Seven Volcanoes In Six Different Countries: Your Questions AnsweredChris Carrington This is bulls*%t, the volcanoes are just doing what volcanoes do. Its not bullshit, but you are correct that its what volcanoes do. Volcanoes are vents, when the pressure builds up the volcanoes release a mixture of steam and gases, and sometimes rocks and molten rock, lava, to relieve the pressure build up. According to the Smithsonian Institute there are some 1511 active volcanoes on the planet. Active is defined as a volcano that has erupted at some point during the last 10,000 years. The Smithsonian states that on average there are 60 eruptions a year, but that between 45 and 75 would be considered within normal parameters. Today, at this moment 34 volcanoes are actively erupting. The Smithsonian state that up to 20 volcanoes erupting on a given day would be within the normal parameters. The reason the daily figure is such a large proportion of the yearly figure is simply because some volcanoes are always erupting, Stromboli and Kilauea are good examples of this, though there are others included in the daily count. So, based on the Smithsonian figures we are well above the daily amount of expected eruptions. It was having seven distinct and not constantly erupting volcanoes erupting within hours of each other that grabbed my attention yesterday. Yes and no. Volcanoes spew out a massive amount of gases, many of them on the global warming hit list so yes, they contribute to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere BUT, this is more than offset by the cooling effect of the gases, ash and particulate matter which lowers the mean global temperature. You can read about various volcanic gaseshere. The Mayans said it would end in fire They also mentioned floods, and I think they got the date wrong. I am not familiar with all the Mayan prophesies so I think I should stick to the bits of science I understand. Its the End Times, its Gods will I cant comment on that. You need a tinfoil hat, everythings a conspiracy? Im not saying that, not at all, though Evan Pugh Professor Richard Alley of Penn State did once say in a televised lecture that if volcanoes communicated they could take over the world. His work in ice core analysis has provided much of the information we currently have about how volcanoes have affected our climate in the past. What was the biggest eruption of all time? The Siberian Traps eruption some 250 million years ago . In recorded history the largest eruption was Tambora in 1815. Is this uptick in activity anything to do with comet Ison? In my opinion no, but Im not an astrophysicist, actually Im not any kind of scientist so what I should say is I dont know. Ison is continuing its nose-dive towards the Sun. I dont think there is enough solid matter left for it to influence volcanic activity at such a distance. There would be no gravitational effects for example. As an aside did you see this shot of Isons tail? Its so long it would cover the distance between the earth and the Moon 21 times over. (source) An increasing number of scientists are starting to look at the influence that activity on the Sun plays on the Earths geological processes and climate. Many now agree that the number of sunspots can affect climate on Earth, but no conclusions have yet been reached on if they can also have an effect on volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Research in the Earths orbital cycles and the effect they have on crustal processes is further advanced than the sunspot/geology research. These orbital cycles move us closer, or further away from the Sun depending on where we are in the cycle so it looks like the Sun itself could have an effect on geological processes in its own right. They are called Milankovich cycles and although they were described more than a century ago their existence was only finally confirmed in 1976. you can read more about them here. Pole shift is the cause There is no evidence that terrestrial pole shift has ever occurred. The drifting and coming together of the continents is well documented, as is their drifting apart again over a period of millions of years. Terrestrial pole shift where the continents physically move suddenly and violently is not evidenced anywhere in the geologic record at this point. Magnetic pole shift does occur, has always occurred, and will continue to do so. This is evidenced in the geologic record. Science has not yet found a connection between magnetic pole shift and volcanic eruptions but thats not saying they wont do so in the future. You are an alarmist, a few minor volcanoes erupting will not affect anything. You think? Well thats your right. In my opinion there is nothing alarming about pointing out that volcanic activity has increased and continues to increase. As stated above the Pinatubo eruption in 1992 reduced global temperatures for years. It doesnt have to be one large eruption to do that, enough small ones will have the same effect. Our climate moves in cycles, always has and always will, and at this point we are in a cooling cycle. Add to that the research that points to sunspot activity causing cooling, and then add on the cooling caused by vulcanism and the result is a distinct possibility of a more profound cooling than might have otherwise been expected. The government says nothing, warns of nothing, so we have to research and read and find out for ourselves. Many people dont physically have the time to find out for themselves, they are too busy working every hour God sends to feed their families. Thats where alternative news websites come in. Now, if Im wrong, and we get all toastywarmgreat, fantastic, I hate the cold. If, however, this is a trend thats set to continue then sharing what I believe to be correct information is not just the right thing to do, its something I feel obligated to do. Chris Carrington is a writer, researcher and lecturer with a background in science, technology and environmental studies. Chris is an editor for The Daily Sheeple, where this first appeared.Wake the flock up! 