Space colonization, geological events, part 2

Volcano Toba caused population bottleneck of modern humans and Neanderthals and destroyed all other human species, as well as destruction of almost the whole life in Southeast Asia. Volcano Explosivity Index of this volcano is 8, it occurs once per 10,000 years or more and the last eruption was more then 70,000 years ago.

Deccan Traps in India, with over 2 kilometers thick basalt layer on the area of 500.000 square kilometers (France i Spain have similar size), was made in volcano eruption. This volcano is rated with 10 on the Volcano Explosivity Index and occurs once per 1 million of year or more.

Siberian Traps initially had seven millions of square kilometers (Australia has the similar size). Siberian Traps are generated by volcano eruption and volume of it's lava was between one and four millions of cubic kilometers. Eruption frequency of this volcano is once per 10 millions of years or more and the last eruption occurred 251 millions of years ago. This volcano has Volcano Explosivity Index 11.

All of those information say to us that catastrophes caused by supervolcano eruption are more then possible. As time passes, chances for such eruption are bigger.

If such volcano eruption occurs, I don't think that we have other possibilities then to escape into the space. Actually, the only way to escape is to get warning enough time before the event. But, small or big group of humans which leaving the Earth is not able to survive without self-sufficient space colonies. If we want to have just a possibility that some humans survive, we will have to have space developed space colonies on Mars, Moon, Europa... According to the present situation, we need to wait at least 100 years for the first colonies out of the Earth. (At the up right side you may see terraformed Mars. Image is made by Mathew Crisp.)

Mount Erebus

Mount Erebus is the southernmost active volcano on the Earth. It is located on Ross Island on Antarctica.

Image is very interesting to me because it looks like a landscape from some distant world.

Space colonization, geological events, part 1

If humans want to survive, as soon as possible they have to emigrate out of Earth. As time is passing, possibility for global catastrophe is increasing. Yes, we may prevent some of them, like wars are. However, our technology is not able to exert influence on natural events. Dangerous pandemics are still possible, more then 90% of asteroids and comets which may be dangerous for life on Earth may be discovered too late, volcano on Java 70.000 years ago destroyed 98% of human population.

This article is about geological reasons why to emigrate into the space.

This idyllic lake on the left side is known as Taupo. It is on the North Island of New Zealand. Climate on North Island is subtropical and I am sure that it is very nice to be near and to swim in the lake.

But, this lake was dangerous place in the past. Lake Taupo is caldera of former volcano. The most famous eruption of this volcano happened 26,500 years ago and last one was 181 AD. Taupo is supervolcano with Volcano Explosivity Index 7.

Geological events, like supervolcano eruptions are very dangerous for human specie. Eruption of supervolcano Toba, today Lake Toba (satellite image of Lake Toba is on the right side) which was happened around 70,000 years ago, according to Toba catastrophe theory, left human population on few tens of thousands. This event probably caused different skin colours of modern humans.

Our contemporary knowledge about events inside of the Earth is not so big. There are only statistics which say how much time would take from one to another eruption.

Volcano Krakatoa, which is responsible for existence of two islands instead of one (Java and Sumatra), has has Volcano Explosivity Index 6 and eruptions occur once per 100 years or more. The last eruption occurred at 1883.