Read Online The Vilcabamba Prophecy: A Nick Randall Novel by Robert Rapoza - Free Book Online
Authors: Robert Rapoza
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ceiling, which was glowing with what appeared to be a small
sun. The orb shined so brightly he had to divert his eyes. His mind struggled
to comprehend what his senses were experiencing.
Randall
shook his head in disbelief. Slowly the sense of disbelief gave way to a
feeling of awe and loneliness. Randall wished that Sam could be with him to
experience the moment, but he was alone in the vastness of this subterranean
world. The professor was shocked back to reality by the feeling of a hand
touching his lower back. He jumped at the sudden contact and turned, startled,
only to find … nothing. “What in the hell…?” As his voice trailed off, his eyes
slowly moved toward the floor of the cavern, and then he saw their silhouettes.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Due to recently
increased activity from the El Misti volcano, a small
team of scientists had gathered to monitor the situation in anticipation of an
impending eruption. Led by Dr. Thomas Reinsdorf who was with the
United States Geological Survey Volcano Hazards Team, a part of the Volcano
Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP), the group grimly assessed the situation,
realizing that an enormous eruption was, at most, only days away.
The
VDAP team had been formed in cooperation with the Office of U.S. Foreign
Disaster Assistance (OFDA) of the U.S. Agency of International Development
(USAID) following the 1985 eruption of Nevado Del
Ruiz volcano in Colombia, in which over 23,000 people lost their lives. At the
request of host countries, and working through OFDA, VDAP scientists quickly
determined the nature of volcanic unrest and assessed its possible
consequences.
Trying
to prevent a similar loss of life, Dr. Reinsdorf found himself working along side his counterparts of Peru’s Geophysical
Institute, reviewing the data from the seismometers and other monitoring
equipment located in, and around, the volcano. A large, barrel-chested man who
stood six-five, most people who met Dr. Reinsdorf said he reminded them more of a football player than a scientist. His
associates, not wanting to miss a chance to needle the good-natured
volcanologist, had lovingly nicknamed him The Linebacker.
Today,
however, Tom sported a serious look on his face as he reviewed the seismic wave
patterns picked up by his sensors. The data was disturbing, and what was taking
place under the surface of El Misti was becoming very
clear. The underground region he and his team were monitoring was becoming more
active. Earthquake activity beneath a volcano almost always increases before an
eruption, because magma and volcanic gas must first force their way up through
shallow underground fractures and passageways. When magma and volcanic gases or
fluids move, they cause rocks to break and vibrate. When rocks break, they
trigger high frequency earthquakes, which tend to occur in swarms consisting of
dozens to hundreds of events.
El Misti was following this pattern. Of course, this
wouldn’t be the only data he and his team reviewed, however. Other scientists
were also monitoring data that included gas, ground deformation and satellite
imagery to assess if magma was moving toward the surface. Tom was fairly
certain what the total data package would tell them, but he would wait for his
team to report back to him before taking action.
Making
matters worse, El Misti was dangerously close to
Arequipa, the second most populous city in Peru, with over 844,000 inhabitants.
Given that El Misti was a stratovolcano that had last erupted sometime in the late 1400s, Tom’s concern was well
justified. Stratovolcanoes are sometimes called
"composite volcanoes" because of their layered structure built up
from sequential outpourings of eruptive materials. The creation of these hard
layers of rock lends itself to the deadly nature of the eruptions of such
volcanoes as the layers create a hardened shell allowing the build-up of
tremendous pressure. As a result, when stratovolcanoes have erupted in the past, they have
sun. The orb shined so brightly he had to divert his eyes. His mind struggled
to comprehend what his senses were experiencing.
Randall
shook his head in disbelief. Slowly the sense of disbelief gave way to a
feeling of awe and loneliness. Randall wished that Sam could be with him to
experience the moment, but he was alone in the vastness of this subterranean
world. The professor was shocked back to reality by the feeling of a hand
touching his lower back. He jumped at the sudden contact and turned, startled,
only to find … nothing. “What in the hell…?” As his voice trailed off, his eyes
slowly moved toward the floor of the cavern, and then he saw their silhouettes.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Due to recently
increased activity from the El Misti volcano, a small
team of scientists had gathered to monitor the situation in anticipation of an
impending eruption. Led by Dr. Thomas Reinsdorf who was with the
United States Geological Survey Volcano Hazards Team, a part of the Volcano
Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP), the group grimly assessed the situation,
realizing that an enormous eruption was, at most, only days away.
The
VDAP team had been formed in cooperation with the Office of U.S. Foreign
Disaster Assistance (OFDA) of the U.S. Agency of International Development
(USAID) following the 1985 eruption of Nevado Del
Ruiz volcano in Colombia, in which over 23,000 people lost their lives. At the
request of host countries, and working through OFDA, VDAP scientists quickly
determined the nature of volcanic unrest and assessed its possible
consequences.
Trying
to prevent a similar loss of life, Dr. Reinsdorf found himself working along side his counterparts of Peru’s Geophysical
Institute, reviewing the data from the seismometers and other monitoring
equipment located in, and around, the volcano. A large, barrel-chested man who
stood six-five, most people who met Dr. Reinsdorf said he reminded them more of a football player than a scientist. His
associates, not wanting to miss a chance to needle the good-natured
volcanologist, had lovingly nicknamed him The Linebacker.
Today,
however, Tom sported a serious look on his face as he reviewed the seismic wave
patterns picked up by his sensors. The data was disturbing, and what was taking
place under the surface of El Misti was becoming very
clear. The underground region he and his team were monitoring was becoming more
active. Earthquake activity beneath a volcano almost always increases before an
eruption, because magma and volcanic gas must first force their way up through
shallow underground fractures and passageways. When magma and volcanic gases or
fluids move, they cause rocks to break and vibrate. When rocks break, they
trigger high frequency earthquakes, which tend to occur in swarms consisting of
dozens to hundreds of events.
El Misti was following this pattern. Of course, this
wouldn’t be the only data he and his team reviewed, however. Other scientists
were also monitoring data that included gas, ground deformation and satellite
imagery to assess if magma was moving toward the surface. Tom was fairly
certain what the total data package would tell them, but he would wait for his
team to report back to him before taking action.
Making
matters worse, El Misti was dangerously close to
Arequipa, the second most populous city in Peru, with over 844,000 inhabitants.
Given that El Misti was a stratovolcano that had last erupted sometime in the late 1400s, Tom’s concern was well
justified. Stratovolcanoes are sometimes called
"composite volcanoes" because of their layered structure built up
from sequential outpourings of eruptive materials. The creation of these hard
layers of rock lends itself to the deadly nature of the eruptions of such
volcanoes as the layers create a hardened shell allowing the build-up of
tremendous pressure. As a result, when stratovolcanoes have erupted in the past, they have
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