Man I really need some sleep... but this whole trip is most definitely worth risking a few hours rest. We have finally arrived in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (13°11'N, 61°15'W) and Kathyyyy and I are looking forward to checking out La Soufrière, this amazing yet active volcano! Unfortunately we had to leave Angie and Gleb behind in Nepal, but we have two incredible guides named Marty and Jill. They have been teaching us so much, especially about the area we are in (duh Leah... makes sense)! Anyways, they taught us that Saint Vincent is within location in which two oceanic plates create a subduction boundary. Once we reached La Soufrière, they informed us that volcanoes like this one are formed at subduction boundaries because the magma rises to the surface when the water clears out into the mantle.The most recent eruption was of April in 1979. Learning about volcanoes was a great segue into earthquakes. The earthquakes that happen at subduction boundaries are called megathrust earthquakes because they can go beyond a 9.0 magnitude. Quite large am I right?? The most recent quake was on August 7th, 2011 at a 5.2 magnitude. Seems little compared to those big whoppers!
I must part for now... can't pass up the opportunity to hike around Saint Vincent!
- Miss. Leah
I love my sister so much... so much fun relaxing on this exotic beach with her!
This is an animated photo of how a subduction boundary works!
Sounds like a blast, sis! You definitely listened to Marty and Jill when they were teaching us all about the subduction boundary!
ReplyDeletexoxo,
Kath