As many may not be aware, I'm studying to become a volcanologist. And recently, I had a front row seat to the power of nature when a small town in Iceland, known as Grindavik, came under threat of a volcanic dyke which had slowly begun to spread directly under the town. Concerns were so great, that on November 10, the town was evacuated and everyone had to leave. And then, the waiting game began. At first, I had been skeptical that an eruption would happen but then, I began to see disturbing signs that an eruption was about to happen.
Some of those signs included a prolonged period of earthquake swarms which were caused by the magma intruding into the magma dyke that was happening under the town and just outside the town. And then, out of the blue, these swarms began to die down. And with a sudden realization, I noticed that these signs were eerily similar to those of another world famous volcano in the Cascade Range known as Mount Saint Helens. Like the swarms in Iceland, Helens experienced a sudden and prolonged earthquake swarm period. This was then, quite suddenly, followed by a period of general rest, where the earthquakes were few and far between. But just like Iceland, Helens had a sudden earthquake swarm that struck her, and with this swarm, the volcano all but exploded into activity, this then resulted in a nine hour eruption, the likes in which volcanologists had never seen before.
And like Helens, Grindavik saw a massive and sudden earthquake swarm, mere minutes before the eruption began.
The heartbreaking, heart stopping moment, when we, the world watching, saw a literal fireball light up the night sky just outside of Grindavik. I was away from my computer when it happened but then my cell phone began to go haywire with the words "WE'VE LOST GRINDAVIK!" being prominently displayed in multiple texts. And standing in my mom and stepdad's living room, I fell to my knees and broke out into tears. For once, just once, I wanted to be wrong. I wanted to be proven wrong. I wanted my gut instincts to be wrong. I wanted my words of reassurances given to friends and family who lived in Grindavik, to be proven right. But instead, I returned to my room, sat down at my desk, and watched helplessly as multiple earthquake swarms, slammed into Grindavik and the surrounding area as can be seen by the below screenshot.
On 12/11/23 you can see that the area was quiet. Too quiet. While there was a few quakes here and there, they were nothing to write home about. But as can be seen by the 12/18/23 screenshot above....it was merely a prelude to the inevitable blast.
To put into perspective of just how close this town came to being lost. 1.5km away = 1hr drive away if that. The town was literally spared by a ridge, a volcanic ridge alone. Had the eruption proven to be bigger, as was anticipated, the lava could of easily rolled over that ridge and into the unprotected town.
Generally speaking, Fissure eruptions are longer lasting, more violent and much more unpredictable. This can be seen by the 2018 Hawai'ian eruption of Mount Kīlauea. This fissure eruption was another alarm bell as the earthquake swarms followed the same pattern in Iceland. From May through August, large lava flows covered land southeast of the park destroying over 700 homes and devastating residential areas in the Puna District.
But what is the point of this post? It's pointing out how grateful the residents of Ginrdavik were and are that their town was spared. Decades of culture, heritage, etc, were saved by a literal ridge and the fact the fissure went away from the town versus towards it. Can you imagine, being evacuated from your home, from your town, being displaced across your nation, forced to live in another's home, living outside of your comfort zone, outside of the place and home that is familiar to you, and being forced to watch, in mounting uncertainty, as mother nature plays tic tac toe with your home?
In the Puna District in Hawai'i, many people weren't so lucky.
Those in the Puna District weren't as lucky as those in Iceland. Below you can see one of the flows going into a neighborhood and destroying property. This is someone's home. This is where, in many cases, they'd raised their children, where they, themselves, had grown up.
But in the blink of an eye, a massive fissure eruption with a grand total 18 fissures tearing the landscape open, caused massive property loss. And, in one case, the near loss of life when a man was seriously injured when a lava bomb slammed into his home while he was watching, from what he'd assumed, was a safe distance, and in a heart stopping moment, as a lost person, walked perilously close to the flow and was only saved by waving his cell phone around and being guided back to safety via a drone.
"PAHOA, Hawaii (Reuters) - A stream of lava blocked a Hawaii highway on Sunday that serves as an escape route for coastal residents, while the first known serious injury was reported from fresh explosive eruptions from the Kilauea volcano.
A homeowner on Noni Farms Road who was on a third-floor balcony had his leg shattered from his shin to his foot when hit by lava spatter, said Janet Snyder, a spokesperson for the Office of the Mayor, County of Hawaii." - source -
I was raised the way I was. With the firm belief that there's far more important things out there, to worry about, to stress about, then a game and if a game is making you so unhappy, you complain about it 24/7, then it's time to find something worth while to complain about. Find something else to make your voice heard. A game, is meant to be relaxing, not toxic. A game is meant to bring you joy at the small, stupid stuff that's init. Finding new ways to have your horse yeet you into the great beyond (like mine do - daily) etc. But above everything, a game isn't meant to make you this stressed that you threaten to boycott.
Whenever this game stresses me out, I focus my attention elsewhere. I throw myself into my Ambassador work for 4Ocean, Sea Shepherds, etc. I focus my attention into work that'll make a difference, such as how, on June 27, 2023, we pulled 30 million pounds of waste from the sea, rivers and coastlines. This milestone was one I participated in and when we reached that goal (then later smashed it), I was beyond thrilled. Here was something where my efforts made a difference.
Since 2017, 4ocean has recovered over 30 million pounds of trash from the world’s oceans, rivers, and coastlines; created hundreds of full-time, living-wage jobs; diverted more than 300 million single-use plastics from the waste stream; donated nearly $2 million dollars to nonprofit ocean conservation organizations who share our mission; and, through our partnership with SeaTrees by Sustainable Surf, have offset our entire carbon footprint (and then some) by planting more than 18,000 mangrove trees and restoring over 4,5000 sq. ft. of kelp forest.
And helping the Sea Shepherds, has always been a mission statement, I've valued and shared. Without our ocean wildlife, our oceans would collapse, as would our rivers, coastlines, lakes, etc. Our entire way of life, relies in some way shape or form, on our ocean and ocean health. And it's been these mission statements, that have meant the world to me. Where becoming an Ambassador for them, has helped me make a difference through word of mouth, by spreading the word about their mission statements.
So whenever a game gets me pissed off, I return my attention elsewhere. I divert my effort and time, elsewhere. Why? Because in doing so, I know my efforts have a real impact, versus bitching about a game, where I have little to no say nor any control. I dunno, I just don't see why the SSO community can't get it's act together. Perhaps I was raised differently than them. I dunno.
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