#Little Crater Lake

[bettergeology]

Ticked an item off the “visit” list a couple weeks ago: Little Crater Lake, in the Mount Hood National Forest.

It’s sort of an oddity- a near-circular straight-sloped clear blue lake in the middle of a large wetland. It seems to sit right on top of a bedrock fault, which is likely active, part of a series of extensional faults called the Oak Grove Graben (which was completely unknown until about 2020!). The thinking is that this fault allows copious amounts of groundwater to rapidly rise with enough force that it washed out this crater-shaped lake. Its similarities with real Crater Lake end there, as that lake is an enormous volcanic caldera. Nevertheless, it shares the same vertigo-inducing clarity which allows the natural deep blue of very cold water to be so striking.

We found a healthy rough-skinned newt population in the lake. I guess the cold doesn’t bother them that much! Lots of flowers were in bloom, including this lovely Western Bunchberry.

[pcttrailsidereader]

Frog Lake to Barlow Pass on the PCT

As hikers walk north from Warm Spring Reservation heading toward Mt. Hood, they pass Timothy Lake and Little Crater Lake before crossing Warm Springs Highway and reaching Frog Lake, with its popular campground and day use area. One of the smoothest sections of the PCT trail in Oregon is between Frog Lake and Barlow Pass trailheads.  The trail is fairly wide and almost always in great condition, making it a fast run.  The Frog Lake to Barlow Pass distance is just 5 miles.

Old wooden trail sign at Twin Lakes – PCT trail junction.

Not far north of Frog Lake, the PCT passes Twin Lakes, lakes fed from nearby springs providing crystal clear waters that in the right light provide reflections from Mt. Hood to the north.

Mt. Hood from Upper Twin Lake.

Mt. Hood and Balsamroot at Palmateer Point

Barlow Pass and the famous Barlow Wagon Road, another emigrant route built in 1846, passes not far to the south of Mt. Hood. Its construction allowed covered wagons to cross the Cascade Range and reach the Willamette Valley, which had previously been nearly impossible. Even so, it was by far the most harrowing 100 miles of the nearly 2,000-mile Oregon Trail.

The Pacific Crest Trailside Reader: Oregon and Washington includes a story about the Barlow Road. There are many parallels between the Naches Pass Road mentioned in the previous post and the Barlow Road.

Dinner at Little Crater Lake Campground, 1991

"It was a wonderful swim at Timothy Lake and enjoyable evening at Little Crater Lake which is a 45-foot deep artesian spring . . . absolutely crystal clear and 40 degrees. We are camping in a 'self service' campground with a few people camped here also. It seems a little strange to have cars driving around and other people camped nearby, but it is made up for by having a PICNIC TABLE to sit at, and water from a pump to drink." July 29, 1991 (Jim Peacock)

The next day we walked 16 miles stopping for lunch at Frog Lake, continuing the "unremarkable". I walked in tennis shoes to give a 'hot spot' on my little toe some relief. We continued pass Barlow Pass another three miles positioned for our exit the next morning at Timberline Lodge.

[elements-photos]

[simplestoryteller]

I think it’d be hilarious if a brawl between them got interrupted by Darkseid or something and either one of them accidentally hits the interrupter knocking them out (possibly out of time or space or just consciousnesses) or getting annoyed and teaming up to defeat the interrupter before immediately falling back into a brawl

Clockwork has been waiting for danny for eons upon eons not to bring balance to the realms not to end the reign of pariah dark no

He has wait eons for danny to go through the complex steps of his life and death so he can rise to the rank and title of ancient of space for one reason and one reason only

Danny as ancient of space is the only person who can take a punch from the ancient of time without absolutely destroying them

And Clockwork just wants to have a fight like other ghosts but nook he has to be all mysterious instead cus he's the ancient of time he'd much rather just sock someone in the jaw but he can't for risk of sending them all through time

Clockwork just wants to all out brawl but these heroes keep making sure its not for villainous reasons, he just wants to brawl without hurting his buddies >:(

[sillysiluriforme]

SILU’S STILLBORN WEBCOMIC PART 1

Unorthodox apocalypse is a now abandoned comic project I worked on with some friends in 2023-2024 about a cultist team of cheerleaders lead by antichrist Barbie set in a mid-biblical apocalypse world in a town named “Craterview” on the ledge of crater lake. The stagnation of the apocalypse had consequences namely the presence of “beasts” and plunging the world in the shadow of god- so no “good” things/people and no creativity. The cultures of the 20th century seems to repeat over and over, ergo the 80s aesthetic despite it being 2285.

The town’s high schoolers are all divided into classic teen movie cliques and have decided to kill each other about it. Generally the cheer squad and the jocks are considered important enough to the town that they can’t get murdered in pure impunity but everyone else is on the table. The only nerds with any sort of manpower are the marching band who have organized themselves in a casi-military structure.

The cast’s main objective was to use the protagonist as a vessel to bring a demon into the material plane to fuel their magic bullshit. The tone was pretty crass a little edgy and very over the top. I still think of it fondly even if it didn’t go anywhere.

The members are paul, max, cain, evelyn, Pam, Jessica and judy. Their daily activities consists of turf wars, bullying, witchcraft, black mailing people, intimidation and lesbian situationships. Everyone listed sucks here.

The two main characters are Judy and Jessica.

Judy is a standoffish self serving asshole. She’s a “do anything to survive” type but also feels morally superior to everyone around her. She thinks hobbies and responsibilities are frivolous. She gets kicked off the marching band and is coerced into joining the cheerleaders. She spent her early childhood living in the woods with her hippie parents until her dad died, after this they moved back into town, so her family are sort of the town’s pariahs.

Within UA there’s an avatar cycle type thing but for the antichrist. What a sentence. Since the apocalypse never ended it kept being reborn. Jessica, unbeknownst to her, is one of those incarnations.

She’s mean and attention seeking manipulative and egocentric to a fault. She doesn’t have the complete range of human emotions. She had an evil scientist thing going on too. She’s my baby girl ❤️

Pam is Jessica’s childhood best friend and the biggest example of her negative influence.

She’s a self-in-forced Patrick Bateman type. She’s conniving and secretive. She likes to think of herself as a heartless mastermind but she’s just as stuck here as everyone else. She’d never admit it but the craving for Jessica’s approval is what lead her here.

She had a werewolf boyfriend too that was kinda fun.

Evelyn aka eve is a freshman and has a massive crush on Jessica. She’s the one who believes in the “message””” of their cult the most.

Cain’s an ex punk and dumb as a rock. loves to have fun only really joined cause she thought Jessie was hot. Had a thing with max ?

Max ! There’s way less content with her. She was supposed to be the straight man of the group. Shes what Judy aspires to be. She’s very gruff.

And lastly Paul. Paul fucking sucks. Ex-football team member. On paper he’s supposed to be “learning to respect women” but it’s really just his ex-captain trying to get him killed because he thinks he’s that annoying, something he’s completely oblivious to because he’s desperately pining for him. He’s the only one with a car so they HAVE to make him chauffeur them to wherever.

[mutant-distraction]

Little Crater Lake , Oregon

[wowthatsextra]

Early seasons smallville makes me so emotional 😭 love how it was established that the status quo was shaken when Lana and Lex became best friends with Clark, Pete and Chloe. In the pilot they were so worried that they'd end up as losers in high school, not knowing that soon enough they were gonna be hanging out with Little Miss Popular and the Weird Billionaire at the local cafe and the crater lake 🤍

I love everything about this. The fact that they went through the trouble to print out actual yearbooks for the show. Lana's little scribbled note ❤️ Clark's "the two LL's" (he is aware of his L.L. phenomenon guys). A billionaire mentioned in two yearbook quotes - I bet the regular kids at smallville high were sick of them lol. Lana making sure to advertise her business for free in the yearbook 😂

(Ignore the vandalism on Lana's picture - they're Alicia's handiwork)

[afterartist]

HELICALTALE MAIN CAST LINEUP!!

(Not ll of the characters but the most important ones to the plot)

‘And now: AU Infodump

BUT BEFORE ANYTHING!!

I will be answering any questions (within reason) any of you have about the au, even if it’s about some random side character only three people have ever heard of before

I live world building and any chance to expand on this world are treasured

I’ll probably answer with fun little doodles as well lol

So ask away :D!!

Basic AU overview:

Helicaltale is NOT a classic based Timeline.

The AU is set in a world where Mt Ebott was destroyed during the war, leaving a desert crater in its place, no protection for the Monsters to retreat and nowhere to seal them underground. In response, the Human mages put a spell on Monster kind, ‘Helios’ Curse’, forcing them to be unable to touch sunlight or else they’d burn (think Vampires or Minecraft Mobs)

The main story takes place 87 years after the war ended and 29 years after friendly communications between the two races begun, with the Monsters settled in a camp like city, made of tents and canvas buildings, around the oasis that formed in the desert that was now known as Ebott crater. Humans and Monsters have achieved peace between the races, regular trading routes and communications set up between the two cities.

Now all that was left was for both Humans and Monsters to find a way to break Helios’ Curse for good.

(None of them can touch Sunlight (minus the humans) but the ones more lightly dressed (Gaster, Alphys, Asgore) all live in the city, with proper buildings not at risk of being blown over at any second so can afford to not be covered up 100% of the time)

Locations:

Ebott City-

The capital city of the country, Ebott is a massive human settlement, overshadowing old ruins left by the war. It’s currently the main base of conferences between human and monster relations.

The Oasis-

The Monster settlement, made from tents and interconnecting canvas sheets, from above it looks like a colourful cluster of a campground, large sheets stretched over the streets. From within it’s only lit by lamps and magic, the sky completely blocked out by tarps and canvas to avoid accidentally getting burned by sunlight, to those not familiar with the city it’s a labyrinth, others, its home.

(A major inspiration for the Oasis is the Kowloon walled city, for those interested in a more accurate visual of the Oasis)

The Great Fence-

While the name conveys grandeur, the fence is a simple chain link fence acting as the border around the entire Oasis, topped with barbed wire and adorned with tarps, it’s designed to protect the residents against wild animals like Coyotes and be a barrier against sandstorms more than it is to keep people out, one of the most regular jobs for the Royal guard other than being general peace keepers is to uphold the fence, often sending patrols out after heavy storms to keep everything in order.

Central Oasis-

A mix between Newhome and Waterfall, it’s the main hub of the town, the Royal family living there along with the majority of schools and recreational areas, most Water based monsters (ie: Shyren, Aaron ect ect) also live in this area, a large lake of water being the centerpiece of the city.

Lights district-

To the west side of the city is the main shopping hub, while much more open than the majority of the Oasis, many stores foregoing walls on their tents entirely, its full of stores and restaurants, the most well known being Grillby’s and Muffets joint restaurant, many visitors to the Oasis come for the night life of the lights district, the monsters that live in that area making the camp around them as flashy and attractive as possible, neon lights and dancing flames lighting up the darkness of the district, the Celebrities Mettaton and Nabstablook have also been alluded to frequent the region and perform for onlookers.

Sandbank-

The Snowden equivalent of the AU, having gotten its name due to its position at the east side of the city, being the least protected by the walls of the crater, Sandbank often gets the brunt of the sandstorms that hit the desert, leading many of the Royal Guards live in this area in case of an emergency during the storms.

Southside (the Black Market)-

Technically not its official name, the Southside of the Oasis is whispered about in the dark of night, rumours telling of an illegal market place and shady monsters working in the south, many a monster wandering in and never coming out. While most likely just old wives tales, its best you keep your distance, just in case.

(Yeah I made the Black Market an actual real marketplace because that will never not be funny to me)

Hotlands-

The north most section of the Oasis is best known as Hotlands, given the name as it’s the highest section of city but also the most shielded by the crater walls, leaving it boiling without any wind to seep out the heat’. There’s been speculation that Hotlands actually sits over an underground chamber of magma, adding to the blistering temperature.

Characters:

The Dreemurrs:

Frisk- (Any Pronouns)

Frisk is an 11 year old kid, a runaway from one of Ebott City’s Orphanages, known for its less than legal treatment of the children. Having joined Chara as the eldest helped them both escape, Frisk followed Chara into the desert, looking for shelter from CPS.

During the trek however Frisk falls sick with an illness, most common in Monsters but able to infect anyone with strong magic, called Icarus syndrome.

With Icarus syndrome being effectively Hyperthermia of the soul, any physical treatment is ineffective, needing a particular medication to have any hope of survival, leaving the crater as not just refuge but possibly their only chance of survival.

Chara- (They/Them)

Chara is 16 and the orchestrator of the escape from the Orphanage with Frisk, after having been in contact online with a kid from the Monster camp that offered assistance. During the escape Frisk fell ill, forcing Chara to locate and purchase the rare medicine. Ending up in the Monster equivalent of the black market, Chara found a monster begrudgingly willing to help, trading a magical glass eye, a prosthetic their grandfather made for both humans and monsters during the war, for a small vial of medicine. The trader warning them to keep out of the black market before dropping the two kids off safely at the center of the Oasis.

Asriel- (He/Him)

Asriel is the firstborn son of the Dreemurrs and heir to the Royal throne, at 16 he made contact and became friends with a kid online, the other telling him of the danger they and their sibling were in at the Orphanage. Quickly offering up his home, knowing both his parents had fostered and cared for many children in the past and wouldn’t turn away two more. Upon meeting them in the Oasis he makes fast friends with both Frisk and Chara, practically adopting them as siblings on the spot.

Toriel- (She/Her)

Queen of the Oasis at 143 years old, Toriel has seen her fair share of bloodshed and peacetime, giving her the knowledge to recognise that protecting young children is the best way to ensure their future, guiding them to Mercy and pragmatic solutions instead of Fighting. One of the first things she did after Monsters had finally settled into the Oasis being starting up a school, becoming the primary teacher for a good few years before other parents eventually began to join her staff. Though, with the two new children her son had brought to her doorstep, she’s begun to realise it’s not just the children of Monster kind that need protection.

Asgore- (He/Him)

King of the Oasis and 146 years old, Asgore grew up at the front lines of the war, the heinous acts shaping him into the pacifist he is today. Currently away from the Oasis, Asgore has turned his sights on communications with the Humans, staying at the city while conferences with the city leaders on trade routes and transportation commence. He is also overseeing the Monster half of the Science team, working closely with the Royal Advisor and Scientists Gaster in developing a cure to Helios’ Curse. He remains in frequent contact with the Oasis, making the trip back every weekend to see his now growing family and make sure Toriel isn’t overwhelmed with responsibilities.

-

The Fonts:

Dr. Gaster- (He/Him)

At 140, Gaster has spent his life developing weapons for war (the Gaster Blaster being his pride and joy) and perseverance for Monster Kind, having a massive distaste for all Humans and most Monsters. The sudden change from war efforts to restoration efforts throwing his life in disarray. Jumping at the chance to use Human equipment on government funded experiments, Gaster didn’t hesitate to leave his sons Sans and Papyrus (9 and 4 at the time) back at the Oasis to move to the city and begin work. He’s had a hand in creating many inventions helping Monster kind (both helping with the medicine for Icarus Syndrome and a magic Sunscreen that can briefly minimise the effects of the sun) and the head of the Selene Project, the project to break the curse.

Sans- (He/Him)

28 and thriving, Sans has made a name for himself as both the comedic slacker of the Royal guard and the savvy businessman as one of the Black Markets best traders. Having been forced to raise both himself and Papyrus from a young age, Sans became intwined with the black market at the age of 12, after Papyrus caught Icarus Syndrome and receiving no help from Gaster off in the city, Sans was forced to find his own way of getting medication. At the age of 12 he found his way into the black market, ending up trading his right eye, and subsequently some of his shortcut abilities with an underground doctor in exchange for the medicine, to this day he hasn’t told anyone what happened to his eye. From then on he found himself going back and getting into trading as a way of making money as a side job while both he and Papyrus worked to get into the Royal guard, quickly becoming infamous in the criminal world of the Oasis, though he had a rule that no kids were to ever be found trading in the market. A rule that quickly got broken when a young human kid stumbled into his shop, begging for help, offering a magic glass eye as payment. Unable to send the kid off without help (or turn down the irony of selling the meds for an eye) he made the trade before guiding the kid and their sibling to the Oasis center.

-

(Bonus:)

After dropping the kids off, Sans makes an attempt to use the prosthetic eye, yet upon fitting it into his socket, the magic activated and bonded with his soul, causing the eye to become fused with his being, immovable. Along with the eye he’s suddenly able to see things he, by all means, should NOT be able to see, including text bubbles from the creators (similar to error sans)

He also finds, magically in his pocket, a small golden key, only figuring out its use after stumbling across a door in the middle of nowhere, upon using the key on the door he finds himself in an entirely different AU, door closing and disappearing behind him.

This is what leads him to discover the Multiverse and travel between AUs (inconveniently ending up in Nightmares Castle more times than he’d care to count)

-

Papyrus- (He/Him)

The Great Papyrus, second in command of the Royal guard at the younge age of 23 (you may applaud now)

Having grown up with just himself and Sans, Papyrus always wanted to become something great to make his brother proud, despite Sans’ insistence that he’s already proud of him. When he was 13, while Sans was out getting food, Papyrus had been targeted and hunted down by a group of bullies from the Southside of town, the group of teens taking turns in beating him up, eventually escalating to the point where one of them pulled a mirror from their pocket and used it to reflect a beam of sun directly onto his face, leaving a permanent scar,

He was saved however, when a teen he recognised from the Oasis center came charging out from one of the nearby tents, picking up handfuls of sand and hurtling it at the other kids before beating them up with her fists alone. Once over, the girl had turned, helped Papyrus up and took him to see her grandfather, the current head of the Royal Guard, a job she loudly proclaimed she was going to have one day,

Ever since then he attempted and eventually got into the Royal guard, along with Sans and the teen, Undyne.

-

Gersons:

Undyne- (She/Her)

29, Captain of the Royal Guard, Wife of the best woman around, living the high life! Having been raised by her grandfather Gerson for longer than she could remember, she’s always looked up to the Royal Guard, no matter how her Grandfather told her it wasn’t all glory. She’d been sneaking out and training with one of the Royal Guards for 8 years by the time she was 19, stumbling across a fight, six of her classmates beating down on a young skeleton. She’d jumped to defense before she’d even registered it, helping the kid up and getting him patched up where eventually the kids brother, Sans, one of Alphys’ friends found them and thanked her profusely.

The three became fast friends, practically siblings, both of them there at her and Alphys’ wedding and her promotion to Captain of the Royal guard.

Alphys- (She/They)

27 and already one of the best Scientists in the whole country. Alphys’ having grown up in Hotlands would have never dared to dream she’d be working with a whole team of like minded scientists, especially not in the human city, though not being able to see her Wife as often was a dampener. Dr. Gaster was also a bit, overzealous, with the project, it was only a matter of time before the madman created some temporal superflux that blew up half the block, even if she wouldn’t be anywhere near as prestigious without his guidance, despite Sans’ reservations for letting them near him.

(I will be adding more to this AU btw, it’s in my top 3 faves lmao)

Bonus:

Animation I’ve done for Helical Sans to explain how his AU hopping works

[earlofnewshire]

No yeah like personally I'm not a sylki shipper but I would also bang an alternate version of myself and/or tom hiddleston so I can't really critique it

Genuinely confused about why people are so upset about 'selfcest'. It is an entirely fictional concept with no real life precedent. There is absolutely nothing to get mad about. Sylki is not hurting anyone. If you find it weird, that's fine. It's a weird concept. But I have yet to hear one good argument about why it's morally wrong by any definition. Seriously, someone explain. I am open to discussion, just not unfounded hate. And before you say anything about queerbaiting, that is an entirely separate issue that also just happens to be a part of that particular ship. You do not need to tell me that it's queerbaiting; I already know and that's not what I'm arguing.

That being said, my long shot hope for s2 is that Lokius and Sylki become canon. It would either singlehandedly unite the fandom or singlehandedly burn it to the ground and either way I want to watch. It almost certainly will not happen but my God would it be funny.

[mysticstronomy]

DID MARS EVER CONTAIN WATER??

Blog#428

Saturday, August 17th, 2024.

Welcome back,

While the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn contain water, Mars remains dry. Despite dozens of space missions, the Red Planet has yet to provide convincing proof that it conceals significant water reserves beneath its surface.

Yet Earth's little cousin hasn't always been so secretive. Various studies have shown that a little over 4 billion years ago, it experienced a "watery" era when lakes, rivers and perhaps even oceans could maintain themselves on its soil. Branching valleys and ancient terrains rich in hydrated clays are evidence of this blissful period of abundance.

Subsequently, the loss of part of the Martian atmosphere led to a reduction in the greenhouse effect followed by a gradual disappearance of water. The question is how long this process lasted and under what conditions. This is what the American Space Agency's (NASA) Curiosity and Perseverance spacecraft have been trying to establish since their arrival in 2012 and 2021 in the Gale and Jezero craters.

"Lakes occupied these depressions 3.5 or 3.6 billion years ago," explained Nicolas Mangold, a director of research at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) Laboratory of Planetology and Geosciences in Nantes.

By studying the sedimentary and clay deposits left by the former and exploring the ancient river delta that fed the latter, the aim is to determine whether the climate at the time was wet and cold, or dry and hot. The Perseverance rover is also collecting samples, to be brought back to Earth as part of the MSR mission [Mars Sample Return, NASA-European Space Agency (ESA)]. They should provide precise information."

For the moment, things are hazy. If water has flowed on Mars, where has it gone? Was it sucked up into space with the Martian atmosphere or did some of it remain on site, buried underground? Many teams around the world are working to find answers by searching for clues to its presence other than those offered by polar ice caps and glaciers.

As water cannot remain in a liquid state for long on the surface of Mars, these investigations often consist of spotting recent traces of its passage using instruments placed in orbit. This opens the way to all kinds of controversy about how to interpret observations of this world, whose morphology is radically different from that of Earth. "Some of these controversies, such as those concerning gullies – ravines 1 or 2 kilometers long, discovered by the hundreds along certain landforms in the early 2000s – have finally been settled," said Susan Conway, a CNRS researcher at the Laboratory of Planetology and Geosciences in Nantes.

Her team recently demonstrated in the journal Nature Communications that seasonal deposits of dry ice explain the phenomenon, and not water flows.

Other clues continue to fuel debate and even controversy among scientists. The nature of "equatorial dark flows," the background noise of radar signals suggesting the existence of an underground sea beneath the North Cap, the presence of possible channels in the ejecta of impact craters and the hypothetical formation of "rides" in areas of glacial retreat. If water exists on Mars, it is well camouflaged.

Why not deep underground, frozen in the cryosphere? Or preserved in liquid form in aquifers, or inside the thin film of perchlorate brine that supposedly exists at the base of the permafrost that covers Mars at high latitudes? The Marsis and Sharad radars of the Mars Express (ESA) and MRO (NASA) probes have pinpointed promising regions. And when NASA's Phoenix lander dug a few centimeters into the frozen ground just after it arrived in 2008, it immediately uncovered blocks of water ice – a further reason for hypothesis and speculation.

Originally published on https://www.lemonde.fr

COMING UP!!

(Wednesday, August 21st, 2024)

"DID LIFE EXIST ON VENUS??"

[bat-snake]

Feeling ways about. How far the Sea of the Castout extends and just an extra special layer of tragedy in Leola's death.

The rivers reach the Silvergrove, almost touching the Moonstone Path. They connect to the oasis in the Midnight Desert. They even connect up to the Storm Spire to some unlabeled sea(???). The connect to lakes that go into the Uncharted Forest and the Drakewood and Umber Tor.

Before the crater, there was a forest and a vast lack of a water source in that area. Leola's fall and Aaravos' century of grieving brought water to an area of Xadia where there was none before. So much that it spread through the land with unimaginable impact - life flourishing!

And of course, the cosmic/navigational impact with her star - bright and clear and steadfast and beautiful. If not navigation, then an inspiration for art, for poetry, for song, for declaring love. Or even just remembering: Woah! Astronomy!

Aaravos was right that she would be surrounded by love. Maybe not in the way he meant to comfort her. By accident, with her death, an avenue for all other life cracked open, and where life is, love follows.

Yet all the appreciation for the water and agriculture that came from it...no one actually knows (or cares?) who the Castout was. Surely some interesting little folk stories about the giant that wept in a crater for a while and a variety of guesses to how that happened.

They don't know she was someone's sweet little girl - someone's baby. They don't know she was murdered for showing compassion to a "lesser being". They don't know she died frightened and confused and seeking comfort from a parent floating out of her reach. Her "last wish" was unspoken and yet she had a star named after it.

For all of that, for all the love springing from and for Leola's impact on Xadia, only one remembers her and loves her for who she was in life. Yes, he may be perfectly aware of everything I just said. Maybe he's heard it before. Maybe he's considered it for himself. That her death created an outpouring of life and opportunity.

But it's bitter comfort. They don't love her like he still loves her.

[mineralsrocksandfossiltalks]

Monday Musings: The Ring of Fire

Not gonna lie, every time I think about the Pacific Ring of Fire, this song gets stuck in my head (and I love this song so play away).

The Pacific Ring of Fire is a ring of volcanoes around the Pacific Plate Subduction zones.

It is about 25,000 miles long (40,000km) and it contains somewhere between 750-915 active and dormant volcanoes. This is about 2/3 or the world's total volcanoes!

It is also where about 90% of the world's earthquakes occur as well. Speaking of which, if you didn't hear there was an earthquake that happened on December 5th just off the coast of northern California. The recording will be posted on my Patreon so go join and check it out!

Now, this ring of fire is a complex system. I remember being taught as a kid that the Pacific Plate is subducting below like four different plates but that just isn't right. It's actually several plates interacting with each other. Let's zoom in.

We usually only hear about the large plates but there are tons of smaller ones around the globe. For instance, all the ones in this map. The red is the Philippine Plate which is subducting beneath the Eurasian Plate. As you can sea, the Pacific Plate is further out. Not subducting.

The Pacific Plate is subducting under parts of North America, but so is the smaller, older Juan de Fuca and Cocos Plates.

The Nazca Plate is being subducted along the west coast of South America as well as part of the Antarctic Plate. Just for funsies, the map below shows how much has been subducted and what the depth is.

The Ring of Fire has existed for a little over 35 million years. That means subduction of these plates began in the Late Eocene Epoch.

The largest volcanic eruptions in human history occurred in the Ring of Fire. We will start with the 1902 Santa Maria eruption in Guatamala. The volcano is estimated to have started erupting about 103,000 years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch. However, by 102 it was considered dormant. The 1902 eruption had a VEI (Volcanic Explosive Index) of 6 (the highest being a 7) which makes it "colossal".

Mt. Pinatubo activity began about 1.1 million years ago (known as Ancestral Pinatubo). The modern Pinatubo began erupting about 79,000 BC. It's eruption in 1991 is the most famous though. It was the second largest eruption in the 20th century but a lot more devastating. It was also rated a 6 on the VEI and it ejected about 10 cubic km worth of material (10 times larger than the Mt St Helen eruption a decade earlier).

Before and after shot of the river valley near Pinatubo.

Lake Pinatubo now fills the crater left behind by the eruption.

One of the most famous is the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa. It's eruption was so violent that it was heard in Perth Australia nearly 2,000 miles away.

It caused a massive pressure wave that was recorded on barographs around the world (in some cases, the wave was recorded 7 times!). It created devastating tsunamis and killed at least 36,000 people. The eruption lasted from May until October peaking in August when nearly the entire island collapsed into a caldera. Ash fell over approximately 1500 squares miles and the eruption caused a volcanic winter. This one is also categorized as a 6 VEI.

The largest eruption in the Holocene was that of Mt. Tambora in 1815. The volcano had been dormant for centuries caused by gradual cooling of hydrous magma in its closed magma chamber. At depths of abot 5,000-15,000 ft, the exsolution began to form causing an over-pressurization in the chamber (about 58,000-73,000 psi) with temps ranging between 700-850 degrees Celsius (1,290-1,560 degrees F). It is thought that the explosions from the initial eruption could be heard clear over in Thailand over 2,000 miles away.

Pyroclastic flows wiped out the village of Tambora and 13 ft tsunamis hit many Indonesian islands. The explosion had an estimated VEI of 7 with an estimated 10 cubic miles (41 cubic km) of ejecta weighing 10 billion tonnes. The caldera left behind is about3-4.5 miles across and nearly 2300ft (700m) deep. The eruption released the amount of energy equivalent to 33 gigatons of TNT. This was such a large eruption that it caused the Year Without A Summer in the northern hemisphere. The dramatic cooling directly and indirectly killed 90,000 people. Way to go Tambora.

The largest earthquakes on Earth as well including the Sumatra earthquake in 2004 whose 100ft high tsunami killed over 200,000 people in 14 countries the day after Christmas.

There is also the Greta Chilean Earthquake in 1960 estimated at a magnitude 9.4 on the moment magnitude scale. An 82ft tsunami battered the Chilean shores and effected Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, New Zealand, Australia and the Aleutian Islands.

All in all, the Ring of Fire is a deadly mix in geologic terms and insanely fascinating as it gives a spectacular look into the inner workings of our planet.

Tune in tomorrow for some volcanic trivia! Fossilize you later!

[torchflies]

Hi TG Fandom! 

Lol, I’m trying to get a lab up and running with nothing but elbow grease and grit — but I was inspired to ramble a little after I saw one of my TAs watching Brightburn on their phone (terrible movie but great concept). This is really silly BUT —

I love the idea of an Icemav kid, who doesn't love the idea of an Icemav kid? Bradley is definitely Icemav’s kid, but he’ll always be Carole and Goose’s too. 

I imagine that Mav starts test piloting when Bradley gets into his preteen/early teen years, while Ice is rising in the ranks. One night they decide to sleep over in the hangar in China Lake. There was supposed to be a meteor shower or something and Mav was desperate to get his kid excited and engaged in something after Carole’s passing. So the two of them are using the telescope into the wee hours of the night to see it and the light-pollution-free constellations. Finally, they go to bed. 

But Bradley frantically wakes Mav up two hours later to say: Mav, I think a meteor just landed outside. 

Mav, of course, doesn't believe him because what? 

But they eventually go out there and “just behind the hangar” turns into a three-mile jog. Still, it’s been a while since Bradley has been invested in anything like this, so they go, and lo’ and behold — there’s a crater and in the crater… is a toddler, chewing on a piece of compromised metal. The whole crater is covered in chunks of compromised metal, like something exploded. But the tiny boy is unharmed, just happily gnawing away on his piece of paneling. 

Mav is at a loss, and when Bradley gives him the can we keep it? lips and eyes, Mav says absolutely not. 

The next morning, Ice rushes over after Mav’s frantic SOS call and says absolutely not. 

But when there's no record of the boy anywhere and his only option is a foster placement… 

Well, there's plenty of room for another kid in this family, after all. 

And okay, sure the kid floats and periodically sets things on fire with his eyes 🤷 but no one is perfect. 

Move over Ma and Pa Kent, they've got nothing on Ice and Mav raising a preteen and an alien baby. 🤣

Look, I'm overcaffinated and sleep-deprived, let me have this.

[rorywritesjunk]

Let’s be one another’s present tense

Buggy ‘rescues’ you from an abusive situation, and after a less than stellar introduction, he has you audition for his crew to keep you safe. You want safety, security, and joining a circus seems like the best idea.

Rating: R-ish for now. Warning: Swearing, brief mentions of expecting assault, Rory doesn't know anything about makeup and here is more makeup. A kiss. A/N: This story is opposite of my Kid Buggy series and I love that for myself.

Title comes from “Crater Lake” by Lady Lamb.

Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 + Chapter 6 + Chapter 7 + Chapter 8 + Chapter 9 (NC-17) + Chapter 10 + Chapter 11 + Chapter 12 + Chapter 13 + Chapter 14 + Chapter 15 (NC-17) + Chapter 16 (NC-17) + Chapter 17 TAGLIST: @lostfirefly @neuvilleteismybby @fluffybunnyu @sinning-23 @the-angriest-angel @ane5e

Chapter 5

Despite your argument, fight, whatever it was after breakfast, Buggy kept an eye on you as you practiced holding your breath under water with one hand at the top of the tank to fish you out if needed. With his hand near you, he made a point of going to various points of the tent, trying to see if he could see your face while you were underwater to validate his reasoning for putting makeup on you.

You really didn't want to but as he said at breakfast, he was in charge. 

And after everyone was done for the evening and the two of you headed back to your shared room, he waited until you changed into dry clothes before sitting you in front of his vanity and pulling out different kinds of makeup. You had a grumpy expression on your face as he looked at various kinds and colors, trying to find something that was colorful and bright while also being waterproof. 

“Turn that frown upside down, Cupcake.” He chuckled as he held up a pink eyeliner pencil and knelt in front of you. “I'm going to take care of you, don't worry. The audience will be able to see this gorgeous face of yours all the way in the back row.”

And there it was again, those words he said so freely to you and others, but you had come to hope he actually meant them when he said them to you.

He held your chin to keep your head still as he murmured for you to close your eyes as he held the pencil up. You just stared back at him, looking into his eyes and feeling lost for a moment before he repeated himself and you listened, shutting them tightly as though this was going to be painful.

“Relax, Cupcake.” He said softly as he moved the eyeliner across your eyelids gently, keeping his hand steady so as to keep the line straight and to not poke you. “I got you.”

You swallowed heavily and nodded, though your movements were restricted by him holding you. He was so close to you right then, you could feel his breath on your face and the warmth of his body as he moved the pencil over your other eye. He chuckled softly and let go of your chin so you opened your eyes.

“Looking good already.” He told you as he looked for the next piece. “This eyeliner says it's waterproof so we will have to try it out later, maybe when you take a bath or something.”

You just nodded, watching as he checked the labels on various mascaras and other things that he had. It made you wonder if he used all of this stuff himself or if he just accumulated it all over time.

“I know your schtick is to wear that old Marine uniform, but I wouldn't say no to seeing you in that mermaid tail.” He told you as he looked back over at you. “You don't have to wear that clamshell top if you don't want to, either be topless or wear something else.”

“It may be hard to get in and out of the tank with the fins.” You pointed out as he took hold of your chin again. You jumped a little at his touch and he immediately pulled his hand back. “Sorry, uh, you can keep doing that.”

He looked into your eyes for a moment, looking for any signs of discomfort before he took your chin in his hand again before he started with the mascara. In reality, if he gave you the makeup he wanted to use you could have applied it yourself, but he never gave you the chance. He just took charge of the situation, much like your haircut, and… you kind of liked it.

Of course you weren't going to say anything. 

“Someone can lift you out.” He said as he set the mascara aside. “We'll figure something out to add some flashiness to your act “

You opened your eyes and looked up at him. “Can I ask you something, Captain?”

“What?” He was looking through different eye shadow palettes, looking for any of them that indicated they could be waterproof. “I'm an open book so ask away.”

“Why are you so against me doing anything risky?” You asked. “And don't give me the shit about the other performers, that's not a valid reason.”

He didn't respond right away, still rummaging through the drawer to find what he needed. You took a chance and leaned forward, touching his arm lightly. He shrugged and looked at you.

“Maybe I don't want you to get hurt.” He said, his voice surprisingly calm as he spoke. “Ever think of that? If something happens to you while you're in the water, I can't help you, so don't suggest shit like that anymore.”

“You always have someone watching me though.” You frowned. “You can stage someone to be ready to help me if something is going wrong.”

“Can I ask you something then?” He asked sharply, his tone surprising you just a bit. You nodded. “Why are you so ready to put yourself in harm's way?”

“I'm… I'm not.” You said as you pulled your hand back.

“You were ready to drown yourself shortly after meeting me.” He pointed out. “And now you're suggesting adding an extra layer of danger to this act. Either you have a death wish or a dark sense of humor, both of which I don't like coming from you.”

You shrugged and looked down at your lap. “‘s how I'm coping.”

“Coping with what?” He sighed as he found a bright green eyeshadow that may be waterproof. 

“Being here.” You mumbled. “And processing everything, like going from feeling like I was going to be killed by you when I first met you to you having a cup of tea for me. You even let me sleep in your bed last night and… you didn't do anything.”

“What were you expecting me to do?” Buggy asked as he grabbed a brush for the eyeshadow. “Hm?”

You didn't look at him and shrugged. “Take advantage of me.”

“Glad to know you think so highly of me.” He muttered as he grabbed you by the chin again, still as gentle as before, as he held the brush tinged with the green powder. “I'd hope you trust me enough to close your eyes for me.”

“I trust you.” You said a little quickly before closing your eyes. “It… it's just taking time.”

“Hm, well, I have plenty of time.” Buggy said as he smoothed the brush over your eyelids carefully. He muttered something about the powder getting everywhere and before you knew it, his thumb was moving around your eye, removing the excess. You found yourself leaning into his touch for a moment, only to open your eyes when he pulled his hand back. “You good, Cupcake?”

You didn't realize how much you had leaned into him because your hand was on his chest and your face was inches from him.

“I…am good.” You pulled back from him, leaning as far into your seat as possible. “Sorry. Distracted.”

Buggy said nothing as he set the mascara down and looked for lipstick next. Your heart was pounding and you were feeling embarrassed. You needed to get a grip because you just spoke of him not taking advantage of you, but what were you doing just now? Leaning into his touch, getting close to him, he was going to think you were up to something and then what? You'd end up tossed out on your ass. He didn't want you in that way, he was your boss. He kidnapped-slash-rescued you from a shitty situation and you felt like you were throwing yourself at him.

“Better a distraction now than when you're in the water.” He muttered as he picked up a bright yellow lipstick. “Let's try this.”

You let him take charge once more, holding you by the chin as he dabbed the yellow color over your lips. You didn't get to smooth it over your lips because Buggy's thumb was there, dragging the color over your lips to even it out. Before you could stop yourself, you pressed your lips to the pad of his thumb, only to feel horrified that you just did that. Either he didn't notice or he did and chose not to say anything, because he pulled his hand back when he was done.

“One more thing, Cupcake, then you're done.” 

You looked up at him, wondering what else he wanted to do to you. He looked at you for a moment before one hand grabbed the front of your shirt and the other hand went to the back of your head as he pressed his lips to yours. You stiffened, not expecting that, but you soon relaxed as your hands went to his head, cupping his face as you returned the kiss. 

This was not what you expected to happen.

He pulled back just a bit, pressing a kiss to the corner of your mouth as he looked over your makeup. There was red around your mouth, accenting the yellow, and he smirked at the additional color.

“I think this will work for you, y’know.” He chuckled as he pulled his hands away. “I like the red on you.”

~

You barely slept. Buggy mentioned the possibility of another storm and you were in his bed again for the night. He wasn't lying and while it wasn't as loud and violent as the previous night, you appreciated that you were able to burrow under the blankets on his bed as the wind howled and the rain pounded outside. He was in bed beside you, sleeping on his side facing you, seemingly not bothered by the noise outside like you were. 

It was just weird to be in his bed again. Are you friends now? What was this? He was still your boss but the fact he kissed you earlier had you starting to question some things. Was he just being a tease, or did he have some kind of feelings for you that you yourself were starting to question? Did you like him or, as you mentioned earlier, are you just coping with the change in your life? 

You two certainly argued and raised your voices enough at each other that it was weird if you didn't call him an asshole at least once a day or if he didn't end your practice by dunking your head under water. 

You pulled your head out from under the blankets just enough to look over at him. He definitely looked peaceful as he slept, and you liked the sight of his hair down and his face free of makeup. It was hard not to reach out and run your fingers through his hair, wanting to see if it was as soft as it felt, but that was a risk you didn't want to take.

“What?” He grumbled as he opened his eyes. “It's weird being stared at when I'm trying to sleep.”

“Oh, fuck, um… nothing. Sorry.” You replied quietly as you curled up away from him. “Couldn't sleep and…”

“Got distracted?” Buggy grinned sleepily. “By me? Am I too distracting for you?”

“N-No, shush.” You glared at him as your cheeks turned red, but thankfully it was too dark for him to notice. “Go back to sleep, asshole.”

“Hard to when your eyes are on me like that, y’know.” He chuckled. “Feels like you’re undressing me with your eyes, Cupcake. Kind of scandalous to look at your Captain that way.”

“Oh my God, shut up.” Your face was burning now. “I am going to smother you with a pillow, Buggy.”

He just smirked at you, almost daring you to even attempt it. Grumbling, you chose to hide your face against your pillow instead. No, no, you weren’t going to smother him while he slept. He was half asleep and being dumb, that was it, trying to rile you up to have you wanting to fight him before you fell asleep. 

“Just don’t try to kiss me when I go back to sleep.” He told you as he moved closer to you, wrapping his arms around as he pulled you against him. “I’d like to be awake for that.”

You wondered if you could just die right then and there from this entire conversation.

[intercal]

okay last gift post. intermom knit me a crater lake beanie with a little bigfoot on it

[sillysiluriforme]

SILU’S STILLBORN WEBCOMIC PART 2

The main locations are based around craterview, a town set on the edge of crater lake, Oregon. It’s a little bit like if you took a pilgrim settlement and dressed it up like a 1950s suburban neighborhood. Almost every citizen is comically evil.

The basement : The girls mainly hang out in the basement of Pam’s house.

I really wanted to get the mad scientist witch pink Barbie Malibu vibe across. It took a few tries but I still really love the final product.

The mall:

Dug through the side of mt Scott there is a living non euclidian mall that doubles as a small town. It’s mostly populated by monsters and is seemingly infinite.

The forest: mainly controlled by the marching band, it’s where most of the turf wars happen. There’s weirdly little animal life in the area.

The school: craterview high, go cougars ! It’s sort of falling apart and students die an unsustainable amount but there’s no other school in the region so suck it up.

Another location that was planned is a cabin on wizard island that they used to do their ritual.