes on the Ring of Fire, and increasing sink holes though out the world. This volcano sits by the San Andreas fault, and is a part of the Ring of Fire. Like I say all the time, it is a part of the Mid-Pacific Rift.
Here is an article from San Diego about the Salton Buttes Volcano, and it's potential for an eruption. This is a very good article that tells of how a large earthquake along the San Andreas fault could kick off an eruption. The next article is along the same lines, and tells more of the kind of damage that could be done.
http://www.10news.com/news/28301981/detail.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-06-12-volcano-salton-sea_n.html
Monday, June 27, 2011
Rifting Zone and Crack in the Earth. New Ocean forming in Africa
Friday, June 24, 2011
San Andreas Fault Rocks and Young Volcanism and Basalt Near Palm Springs
Although it hard to see the reddish basalt volcanic rock in this photograph, if you look hard, you can see it. It's the light magenta area of profound erosion. It's the darker area just below the wire. If you visit the site, you can really see the volcanic red pumice like rock and basalt. The colors of the rock are seen with the human eye more than with an average camera and lens. At the time of this photograph, I was with young children, and didn't want to take them in tow across the desert brush to take a closer look. I am going back, though, and studying this young volcanic system.
This picture better shows a light band, and then below blackish volcanic basalt. This is a bowl like formation that requires more study indeed!