Are catastrophes way up, or is it just me?
seriously, is it just me, or does it seem we are averaging a LOT of "once in a lifetime catastrophic events" per year lately? last year's florida-four (ivan, jeanne, charles and frances), this year's katrina and rita, the tsunami late last year, now an earthquake killing at least 18,000 in pakistan and climbing, supposedly the avian flu coming (or at least more likely), etc., etc., etc. heck, you can even crank it back to sept 11th and start couting things that could be considered high on the "whoa" scale.
anyone care to make us a graph? when do we get to "plague of frogs" and "river of blood"?
anyone care to make us a graph? when do we get to "plague of frogs" and "river of blood"?
Comments
How about asteroid 2004 MN4? Fortunately, its only about 320 meters in diameter- big, but not dinosaur-killer big.
"On April 13, 2029, 2004 MN4 will be about 22,600 miles (36,350 kilometers) from Earth's center. That is just below the altitude of geosynchronous satellites."
Yes you read that correctly, it will between the Earth and some of our satellites.
"The flyby will change the orbit of the asteroid and create "a low, but real possibility" that it will return to hit Earth seven years later on April 13, 2036, Schweickart advised."
"Schweickart lays out one scenario -- again, the odds of such a result are very small -- in which 2004 MN4 hits the Pacific Ocean, about 680 miles (1,100 kilometers) off the Southern California coast. The entire western coastline of the United States would experience a devastating tsunami, resulting in billions of dollars worth of damage, Schweickart says."
Feel better about today?
http://www.space.com/news/050519_asteroid_mission.html
Originally posted by midwinter
pterodactyls. no one is considering them.
Actually, someone is.
http://www.spamusement.com
TRAINS.
As someone who was nearly blown up in London on 7/7, I have become increasingly concerned that the American anti-terrorism whatsits have not considered the possibility that the terrorists might hijack a train and drive it into a building. Or maybe drive it into an offshore drilling rig.
Originally posted by midwinter
Well, shit. My other hobby horse is this:
TRAINS.
As someone who was nearly blown up in London on 7/7, I have become increasingly concerned that the American anti-terrorism whatsits have not considered the possibility that the terrorists might hijack a train and drive it into a building. Or maybe drive it into an offshore drilling rig.
Drive a train off-shore?
That would be something.
Originally posted by Carson O'Genic
"...a low, but real possibility" that it will return to hit Earth seven years later on April 13, 2036....
The entire western coastline of the United States would experience a devastating tsunami, resulting in billions of dollars worth of damage,..."
Note to self: Don't live in California in April 2036.
Let's hope we can evacuate everyone in time.
Originally posted by Carson O'Genic
Oh, it can get worse.
How about asteroid 2004 MN4? Fortunately, its only about 320 meters in diameter- big, but not dinosaur-killer big.
"On April 13, 2029, 2004 MN4 will be about 22,600 miles (36,350 kilometers) from Earth's center. That is just below the altitude of geosynchronous satellites."
Yes you read that correctly, it will between the Earth and some of our satellites.
"The flyby will change the orbit of the asteroid and create "a low, but real possibility" that it will return to hit Earth seven years later on April 13, 2036, Schweickart advised."
"Schweickart lays out one scenario -- again, the odds of such a result are very small -- in which 2004 MN4 hits the Pacific Ocean, about 680 miles (1,100 kilometers) off the Southern California coast. The entire western coastline of the United States would experience a devastating tsunami, resulting in billions of dollars worth of damage, Schweickart says."
Feel better about today?
http://www.space.com/news/050519_asteroid_mission.html
The fact that the figure is in dollars must say something about the human race right now.
Originally posted by CosmoNut
Note to self: Don't live in California in April 2036.
Let's hope we can evacuate everyone in time.
It'll be like Deep Impact but with less Morgan Freeman.
Originally posted by midwinter
Well, shit. My other hobby horse is this:
TRAINS.
As someone who was nearly blown up in London on 7/7, I have become increasingly concerned that the American anti-terrorism whatsits have not considered the possibility that the terrorists might hijack a train and drive it into a building. Or maybe drive it into an offshore drilling rig.
RESPECT
Originally posted by groverat
I blame 24/7 news media.
I blame Canada.
Originally posted by Not Unlike Myself
I blame Canada.
Just Quebec.
Originally posted by BRussell
I've got the best one just a couple hours away from me: The Yellowstone Supervolcano. The whole park is one big volcano. It blew 2 million years ago, another 1 million years ago, and again 650,000 years ago. I think we're due. And when it goes again, goodbye everyone in the Western half of the US and a good chunk of Canada and Mexico.
I was watching a show on that - they said that the hotspot is moving west under the mountains, and is now less of a danger because of the thicker rock.
I am waiting for the Cascadia Megathrust, which is a pending richter 9.5 earthquake that will destroy Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle and Portland some time in the next 500 years (but it could be tomorrow). The last quake was in 1700, and they occur every 200-800 years.
Originally posted by Placebo
The fact that the figure is in dollars must say something about the human race right now.
Oh, like you don't know the net worth of your family [/irony].
Originally posted by audiopollution
Just Quebec.
Just Quebecois. Speak real French.