• MAMMOTH LAKE ALERT!!!!!!!!
  http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/QUAKES/WEEKREPS/98Jun11/
  Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998
  Subject: MAMMOTH LAKE ALERT!!!!!!!!

  At the ultimate problem decider for Yucca Mountain and the ultimate moral solution for Las Vegas among Bible thumpers, things have been a moving and shaking the last three days.

  A new significant earthquake swarm has hit Mammoth Lakes -- the nation's most active and dangerous volcanic area. The USGS has so far been very wrong in saying it was rapidly dying down from a 5.1 quake on June 8, as was proven by two moderate quakes last night. We are also at the height of the land-tide caused by the lunar cycle so the USGS may be in for some more shaking up out there.

  This is one of the things the old Hughes-AEC battle predicted would happen as a result of the large megaton range underground tests at near by NTS. The claim was that they would speed up weaking of faults and reactivate the Mammoth Lakes Candera and that unless they were stopped activity would get started within 10 to 15 years from 1968 and by the year 2000 the volcano itself would erupt, and there would be similar activity along the ring of fire. It was laughed at like crazy and written off as more of Howard's madness and John Meier's bull shit.

  But in 1979-1980 a series of three 6.0+ quakes rocked the old Mammoth Caldera and the dome from the last massive eruption has been steadily rising. A major swarm hit from July, 1997 until January, 1998 and several times the USGS almost went to full volcanic alert. Now it appears to have started up again and as usual USGS is into their own, "There is No immediate Danger" mode.

  I personally have NO firm conclusion on the old Hughes theory one way or the other, but have, and do still following activity at Mammoth Lakes on a daily, and sometimes several times a day basis. Over the years I have seen certain patterns and a seeming relationship with moments of extreme lunar tides. I jokingly make bets and sarcastic predictions with some people at USGS for the pure scientific fun of it.

  Based on that I was aware there was a likelihood of major activity like this around this full moon time frame. I also say the odds of more moderate or better quakes is much closer to 50/50 than the 1 to 3% admitted by the USGS.

  When this puppy blows again, and it will over the next few hundred to thousands of years it will likely bury both Yucca Mountain and Las Vegas under up to 25 feet of ash and upset the existing water tables for the whole region, plus activate any existing earthquake faults close by and increase activity on them. It, not discussed in the debate of Yucca Mtn, will be the ultimate mediator on how big a health and safety horror a high-level dump at Yucca will produce, or not produce over its lifetime.

  Is what is happening at Mammoth Lake dangerous and serious right now? Who knows, but it is amusing to see and watch just in case, like he usually was over time, that long haired bearded old loon atop the Desert Inn worried sick by the AEC "stupid ass-homes making like little earthquakes" at NTS, might once again be proven right after all. Time will tell.

  Myself, I think one of these days I am going to wonder down there to get the first half of my personal before and after pictures, just in case, if for nothing else than the humor of it all. Howard was right about the water pollution problems at Lake Meade, right about the much faster spread of tritium and plutonium from the underground tests, so perhaps a little gas and a few rolls of film isn't too much out of order.

  As always;

  J

  See Also:
  http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/QUAKES/WEEKREPS/
  For each weekly report going back to 1/92

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