Nuclear Terrorism
Posted by: bhazen on 09 August 2005
This is mainly for U.S. residents (as I think we're the fat target); what do you think the likelyhood for smuggled N-weapons being detonated in major U.S. cities is?
Some suggest that "suitcase" nukes, bought by al-Qaeda from sources in the former Soviet Union may already be in place in our urban areas. What are your plans to deal with this possibility?
Some suggest that "suitcase" nukes, bought by al-Qaeda from sources in the former Soviet Union may already be in place in our urban areas. What are your plans to deal with this possibility?
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Possibly much "sooner" (in geologic terms) than that. Hey, it could only be a mere one thousand years from now. Or less. The Yellowstone Park supervolcano is one of the largest in the world, and is on a 600,000 year cycle. It last erupted 640,000 years ago.
There are also supervolcanoes in Siberia, Japan, Sumatra, and New Zealand. The last supervolcanic eruption was Toba (in Sumatra), 74,000 years ago, and scientists believe that its ejecta so efficiently blocked out the sun that temperatures plummeted, possibly reducing the world's human population to just a few thousand.
There are actually two more supervolcanoes in the USA besides Yellowstone: the Long Valley Caldera in California and the Valles Caldera in New Mexico. It's interesting to note that of the world's seven supervolcanoes, three are in the Western United States. I blame the Republicans.
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quote:Originally posted by Martin Payne:quote:Originally posted by JonR:
Yep. There's one under your very own Yellowstone National Park. And it's overdue...
Yup, anytime in the next few hundred thousand years.
Possibly much "sooner" (in geologic terms) than that. Hey, it could only be a mere one thousand years from now. Or less. The Yellowstone Park supervolcano is one of the largest in the world, and is on a 600,000 year cycle. It last erupted 640,000 years ago.
There are also supervolcanoes in Siberia, Japan, Sumatra, and New Zealand. The last supervolcanic eruption was Toba (in Sumatra), 74,000 years ago, and scientists believe that its ejecta so efficiently blocked out the sun that temperatures plummeted, possibly reducing the world's human population to just a few thousand.
There are actually two more supervolcanoes in the USA besides Yellowstone: the Long Valley Caldera in California and the Valles Caldera in New Mexico. It's interesting to note that of the world's seven supervolcanoes, three are in the Western United States. I blame the Republicans.
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Yes, fairly remote chance, for sure. Unless it happens, of course.
Don't think the 600,000 year cycle is an urban legend, though, at least according to this article: http://tinyurl.com/6j4mo
Explosions of this magnitude "happen about every 600,000 years at Yellowstone," says Chuck Wicks of the U.S. Geological Survey, who has studied the possibilities in separate work. "And it's been about 620,000 years since the last super explosive eruption there."
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quote:Originally posted by Steve Toy:
The 600,000 year cycle is an urban myth. I posted a link some time back on this topic. Can't remember where it is now.
Basically, the chances of the Yellowstone Caldera going up max in the next few thousand years are remote.
Yes, fairly remote chance, for sure. Unless it happens, of course.
Don't think the 600,000 year cycle is an urban legend, though, at least according to this article: http://tinyurl.com/6j4mo
Explosions of this magnitude "happen about every 600,000 years at Yellowstone," says Chuck Wicks of the U.S. Geological Survey, who has studied the possibilities in separate work. "And it's been about 620,000 years since the last super explosive eruption there."
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More died of flu in 1918 than in the Great War. It affected healthy young people more than the old and very young.
Bird flu has reached Eastern Europe...
You spend all your life worrying about all the things that might have gone wrong and in the end it's not what you expected at all. Just don't feed any wild ducks and we might just get through this.
Bird flu has reached Eastern Europe...
You spend all your life worrying about all the things that might have gone wrong and in the end it's not what you expected at all. Just don't feed any wild ducks and we might just get through this.