Volcanoes: A New Hope

Goddam "Giant Meteor" coming to destroy all human life on this poor long-suffering globe has been a disappointment since the concept was introduced; now I'm placing my bets on the earth itself rather than outside forces.

Apparently nagonna happen.

A shame to lose Hawai'i, but sacrifices must be made, eggs broken, yada. Not just Hawai'i, either. One of El Salvador's is getting frisky. Much potential there. Remember the Dark Ages?

The sixth century was a rough time to be alive: Lower-than-average temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere triggered crop failure, famine, and maybe even the onset of bubonic plague. The ultimate culprit, scientists say, were two back-to-back volcanic eruptions — one in 536 C.E. and another around 540 C.E. The first likely happened in Iceland or North America. But the location of the second one has remained a mystery—until now.

Researchers studying ancient deposits from El Salvador's Ilopango volcano knew that a massive eruption had taken place there sometime between the third and sixth centuries. That event, dubbed Tierra Blanca Joven (TBJ), or "white young earth," sent a volcanic plume towering nearly 50 kilometers into the atmosphere.

Ilopango's not the one that's currently erupting (it may be spent after 539 C.E.) but hope spews eternal.