[extropy-chat] Photographs of Recent Etna Activity

[Amara Graps]

Dear Extropes,

Continuing from my previous post
http://www.lucifer.com/pipermail/extropy-chat/2004-September/008741.html

Photographs of recent Etna Activity:

http://www.educeth.ch/stromboli/etna/etna04/etna0408-en.html
http://www.educeth.ch/stromboli/etna/etna04/etna0409-en.html


My favorites:  (the city lights below are from Catania)

http://www.educeth.ch/stromboli/etna/etna04/icons0408/f840.jpg
http://www.educeth.ch/stromboli/etna/etna04/icons0408/f842.jpg
http://www.educeth.ch/stromboli/etna/etna04/icons0408/f843.jpg
http://www.educeth.ch/stromboli/etna/etna04/icons0409/f971.jpg
http://www.educeth.ch/stromboli/etna/etna04/icons0409/f961.jpg
http://www.educeth.ch/stromboli/etna/etna04/icons0409/f968.jpg

Take a look at this one
http://www.educeth.ch/stromboli/etna/etna04/icons0408/f849.jpg

Do you see how a dark stripe runs through the center of the flow
as it splits around the rock in the center of the lava channel?
The darker spots in the flow mean cooler temperatures, but why is
the temperature in a convective flow so regular here to form a
stripe? We watched this for a very long time before returning.
Our idea to explain the stripe is that tension from the sides of
the channel is pulling the lava so that it 'sticks' a little to
the edges, bringing the hotter parts of the flow to the surface,
while the center of the flow is not governed as strongly by the
tension in its movement.

And where was I? If you look on this photo:
http://www.educeth.ch/stromboli/etna/etna04/icons0409/f954.jpg

Up on the far hill, there is a blue dot next to the lava flow.
That blue dot is me...

It's warm and very comfortable next to a lava flow. The colors
and textures are  hypnotic and the sounds are so delicate; the
best words I can find to describe the lava flow sound is the 
sound  made when crumpling  saran plastic wrap. 
Strange, hmm?

The hornitos presented an entirely different sound; explosive
"shjeew! shjeew!" sounds and  lights like a firework display.. 

Oh what  a symphony of sights and sounds these volcanoes give.

Amara