Volcanoes Under Gravity's Law
As exciting as the O'Mearas' investigations may be, Steve cautions that they cannot be considered independently of other volcanic variables. "We're not saying that by simply following the moon we can predict when a volcano will erupt," he notes. He does, however, advocate including the moon in the equation for predicting eruptions, with other more traditional variables.
"A volcanic eruption is a chaotic event," Steve says. "In order to predict such an event you must know all of the variables involved. Gravity is one of Earth's strongest forces, so you can't ignore the moon. The challenge is to find out just how it's playing a role."
On Sunday, February 17, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on MSNBC in the United States, National Geographic EXPLORER joins volcano hunters Steve and Donna O'Meara for two perilous weeks atop one of the world's most active hot spots, Stromboli, in Italy's Aeolian Islands.
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