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Thanks Jerry,  That will be something to watch in bed while waiting for the pill to kick in .  I need an hours block of time.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

The Grand Canyon is celebrating the Grand Opening of its big glass horseshoe 4000 feet above the valley.  (U shaped glass walkway that's rated as being able to hold some amazing amount of weight).    I wonder how much weight the rock it's anchored to can hold tho  :shock:


I doubt 7 jumbo jetliners..    How can you have a transparent walkway that can hold that type weight ?    It might be strong, but in terms of tensile strength (or whatever you'd call a substance that brittle) I'd fear a stone hits it, and it cracks... HEHE... Long way down  :(..  

Or even wind current on a cliff..  Resonance ?    Don't know,  this is a fascinating concept however.  Another man-made wonder of the world,  The Grand Canyon Glass skywalk.

Of course the John Hancock building near boston harbor was an amazing structure too, but the wind currents causing vibration weakened seals, and windows started falling.  Enough babbling, and now for the facts.   (Btw, those rails look MIGHTY low considering it's 4000 feet up)

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/03/21/gr ... cnn_latest


This doesn't make sense.  On one hand it claims the skywalk can withstand the weight of a few hundred tourists.  Yet it also states the weight of 70 boing jumbo jets ?    Sounds like hogwash IMO..   Which is it ?  If you watch the movie it states 70 747's.  That's more weight than a few hundred tourists
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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

A few thoughts I had initially regarding this Structural/Civil engineering concept is that it's said to be anchored into 40 feet of Bedrock.  Isn't Bedrock Sedimentary rock ?   If-so, this would make it a softer rock.  The bottom is 3 inches of glass, or glass layers.  I wonder how they will be able to keep this clear unless people don't walk directly on the glass surface scuffing it.  Of course they might have you take your shoes off first ?  Dunno.    Another thing I thought of, is that since this is a money making concept that has a break even point in about 25 years, is that when BASE and Bunjee jumpers start making them offers, they will likely take these offers. I suppose this is the highest sheer drop between two earth affixed structures. I had a tough time looking at the detailed photos.  I don't feel that great about heights.  Royal Gorge,  New River Gorge, and Pellerin bridges aren't easy viewings.
I find this very interesting however.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I wouldnt be walkin there
I wouldnt go on the london eye either, I wont fly in a helicopter either, there is something about being closed into perspex it gives me the creeps

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

As I understand it, the power station is geothermal... ie it uses the thermal energy to run the turbines which create the electrical power.  It's a bit like Nuclear energy without the fallout! (steam drives the wheels!)  I think the locals were using the thermal energy just as a heating source, therefore reducing their energy bills.  As I recall, it was claimed that so many residents were tapping into the energy source that it was causing a loss in underground thermal activity due to reduced pressure and was affecting the tourist sites by killing off natural phenomena such as the Pohutu Geyser!

At the moment there is some increased activity in the central North Island, with Mt Ruapehu's crater lake breaking through a natural dam and causing a lahar (torrent of mud and water) which was reportedly 25 percent worse than the one which took out the Tangiwai bridge in 1953, causing NZ's worst rail disaster.  

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/event/story.c ... d=10429432

And now it's Mt Ngauruhoe's turn to increase it's activity!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/sto ... d=10429938

Well, I'm booked to fly into Las Vegas at the beginning of May... seems I might just have to go and check out that platform....  Hmmm I wonder if AJ Hackett could set up an operation there before I go ? :)

Talking of bungy jumping, did you guys and gals know that you can do that off the  Auckland Sky Tower? Not quite as scenic as the Skipper's canyon site, but the drive to get there isn't quite so scary!

Murrlyn,  Fascinating concept.  I'm somewhat confused between Geothermal, and Hydro Turbine in this case.  Or can it be classicfied as the same in this particular case ?



This appears ominous.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Perhaps Frodo is climbing the Mt!

My understanding is that a HYDROelectric power station generates power by the action of moving water turning the generator turbines (hydro = water).  In other words, they build a dam and then periodically release water from the dam which is then channelled through the turbine ducts.  Most of New Zealand's power is generated in this manner.   A geoTHERMAL power station such as the Wairaki plant near Taupo in the central North Island uses very hot water as a source of steam to drive the generator turbines, thus converting heat energy to electrical energy.

This might be of interest to you:

http://www.nzgeothermal.org.nz/geotherm ... /index.asp

http://home.clara.net/darvill/altenerg/hydro.htm

Thank You Murrlyn.  I lost the train of thought from the first page where Vicki stated "Blowhole of volcano".  I was thinking of blowhole of a Geyser such as "Old Faithful" in Yosemite blowing water (or steam) spinning a wheel, I forgot to reference the origin of this.  True,  volcanic blowhole and pyroclastic activity would be a different phenom.  I doubt a Niagra falls type water wheel would last with pyroclastic debris, and shifting of terrain not to mention explosive force... I was visualizing someting such as an anemometer, windmill, water-wheel spinning with the flow of steam  LMAO

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Apologies for that... I posted the quote/reply assuming that there was only one page on this thread.... due to the extra width of the page one, I did not see that there were in fact four pages when I scrolled to the bottom of page 1.

Would geyser be the same phenom however ?   Or would it be different than pyroclastic explosion ?  In terms of where they tap the source ?

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Check out my latest tornado adventure here:
http://www.tornadoxtreme.com/Chases_By_ ... 28_07.html

Also I have improved / restructured my website - see main page:
http://www.tornadoxtreme.com/index.html

I have another update soon from a chase down by Del Rio, Tx where a large HP supercell with baseball hail and high winds nearly ate me. Pictures and account on that soon.

Bill

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The Truth Is Out There

Bill,  does the "rope stage" mean it's losing intensity ?   Or just that the Nimbus activity is at a higher altitude and the tornado itself has a longer span from cloud to ground ?


The Jets that fly into storms such as hurricanes,  Do they actually fly into the excessive winds ?  How can they do that ?

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

in case you didnt realise steven, murray is a new zealander living in Canada. Great guy too but then all us kiwis are when ya get to know us...we are just a tad more outspoken than other nations .
Thanks for clarifying my half-roostered story Murray I wish I could find this pic I have of the army band at waiouru on the parade ground while Ruapehu was blowing its stack in the background, its nothing short of incredible. Will see if Steve knows where it is when he returns from his latest male bonding hunting expedition...empty handed again no doubt

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

That would be fascinating !  I'd of course be curious to also know how far in the distance the pyroclastic activity was.   I need to do some reading up on the "Ring of fire" to see why and how geologists believe it formed.  I'd also be interested in seeing the array of underground activity. I might be able to find a short movie of that eruption online.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEFSiXQUasA


OK,  I think I just figured out why I've had offers to buy affordable land on White Island  :(

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Ruapehu Crater Lake is noted for its highly dynamic character.  Over the past 50 years, the lake has shown numerous, sometimes cyclic variations in its physical, chemical, and morphological properties.
At present, the lake is an oval shaped body of water with a maximum depth of about 134 m. A single outlet flows from the southern end of the lake, and feeds Whangaehu Stream.  Two hydrothermal vents are present at the lake bottom - a more active vent located in the center of the lake, and a less active vent located in the north-central part of the lake.

The most obvious sign of fluctuations in the hydrothermal activity of Crater Lake is the change in lake color.  During times of high activity and convection, sediments become suspended in the water column and color the water grey.  However, during more quiescent periods, the sediments begin to settle and reveal the blueish-green color of the lake water.

Fluctuations in the hydrothermal activity of Crater Lake have caused extreme changes in the bathymetry of the lake.  Since 1965, the maximum depth of Crater Lake has varied between 80 m and greater than 300m!  In 1965, the bathymetric profile of the lake was likened to a champagne glass, with the central vent forming a neck more than 300 m deep.  By 1970 magmatic inflows and sedimentation had reduced the lake depth to about 80 m.  Eruptive activity between 1970 and 1982 cleared the vent to a depth of 180 m, and subsequent in-filling resulted in a lake depth of about 134 m by 1991.

Changes in the chemistry of Crater Lake also reflect the cyclic activity of Mt. Ruapehu.  Abrupt increases in magnesium (Mg) and chloride (Cl) are correlated with periods of eruptive activity.  Except for the 1988 eruption, spikes in temperature of the lake water show increased heat flow to the lake prior to eruptive events (Figure 1).
(Source: Christenson and Wood, 1993)

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

steven you should just get on a bloody flight and let me show you around...i promise I am not looking to use you as a human sacrifice  :hug:

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

Steven, I was with a group a few years ago on a weekend dive trip to White Island.  A few of us did not actually dive, but we did go ashore to have a look around.  The weather was a bit miserable that day, and there was also quite a bit of activity from the crater so we weren't able to get very close.  It was kind of eery being there, especially walking back along the streams of water as every now and then jets of steam would appear alongside.   Another volcano I have been to visit is on the southern island of the Vanuatu group, called Tanna Island.  We were able to walk to the crater's edge and watch as rocks were blown out of the ground far below.  We were there after sunset and it was really quite spectacular.   The following year, I read in the news that a woman tourist was killed by a rock that was hurled over the crater rim during a more active phase.

Yeah, the rope out is usually the late stage of the tornado before it dissipates. It isn't necessarily weaker though. Ropes can be F4 / F5 strength. I believe they think they get choked off as the rear flank downdraft gets sucked into the inflow and pulled tight on the circulation eventually choking it off.

As I understand hurricane hunter planes do fly in the full strength winds by they enter at an angle and fly with the wind rather than against it. There is still quite a bit of turbulence though.

New update for my chase to Del Rio is in. Looks like severe weather will be gone perhaps for as much as a week.
http://www.tornadoxtreme.com/Chases_By_ ... 30_07.html

I've toured around once on a volcano down in Hawaii on Kona. Very large caldera with noxious gases (smelly) and also walked on the recently active lava flow areas where it flows into the sea. I was walking on it at night under a full moon and you could see the molten lava glow as it came down the hillside. I elected not to go all the way to the active stuff, because the surface can be brittle and you can fall into the live stuff below. My friend Geoff Mackley "chases" active, erupting volcanoes all the time. He said I could go with. Maybe someday it would be fun, but certainly dangerous and a bit spooky.

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The Truth Is Out There

Murry,   New Zealand, and Hawaii seem to be quite active locations.  I should know this (however I don't recall),  Aren't the Hawaiian Islands volcano's to begin with ?  How about New Zealand,  not sure of the Geological makeup, but was New Zealand  (at least in part LONG ago of course) formed by Pyroclastic activity that just formed an Igneous mass ?  


Bill,  that's interesting,  I'd think friction would slow the ropes activity down closer to the ground given it's length, and smaller circumference.  Ropes usually aren't wider than a few hundred yards are they ?  They aren't the girth of the vortex on twisters such as the Springfield Mass F-4/5 or the Xenia tornado that might span a mile or more area-wise ?

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".