- Series:Archaeology, Transcript English
Isaiah 2:21
“To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.”
Which part of the world do you suppose is home to the biggest volcanic eruption in history? Indonesia perhaps? In 1883, the volcano Krakatoa erupted, destroying over two-thirds of the island and unleashing a huge tsunami that killed more than 36,000 people. The explosion is thought to have been the loudest sound ever heard in modern history. It could be heard 3,000 miles away. That’s 600 miles more than the distance between New York City and Los Angeles!
Over a century later, the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 ejected a cubic mile of material, creating a column of ash that rose 23 miles into the atmosphere. A year after that eruption spewed millions of tons of sulfur dioxide and other particles into the air that blocked out sunlight, global temperatures dropped by 1 degree Fahrenheit.
Well, it isn’t Indonesia or the Philippines. The three biggest eruptions in history all took place at Yellowstone National Park in the United States. What’s more, scientists told the journal Science in 2013 that they discovered a huge mass of magma beneath Yellowstone that could fill the Grand Canyon eleven times over!
Needless to say, you don’t want to be visiting Yellowstone the next time it erupts! But don’t call off your vacation plans just yet. Seismologist Robert Smith from the University of Utah told Live Science that the chance of an eruption at Yellowstone is only about one in 700,000 each year.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, though volcanic eruptions and other catastrophic events cause me to fear, I know that You are in ultimate control, so I will not let my heart be troubled. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Author: Steven J. Schwartz
Ref: “The 11 Biggest Volcanic Eruptions in History,” Live Science, 2/23/16. Photo: The eruption plume, just minutes after Mount Pinatubo erupted. (USGS – PD)
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