The colossal consequences of supervolcanoes - Alex Gendler

Kolosalne posledice supervulkana - Aleks Džendler (Alex Gendler)

Prevodilac: Tijana Mihajlović Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

The year was 1816.

Bila je to 1816. godina.

Europe and North America had just been through

Evropa i Severna Amerika samo što su prošle

a devastating series of wars,

kroz niz razarajućih ratova

and a slow recovery seemed to be underway,

i činilo se da se primiče spor oporavak,

but nature had other plans.

ali priroda je imala druge planove.

After two years of poor harvests,

Posle dve godine slabe žetve,

the spring brought heavy rains and cold,

proleće je donelo velike kiše i hladnoću,

flooding the rivers and causing crop failures

uzrokujući izlivanje reka i propadanje useva

from the British Isles to Switzerland.

od Britanskih ostrva do Švajcarske.

While odd-colored snow fell in Italy and Hungary,

Sneg čudne boje pao je u Italiji i Mađarskoj,

famine, food riots and disease epidemics ensued.

a glad, pobune zbog hrane i epidemije bolesti su usledile.

Meanwhile, New England was blanketed

U međuvremenu, Nova Engleska bila je obavijena

by a strange fog

čudnom maglom

that would not disperse

koja se nije razilazila,

as the ground remained frozen

dok je tlo ostajalo zamrznuto

well into June.

kasno u junu.

In what came to be known as "the Year Without a Summer,"

U toku perioda koji je postao poznat kao „godina bez leta”,

some thought the apocalypse had begun.

neki su mislili da je počela apokalipsa.

A mood captured in Lord Byron's poem "Darkness":

Mesec je ovako opisan u pesmi Lorda Bajrona, „Tama”:

"I had a dream which was not all a dream.

„Sanjao sam, a ipak, to uopšte ne beše san.

The bright sun was extinguish'd,

Ugasilo se sjajno Sunce,

and the stars did wander darkling in the eternal space,

a zvezde su lutale po tmini u večnom prostoru,

rayless, and pathless,

bez zraka, bez puta,

and the icy Earth swung blind and blackening

a Zemlja okovana ledom lelujala je slepa i zacrnjena

in the moonless air;

u vazduhu bez Meseca,

morn came and went -- and came, and brought no day."

svitanje je došlo i otišlo, i došlo ne donoseći dan.”

They had no way of knowing

Nije bilo načina da se sazna

that the real source of their misfortunes

da se pravi uzrok njihove nesreće

had occurred a year ago thousands of miles away.

pojavio pre godinu dana na udaljenenosti od nekoliko hiljada kilometara.

The 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora

Erupcija vulkana Tambore 1815. godine

on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa

na indonežanskom ostrvu Sumbava,

was what is known as a supervolcano,

onoga što je poznato kao supervulkan,

characterized by a volume of erupted material,

koji odlikuje ogromna količina eruptivnog materijala,

many times greater than that of ordinary volcanoes.

mnogo puta veća nego kod običnih vulkana.

And while the popular image of volcanic destruction

Dok je popularna slika vulkanskog razaranja

is molten rock engulfing the surrounding land,

istopljena stena koja zahvata zemlju u okolini,

far greater devastation is caused

mnogo veće razaranje uzrokovano je

by what remains in the air.

onime što ostaje u vazduhu.

Volcanic ash, dispersed by wind,

Vulkanski pepeo koji raznosi vetar

can blanket the sky for days,

može zakloniti nebo i po nekoliko dana,

while toxic gases, such as sulfur dioxide,

dok otrovni gasovi, kao što je sumpor dioksid,

react in the stratosphere,

reaguju u stratosferi,

blocking out solar radiation

blokirajući solarno zračenje

and drastically cooling the atmosphere below.

i drastično rashlađujući atmosferu ispod.

The resulting volcanic winter,

Vulkanska zima koja je nastala,

along with other effects such as acid rain,

zajedno sa drugim posledicama kao što je kisela kiša,

can effect multiple continents,

mogu imati višestruke posledice po kontinente,

disrupting natural cycles

prekidajući prirodne cikluse

and annihilating the plant life on which other organisms,

i uništavajući biljni svet od koga zavise drugi organizmi,

including humans, depend.

uključujući i ljudska bića.

Releasing nearly 160 cubic kilometers

Oslobađajući skoro 160 kubnih kilometara

of rock, ash and gas,

kamenja, pepela i gasa,

the Mount Tambora eruption

erupcija vulkana Tambora

was the largest in recorded history,

bila je najveća koja je ikada zabeležena u istoriji,

causing as many as 90,000 deaths.

uzrokujući čak 90 000 smrtnih slučajeva.

But previous eruptions have been even more deadly.

Prethodne erupcije su, međutim, bile još smrtonosnije.

The 1600 eruption of Peru's Huaynaputina

Erupcija iz 1600. godine peruanskog vulkana Hajnaputina

is likely to have triggered the Russian famine,

verovatno je započela rusku glad

that killed nearly two million,

koja je ubila skoro dva miliona,

while more ancient eruptions have been blamed for major world events,

dok se drevnije erupcije krive za glavne svetske događaje,

such as the fall of the Chinese Xia Dynasty,

kao što je pad kineske dinastije Ša,

the disappearance of the Minoan civilization,

nestanak minojske civilizacije,

and even a genetic bottleneck in human evolution

čak i genetsko usko grlo u ljudskoj evoluciji

that may have resulted from all but a few thousand human beings

koje je imalo za posledicu da su svi osim nekoliko hiljada ljudi

being wiped out 70,000 years ago.

izbrisani sa lica Zemlje pre oko 70 000 godina.

One of the most dangerous types of supervolcano

Jedan od najopasnijih tipova supervulkana

is an explosive caldera,

je eksplozivna kaldera,

formed when a volcanic mountain collapses

koja se formira kada se uruši vulkanski krater

after an eruption so large

posle toliko snažne erupcije

that the now-empty magma chamber

da sada prazna komora za magmu

can no longer support its weight.

više ne može da izdrži njenu težinu.

But though the above-ground volcano is gone,

Iako je deo vulkana iznad tla nestao,

the underground volcanic activity continues.

podzemna vulkanska aktivnost se nastavlja.

With no method of release,

Bez načina oslobađanja,

magma and volcanic gases continue

magma i vulkanski gasovi nastavljaju da se akumuliraju

to accumulate and expand underground,

i šire ispod zemlje,

building up pressure until a massive and violent explosion

povećavajući pritisak sve dok masivna i snažna eksplozija

becomes inevitable.

ne postane neizbežna,

And one of the largest active volcanic calderas

a jedna od najvećih aktivnih vulkanskih kaldera

lies right under Yellowstone National Park.

prostire se tik ispod Nacionalnog parka Jeloustoun.

The last time it erupted, 650,000 years ago,

Poslednji put kada je bila erupcija, pre 650 000 godina,

it covered much of North America

pokrila je veći deo Severne Amerike

in nearly two meters of ash and rock.

sa skoro dva metra pepela i kamenja.

Scientists are currently monitoring

Naučnici trenutno nadgledaju

the world's active volcanoes,

najaktivnije svetske vulkane,

and procedures for predicting eruptions,

a procedure za predviđanje erupcija,

conducting evacuations and diverting lava flows

sprovođenje evakuacija i skretanje toka lave

have improved over the years.

poboljšale su se tokom godina.

But the massive scale and global reach

Međutim, velike razmere

i globalni domet supervulkana

of a supervolcano

means that for many people there would be nowhere to run.

za mnoge ljude znače da neće imati gde da beže.

Fortunately, the current data shows no evidence

Na sreću, trenutni podaci ne pokazuju

of such an eruption occurring in the next few thousand years.

da će se takva erupcija dogoditi za narednih nekoliko hiljada godina.

But the idea of a sudden and unavoidable

Ipak, ideja o iznenadnoj i neizbežnoj apokalipsi

civilization-destroying apocalypse

koja uništava civilizaciju prouzrokovanoj događajem

caused by events half a globe away

sa druge polovine Zemljine kugle,

will remain a powerful and terrifying vision.

ostaje moćna i strašna slika.

Less fictional than we would like to believe.

Manje je fiktivna nego što bismo voleli da verujemo.

"The winds were withered in the stagnant air,

„Vetrovi uvenuše u ustajali vazduh,

and the clouds perish'd;

a oblaci nestadoše;

darkness had no need of aid from them --

tami nije trebala njihova pomoć -

she was the universe." - Lord Byron

ona je bila svemir.” - Lord Bajron