WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:05.320 Hello, and welcome to the very first episode of Ologies 2 00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:09.720 with Ali Ward. I'm clearly Ali Ward. I'm very very 3 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:12.240 excited that this is finally up. I've been working on 4 00:00:12.279 --> 00:00:15.080 this for so long, like the better part of a 5 00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:18.039 year just to put out the first few episodes. And 6 00:00:18.440 --> 00:00:20.760 I've wanted to do something where I explore all these 7 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:24.280 different ologies for over a decade. I came across this 8 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:28.399 list of ologies, all these obscure ones, and I just thought, like, 9 00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:31.199 who does this stuff, who studies it? Why do they 10 00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:35.320 study it? Like what happened to spark their obsession with this? 11 00:00:35.399 --> 00:00:39.719 There's got to be something. So on the list was volcanology, 12 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:42.439 and I thought, who studies volcanos and why? And so 13 00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:45.799 I sent out some emails and I just kept hitting 14 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:49.119 like Culda Sax where I couldn't find anyone to interview, 15 00:00:49.119 --> 00:00:51.320 and I thought, I'll find a volcanologist later. And a 16 00:00:51.359 --> 00:00:54.399 few weeks later, I happen to be at one of 17 00:00:54.439 --> 00:00:57.880 those dinner parties where you're socially just completely out of 18 00:00:57.880 --> 00:01:00.840 your league, like I think I brought a dip that 19 00:01:01.119 --> 00:01:03.640 wasn't vegan when I was supposed to bring something vegan, 20 00:01:04.200 --> 00:01:07.560 and people were talking about art films from the seventies 21 00:01:07.640 --> 00:01:13.840 and Romanian philosophers. I was unaware of wonderful people, very smart, 22 00:01:14.280 --> 00:01:16.719 much smarter than me. And as one of them was leaving, 23 00:01:16.920 --> 00:01:18.599 she's like, I gotta peace out, I gotta get up 24 00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:19.920 and do some campaign stuff. 25 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:22.319 And I said, what, who is that? 26 00:01:23.159 --> 00:01:27.439 So she's a volcanologist who's also running for Congress. So 27 00:01:27.640 --> 00:01:31.879 I approached her and then gently stalked her and we 28 00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:34.680 became friends on the Internet. And then she invited me 29 00:01:34.760 --> 00:01:37.319 up to her campaign headquarters, which is a shared office 30 00:01:37.319 --> 00:01:38.359 space in the valley right now. 31 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:39.480 She made me a cup of tea. 32 00:01:39.799 --> 00:01:41.280 I met her dogs, and we sat down and we 33 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:45.120 talked about volcanoes, and she told me about lava flow 34 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:49.280 and how islands get burped up from the ocean floor, 35 00:01:49.439 --> 00:01:53.159 and her experience with horse bandits and the best way 36 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:55.719 to die. And we talked about running for congress too 37 00:01:55.760 --> 00:01:59.280 and what that entails, and spoiler, there's entails a lot 38 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:00.560 of work. But if anyone is going to do it, 39 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:04.000 it's going to be this chick who stares into the open, 40 00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:08.639 gaping maw of a volcano. So get ready to learn 41 00:02:08.680 --> 00:02:11.919 a lot about volcanoes and also have an immediate crush 42 00:02:12.039 --> 00:02:13.400 on jazz Phoenix. 43 00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:35.319 But let's get levels on you and then we're ready 44 00:02:35.360 --> 00:02:36.439 to go lo everyone. 45 00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:39.879 Hell he now, do you say volcanologists or volcanologists? I've 46 00:02:39.879 --> 00:02:41.520 seen you both ways. Yeah, so I say a. 47 00:02:41.560 --> 00:02:44.759 Volcanologists because I am an American and we ruin everything. 48 00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:48.319 That is what we do volcanology with the you actually 49 00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:51.759 in ancient times and if you think about it, Italy 50 00:02:51.879 --> 00:02:54.159 is one of the centers of the study of volcanoes 51 00:02:54.199 --> 00:02:58.199 because of things like Pompeii. The Italians their god was 52 00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:02.199 vulcan with a U, and so anything related to volcanoes, 53 00:03:02.840 --> 00:03:06.680 those folks address it with a U. Again English speakers, 54 00:03:06.759 --> 00:03:08.479 it's with an O volcanology. 55 00:03:09.199 --> 00:03:11.919 So Jess came to La to do grad school in 56 00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:15.719 geology and it's sort of like a'd be kind of cool, whim. 57 00:03:16.439 --> 00:03:19.719 She applied for a summer volunteer researcher position with the 58 00:03:19.759 --> 00:03:23.680 Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, because like, if you're going to volunteer somewhere, 59 00:03:24.479 --> 00:03:27.560 do it on an island paradise. They actually said, yes, 60 00:03:27.639 --> 00:03:29.879 you can come. So she was a new grad student. 61 00:03:29.960 --> 00:03:31.919 She wasn't sure what she was going to focus on. 62 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:33.520 She thought maybe plate tectonics. 63 00:03:33.639 --> 00:03:36.520 I really thought subduction zones were really cool as a 64 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:40.240 subduction subduction zones are where the ocean floor dives beneath 65 00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:43.439 the continents. And because the continents are less dense than 66 00:03:43.479 --> 00:03:46.680 the ocean floor, so the continents are granite, granted, is 67 00:03:47.240 --> 00:03:50.879 less dense, and then the ocean floors are basalt, more dense, 68 00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:55.240 so the basalt sinks beneath the continents and that's called subduction. 69 00:03:55.719 --> 00:03:59.520 Okay, So pay attention because this is the basic premise 70 00:03:59.800 --> 00:04:03.159 of what a volcano is. This is it, and it's 71 00:04:03.159 --> 00:04:08.639 followed by an egregious geology pun and it's. 72 00:04:08.479 --> 00:04:11.599 Pretty cool because then the sinking ocean floor gets melted 73 00:04:11.759 --> 00:04:14.520 as it gets hotter as it deepens, and then it 74 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:16.879 rises hot things rise, so it rises back to the 75 00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:19.720 surface and often forms volcanoes that are ruped on the surface. 76 00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:23.839 So subduction leads to volcanoes. And there's there's a joke 77 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:28.279 actually in volcanology and in all geology that subduction leads 78 00:04:28.279 --> 00:04:33.920 to erogeny, which is orogeny is mountain building. So I 79 00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:35.959 have a shirt that says subduction leads to Rodney. 80 00:04:37.199 --> 00:04:39.959 I did not get this joke, but I laughed in 81 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:47.120 the Momentnydney, because I felt stupid, and I to this 82 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:52.480 day I think it's a play on seduction and erogenous zones. 83 00:04:52.759 --> 00:04:54.639 But I googled it just to check, and let me 84 00:04:54.639 --> 00:04:57.439 tell you, I did not find an explanation. But I 85 00:04:57.480 --> 00:05:00.879 did find shirts and pins and hat that's an all 86 00:05:00.959 --> 00:05:05.000 manner of Etsy items available with this phrase on it. 87 00:05:05.199 --> 00:05:07.079 Subduction leads to a. 88 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:13.240 Rag for anyone who needs to rep a lust for geology. 89 00:05:13.639 --> 00:05:16.560 I mean the humor it's there. We love our terrible puns, 90 00:05:16.879 --> 00:05:20.399 and we love anything that is well for the most part, 91 00:05:20.439 --> 00:05:22.480 the kind of alcanoloists or what I should say, geologists 92 00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:24.480 I hang out with. We love the destructive things. So 93 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:27.040 if it's got a terrible pun that can be made, 94 00:05:27.319 --> 00:05:29.439 or you know it's going to kill everybody, we're into it. 95 00:05:29.800 --> 00:05:32.639 No, I mean that is one thing about Olkano's like 96 00:05:32.759 --> 00:05:35.920 is I feel like it's such a thrilling study because 97 00:05:36.279 --> 00:05:39.319 there's like a doom attached to it, Like you can 98 00:05:39.319 --> 00:05:43.079 throw virgins in it, it can destroy your entire city. 99 00:05:43.399 --> 00:05:47.079 Did you grow up being interested in like Mount Saint 100 00:05:47.079 --> 00:05:49.920 Helens or Pompeii or anything, the history everything? 101 00:05:50.079 --> 00:05:52.839 Actually, it's funny. My undergraduate degree is in history and 102 00:05:53.000 --> 00:05:56.720 I studied Latin, and my emphasis was in art and 103 00:05:56.800 --> 00:06:01.759 architecture of ancient Rome. So is really aware of how 104 00:06:02.120 --> 00:06:06.279 ancient natural disasters affected people? Right, So you had volcanic 105 00:06:06.360 --> 00:06:10.399 eruptions that really shaped the founders of modern civilization, the 106 00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:14.120 Romans with POMPEII in seventy nine a d. And that 107 00:06:14.199 --> 00:06:16.319 was when the first volcanology was done. So, I mean, 108 00:06:16.399 --> 00:06:19.279 I was studying history but also learning about my future career. 109 00:06:19.279 --> 00:06:20.160 And I didn't even know it. 110 00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:25.680 But what's been a really exciting discovery for you? Either 111 00:06:26.759 --> 00:06:28.879 an actual discovery that hasn't been made by anyone, or 112 00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:30.600 an epiphany that you had while you were doing this. 113 00:06:31.720 --> 00:06:34.680 You know, that's a really it's a cool question. I'll 114 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:36.720 just tell you about the time that I actually really 115 00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:39.800 realized that. I was like, volcanoes are it? This is 116 00:06:40.040 --> 00:06:42.959 this is the most amazing thing I've ever done. There 117 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:45.199 were several but when I was at the Volcano Observatory 118 00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:47.759 my third day on the job. First two days were 119 00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:50.759 paperwork because it's US government, that's what you do. The 120 00:06:50.839 --> 00:06:53.879 third day, my boss said, hey, we're going to go 121 00:06:53.879 --> 00:06:56.160 to the summit of Mount Ala and that's the world's 122 00:06:56.199 --> 00:06:59.480 largest volcano and you could see it looming like, it 123 00:06:59.560 --> 00:07:03.920 looms very well. It's not your typical impressive, straight up 124 00:07:03.959 --> 00:07:07.519 and down cone that people see. It's long. The name 125 00:07:07.560 --> 00:07:12.079 in Hawaiian means long mountain, so it's really really long. 126 00:07:12.519 --> 00:07:14.639 There's no way to effectively convey it. Even when I'm 127 00:07:14.680 --> 00:07:16.480 standing in front of someone and trying to gesture with 128 00:07:16.519 --> 00:07:18.759 my hands, you can't explain how long this thing is. 129 00:07:18.879 --> 00:07:24.560 I mean like long vertically horizontally. It spreads Hawaiian lava's flow. 130 00:07:24.600 --> 00:07:27.800 They ooze. They're not like explosive like the ones you 131 00:07:27.839 --> 00:07:29.439 think of when you think of Mount Saint Helen's or 132 00:07:29.480 --> 00:07:33.160 Saint Dante's Peak. They're more oozy, and so the mountain 133 00:07:33.240 --> 00:07:36.480 builds up over time and the lavas just ooze out 134 00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:38.839 and they stack on top of each other. So Mount 135 00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:41.160 a Loa is a shield volcano, which they named it 136 00:07:41.199 --> 00:07:43.720 because it looks like a warrior shield on its side. 137 00:07:44.120 --> 00:07:46.759 So it's a gentle slope, but when you're on the 138 00:07:46.800 --> 00:07:49.120 summit of it, you're almost fourteen thousand feet high. Oh 139 00:07:49.160 --> 00:07:51.680 my god. So to drive up there, we took my 140 00:07:51.800 --> 00:07:56.000 boss's modified Chevy Tahoe, which the US government gave him 141 00:07:56.079 --> 00:07:58.160 expecting him to take care of it. He put rock 142 00:07:58.199 --> 00:08:01.759 crawling tires on it, ripped off the bumper, well sawed 143 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:04.439 it off actually with a hacksaw, and then pulled off 144 00:08:04.439 --> 00:08:07.040 the running boards, and then it had adequate clearance to 145 00:08:07.120 --> 00:08:10.680 go up Mauna Loa. Because you're driving over lava, nobody 146 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:12.920 goes up there. But when you get into the summit 147 00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:16.000 of it, there's a caldera. The caldera is related to 148 00:08:16.040 --> 00:08:19.839 the word cauldron. It's basically where if you envension yourself 149 00:08:19.879 --> 00:08:21.480 standing on the edge of a volcano and you look 150 00:08:21.480 --> 00:08:23.600 at the royling lava lake, that's what you're thinking of. 151 00:08:23.639 --> 00:08:26.600 The called era, but this called era it wasn't erupting, 152 00:08:26.720 --> 00:08:29.319 so it hadn't erupted since the eighties. So the lavas 153 00:08:29.319 --> 00:08:32.799 were all cooled and they're just shiny and black and beautiful. 154 00:08:32.840 --> 00:08:37.600 And the caldera is miles long and miles across. It's huge. 155 00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:40.240 So we were standing in the summit caldera and I 156 00:08:40.320 --> 00:08:43.080 was sitting there on lavas that were young, that were 157 00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:45.240 younger than me. They were from nineteen eighty four. The 158 00:08:45.240 --> 00:08:49.039 world's largest volcano is still growing. And I was looking 159 00:08:49.080 --> 00:08:51.480 into this vent where the lavas had come up from, 160 00:08:51.559 --> 00:08:54.279 and it's this abyssle looking hole. I mean you look 161 00:08:54.320 --> 00:08:58.480 down into it and there's just nothing. And my boss said, 162 00:08:58.639 --> 00:08:59.919 we're going to go down there and look at some 163 00:09:00.120 --> 00:09:02.000 of the lavas because we might want to take a sample. 164 00:09:02.440 --> 00:09:04.320 And I'm like, really, we can just go down there. 165 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:06.279 Oh my god, and he's like, yeah, we can go 166 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:08.000 down there. So of course I went down there, and 167 00:09:08.039 --> 00:09:10.440 I'm in this vent on the world's largest volcano, almost 168 00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:12.799 fourteen thousand feet high, and I went, this is the 169 00:09:12.840 --> 00:09:16.480 best thing ever, Like, this is so amazing. And that 170 00:09:16.519 --> 00:09:19.399 wasn't even flowing lava that came later, but just the 171 00:09:19.440 --> 00:09:22.840 scale of it, and the fact that we're still building 172 00:09:22.879 --> 00:09:24.639 this planet, like we're not doing anything, I should say, 173 00:09:24.679 --> 00:09:26.840 humans aren't, but the planet is still alive. It's still 174 00:09:26.840 --> 00:09:29.320 growing and changing every day, and I'm like, this is 175 00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:32.639 living history and I just fell in love. Were you 176 00:09:32.679 --> 00:09:34.840 at all scared being down there at all? Yeah? I 177 00:09:34.840 --> 00:09:39.000 mean that's my problem. My parents would probably agree. Whenever 178 00:09:39.039 --> 00:09:41.559 I'm going to go do something. You know, I'm really 179 00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:44.759 pretty well versed in doing risk assessments, hazard assessments. It's 180 00:09:44.879 --> 00:09:46.200 been some of the stuff I've had to do for 181 00:09:46.279 --> 00:09:48.799 my jobs. And so I look at the risks, and 182 00:09:48.840 --> 00:09:51.480 I take calculated risks, But I guess my scale for 183 00:09:51.799 --> 00:09:54.480 what's scary is a lot different than most people's. Like 184 00:09:54.519 --> 00:09:57.200 I mean, I work in areas where there are venomous 185 00:09:57.240 --> 00:10:02.480 snakes and spiders, there are active volcanic eruptions. I've worked 186 00:10:02.480 --> 00:10:05.840 in areas where there have been narco trafficking roots going on. 187 00:10:06.159 --> 00:10:08.720 Of dealt with narco traffickers, I've had to deal with 188 00:10:10.320 --> 00:10:14.480 horse thieves thieves, yeah, and peru on. But you can't 189 00:10:14.519 --> 00:10:17.159 like put a club on your horse. Yeah, I mean, 190 00:10:17.399 --> 00:10:21.120 when you're at sixteen thousand feet elevation, no help is coming. 191 00:10:21.200 --> 00:10:24.399 Helicopters can't even get there, really, so you're basically in 192 00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:26.639 a remote valley and if the horse thieves come, you 193 00:10:26.679 --> 00:10:28.639 better hope that the wranglers who are taking care of 194 00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:31.200 your pack animals have a rifle, which they did, so 195 00:10:32.120 --> 00:10:34.559 all was well, we didn't lose any animals, But did 196 00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:36.320 you just shoot at the at the thief. They just 197 00:10:36.320 --> 00:10:37.919 had to show them the rifle because the thieves were 198 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:40.159 armed too. But when they saw that our camp was armed, 199 00:10:40.240 --> 00:10:42.639 that was it. But you know, it's when you deal 200 00:10:42.639 --> 00:10:44.519 with things like that, that's what you do. That's science 201 00:10:44.559 --> 00:10:46.879 today and that's what people don't see. They see the 202 00:10:46.919 --> 00:10:49.039 volcano and they go, oh, it's erupting, but they're not 203 00:10:49.039 --> 00:10:52.279 necessarily thinking about the poisonous gases or the heat stroke, 204 00:10:52.600 --> 00:10:56.200 the less sexy and glamorous parts of doing field research. 205 00:10:56.639 --> 00:10:59.440 But is that kind of what thrills you about it 206 00:10:59.480 --> 00:11:01.879 a little bit? Yeah, because it's you know, it kind 207 00:11:01.879 --> 00:11:04.159 of strikes a little bit more at the true heart 208 00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:08.279 of exploration as it was intended to be. Right, everybody 209 00:11:08.279 --> 00:11:11.320 needs to do what draws them, and for me it's volcanoes, 210 00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:13.519 you know, And for some people it's circumnavigating the you know, 211 00:11:13.559 --> 00:11:14.559 the South Pole, who knows. 212 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:18.039 So what is it like when you're your particular study 213 00:11:18.039 --> 00:11:21.759 of volcanoes? Yeah, do you focus on the spewy ones, 214 00:11:21.879 --> 00:11:25.279 the ashy ones, the uzzy ones, Like what's your what? 215 00:11:25.279 --> 00:11:26.039 What's what's my nation? 216 00:11:26.159 --> 00:11:26.320 Yeah? 217 00:11:26.360 --> 00:11:29.840 What's your jam? So really, you know, I started out 218 00:11:29.879 --> 00:11:32.440 on Hawaiian volcanoes and I ended up doing under sea 219 00:11:32.559 --> 00:11:35.759 as well, and then I've also studied the explode sorts 220 00:11:35.759 --> 00:11:38.679 of volcanoes too. I mean, I've done work in Mexico 221 00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:42.240 on some extinct volcanoes. I've done work in Ecuador on 222 00:11:43.039 --> 00:11:47.039 more like eruptive currently currently erupting volcanoes, and then just 223 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:51.080 all over the US on the Cascades volcanoes specific northwest. 224 00:11:51.759 --> 00:11:54.039 So really it's a mix. And my real specialty, what 225 00:11:54.120 --> 00:11:57.320 I love is volcanic hazards. So what do you do? 226 00:11:57.519 --> 00:11:59.440 And you're the only person I'm ever gonna meet in 227 00:11:59.480 --> 00:12:00.600 my life going to say that? 228 00:12:00.679 --> 00:12:03.000 Senden you say this, But you could go to you 229 00:12:03.039 --> 00:12:06.000 could go to visit killaue a volcano in Hawaii. They 230 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:09.399 have a visitors center there, and you know, the volcanologists 231 00:12:09.399 --> 00:12:12.159 are usually inside doing work or outside doing work, but 232 00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:14.919 sometimes they'll wander around over the overlook and you know 233 00:12:14.919 --> 00:12:16.720 where the public is and they'll look out and you 234 00:12:16.799 --> 00:12:18.679 may you may be standing next to a volcanologist and 235 00:12:18.679 --> 00:12:21.759 not know it. So, oh we look like normal humans. 236 00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:23.639 Is that you guys need to do? You need to 237 00:12:23.639 --> 00:12:25.879 wear some cool hat? Just make the pointy ears, because 238 00:12:25.879 --> 00:12:27.720 then that would make the Star Trek jokes I get 239 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:30.679 like they would make them all completely relevant. How often 240 00:12:30.679 --> 00:12:33.000 do you get that? Like pretty much all the time. 241 00:12:33.559 --> 00:12:36.639 Everyone goes, wait, so I didn't know that star trek 242 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:39.120 was something you could get a degree in, And I'm like, yes, 243 00:12:39.159 --> 00:12:41.399 I've heard that one thank you though, but no, I mean, 244 00:12:41.399 --> 00:12:43.320 and then I usually respond with livelong and prosper and 245 00:12:43.360 --> 00:12:46.279 I do the hand gesture. So that's yeah too, kind 246 00:12:46.279 --> 00:12:48.399 of you. You have to because I mean, hey, to 247 00:12:48.679 --> 00:12:50.799 people who meet a volcanologist for the first time, it's 248 00:12:50.840 --> 00:12:53.600 a cool thing, right, you work on volcanoes. But then 249 00:12:54.159 --> 00:12:56.159 you know, when you're a volcanologist, you're like, yeah, so 250 00:12:56.200 --> 00:12:57.440 I get up in the morning and I have to 251 00:12:57.440 --> 00:13:00.000 pay the water bill, right, so you know, you're just 252 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:02.360 like anybody else. But it is cool and you can't 253 00:13:02.399 --> 00:13:05.720 forget that, Like, whatever you're studying, you love it, otherwise 254 00:13:05.720 --> 00:13:08.600 you wouldn't be doing it. You have to keep that joy. 255 00:13:08.759 --> 00:13:11.120 And that's what I think is so important these days 256 00:13:11.559 --> 00:13:14.360 for scientists. We have to be telling people why we 257 00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:16.519 love what we do and what makes it so cool. 258 00:13:17.080 --> 00:13:20.159 And now what gets you excited is the hazards. Hazards. 259 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:22.799 So, and you mentioned the Pacific Northwest. There was an 260 00:13:22.879 --> 00:13:25.240 article going around last year that like the Pacific Northwest 261 00:13:25.320 --> 00:13:27.159 is just screwed pretty much. 262 00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:31.120 Yeah, Like how screwed are they? Yeah? So there's just 263 00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:33.840 a number of hazards there. You've got tectonic hazards. They 264 00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:37.720 could have a major, major earthquake. We have that documented 265 00:13:37.919 --> 00:13:40.480 that there have been major earthquakes along the faults up there. 266 00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:44.120 There's also the possibility of tsunami. But then the volcanoes, 267 00:13:44.159 --> 00:13:46.559 which are my favorite. And a good example is we Near. 268 00:13:46.840 --> 00:13:49.720 Which is that really really big beautiful mountain that's just 269 00:13:49.799 --> 00:13:52.240 outside of Seattle, And it looks like a drawing of 270 00:13:52.279 --> 00:13:56.600 a mountain on a bottle of water. It's so beautiful 271 00:13:56.600 --> 00:13:57.879 it belongs on a beer can. 272 00:13:58.279 --> 00:14:00.080 And I have friends in Seattle and I love to 273 00:14:00.200 --> 00:14:03.919 terrify them. It's also very dangerous. It just sits there 274 00:14:03.919 --> 00:14:06.279 looming over Seattle. I love things that loom. It's kind 275 00:14:06.279 --> 00:14:09.799 of my my favorite concept. It really looms and it's 276 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:13.519 good at it, and so it looks picturesque. It's covered 277 00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:17.279 in glaciers, twenty six of them. And those glaciers, if 278 00:14:17.320 --> 00:14:18.960 you think about it, what happens to ice when you 279 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:23.600 melt it water? So when rainier erupts again, it's on it. 280 00:14:23.679 --> 00:14:26.480 If it's a when and it erupts about every eight 281 00:14:26.559 --> 00:14:29.279 hundred six to eight hundred years, it's been about five 282 00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:31.879 hundred years. Oh no, so it's considered. It was identified 283 00:14:31.919 --> 00:14:35.679 as a decade volcano as part of the A global 284 00:14:35.679 --> 00:14:38.639 effort to identify some of the most dangerous volcanoes based 285 00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:40.799 on the people who are nearby. So you look at 286 00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:43.279 the exposure and then you look at the hazard, like 287 00:14:43.320 --> 00:14:46.519 what does the volcano do? Hawaiian volcanoes there are no glaciers, 288 00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:49.279 so we're not worried about volcanic mudflows or lahars. It's 289 00:14:49.320 --> 00:14:52.519 not an issue for Hawaii. It's totally an issue for mountaineer. 290 00:14:52.679 --> 00:14:55.759 What's a lahar? It's a volcanic mudflow. When you have that, 291 00:14:55.840 --> 00:15:00.279 you superheat the glaciers, they melt, it mixes with the 292 00:15:00.279 --> 00:15:03.399 the dirt and debris, and it forms a mudflow. So 293 00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:08.399 volcanic mudflows lahars are incredibly dangerous, even in modern era. 294 00:15:09.320 --> 00:15:11.279 This is where I find out that America as a 295 00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:13.559 nation is rife with volcanoes. 296 00:15:13.639 --> 00:15:14.879 We're just lousy with them. 297 00:15:15.240 --> 00:15:18.840 So many volcanoes here in our backyard in the United States, 298 00:15:19.120 --> 00:15:21.840 we have the second highest number of volcanoes on the 299 00:15:21.879 --> 00:15:23.240 planet of any country. 300 00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:26.799 Really, I didn't know that. I mean, does that counts Hawaii. Yep, 301 00:15:26.919 --> 00:15:31.919 it counts Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, California, the Nevada Yellowstone 302 00:15:31.960 --> 00:15:34.960 or Yowstone, and Wyoming. I mean the whole Western US, 303 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:36.799 most of the states, let's say a lot of the 304 00:15:36.799 --> 00:15:40.519 states have areas that we've had volcanic activity. Anywhere you 305 00:15:40.600 --> 00:15:44.039 have hot springs. Hot springs are geothermal, so it is 306 00:15:44.200 --> 00:15:48.480 powered by a magma chamber somewhere underneath. So if you've 307 00:15:48.519 --> 00:15:51.240 sat in a nice hot spring in Colorado and Glenwood Springs, 308 00:15:51.279 --> 00:15:53.039 for example, that's geothermal. 309 00:15:53.960 --> 00:15:54.279 All right. 310 00:15:54.279 --> 00:15:56.879 I almost cut this reference to Glenwood Springs out because 311 00:15:56.919 --> 00:15:59.480 it seemed too specific, and then I Google image searched 312 00:15:59.519 --> 00:16:03.120 it and was like, like, what the place's tight? 313 00:16:03.320 --> 00:16:06.159 I want to go? Where are we right now? Like 314 00:16:06.200 --> 00:16:08.440 how good of a warning system do we have? We're 315 00:16:08.480 --> 00:16:11.399 working on it. So here's the thing. We can only 316 00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:13.480 do as much science as we have money for. And 317 00:16:14.240 --> 00:16:16.360 if you don't have a volcano in your backyard, you 318 00:16:16.440 --> 00:16:18.879 might not be very concerned about volcanic corruptions. Like see, 319 00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:21.159 if you live in Kentucky, it might not be your priority. 320 00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:26.000 Are there enough volcanologists out there? You know there there's 321 00:16:26.039 --> 00:16:27.960 a good number, and you know, I wish there could 322 00:16:27.960 --> 00:16:29.720 be more. But again, it's all about where you're going 323 00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:32.159 to get the funding from. That's like any science, and 324 00:16:32.799 --> 00:16:35.879 it's not as like you know unless a volcano has 325 00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:38.320 killed a family member, like cancer has killed your family member. 326 00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:40.279 If cancer's killed your family member, you're going to be 327 00:16:40.320 --> 00:16:43.200 more likely to donate to cancer research. But until a 328 00:16:43.240 --> 00:16:45.360 volcano kills your family member, you're probably not going to 329 00:16:45.399 --> 00:16:48.320 donate for volcano research. That's a very good point. So 330 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:52.200 we need more volcanos killing more family members. That's my problem. 331 00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:54.399 So that's that's the other thing. This is my conflict. Right, 332 00:16:54.600 --> 00:16:56.720 So if I hear about a volcano going off, my 333 00:16:56.919 --> 00:16:59.559 instinct on one hand is to go, oh, my god, yes, 334 00:16:59.600 --> 00:17:01.279 that's a I want to go see it. And then 335 00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:03.720 on the other hand, I go, oh, no, I wonder 336 00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:06.599 if anyone's in the path of that eruption. I really 337 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:08.920 hope no one's affected by the ash cloud or by 338 00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:12.799 the gases. So I'm constantly torn between like, and a 339 00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:14.839 lot of my colleagues are the same, like we really 340 00:17:14.880 --> 00:17:17.759 want We're like, we want to see this nature in action, la, 341 00:17:17.880 --> 00:17:21.079 and then at the same time we're like, oh, ouch, 342 00:17:21.319 --> 00:17:23.799 So we don't really want people to die, but we 343 00:17:23.880 --> 00:17:26.599 totally want more data, so we want to see this 344 00:17:26.599 --> 00:17:29.720 stuff happen. Plus it's cool, lava is cool. Eruptions are 345 00:17:29.720 --> 00:17:32.240 amazing to witness, and I just wish that there was 346 00:17:32.279 --> 00:17:35.960 a way that we could move people to safety more effectively. 347 00:17:36.039 --> 00:17:39.039 And so that's what a lot of disaster preparedness works on. 348 00:17:39.640 --> 00:17:42.000 All Right, here's the PSA from Jess. I'm going to 349 00:17:42.039 --> 00:17:45.400 relay it. If you live in southern California, you need 350 00:17:45.400 --> 00:17:49.680 to have an earthquake preparedness kit. Apparently you should have 351 00:17:49.799 --> 00:17:52.680 five days worth of supplies minimum for every person in 352 00:17:52.680 --> 00:17:55.799 the household. You should have a plan not just for yourself, 353 00:17:55.839 --> 00:17:58.920 but for your pets or for your kids of anywhere 354 00:17:59.119 --> 00:18:03.359 important who care about dying. I don't know, uh where 355 00:18:03.400 --> 00:18:06.480 you're going to meet on any given day of the week. 356 00:18:06.599 --> 00:18:10.599 So also have batteries, have food. I will tell you 357 00:18:10.680 --> 00:18:13.200 I do not have an earthquake preparedness kit yet, I 358 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:15.480 should get one. I grew up in the Bay Area 359 00:18:15.480 --> 00:18:18.240 and we had one for earthquakes and it was a 360 00:18:18.279 --> 00:18:20.640 suitcase that had a gallon of water and I think 361 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:24.319 some canned green beans and some canned Vienna sausage, because 362 00:18:24.759 --> 00:18:27.240 it's weird that sausage even comes in canned. But we 363 00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:29.400 had a can of sausage and we're like, I don't know, 364 00:18:29.559 --> 00:18:32.480 just put it in an earthquake kit. So do yourself 365 00:18:32.519 --> 00:18:36.599 a favor, get an earthquake kit in a plan. Okay, 366 00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:40.000 speaking of growing up and hazards, Jess is no stranger 367 00:18:40.119 --> 00:18:43.359 to a household that involved dangerous jobs. 368 00:18:43.880 --> 00:18:46.559 This is insane. My parents were REFBI agents and so 369 00:18:46.599 --> 00:18:48.559 it's what, yeah, so the fact that I went into 370 00:18:48.599 --> 00:18:51.039 volcano research is probably not that out of left field. 371 00:18:51.079 --> 00:18:53.279 It's like I had to do something cool. But like 372 00:18:53.359 --> 00:18:56.000 every eye agent's do you say what they? Oh? Yeah, 373 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:58.519 what the deal was? They were, well, my mom was 374 00:18:58.559 --> 00:19:00.960 one of the first wave of female agents in the 375 00:19:01.039 --> 00:19:05.000 bureau because she joined in the seventies. And my dad, 376 00:19:05.039 --> 00:19:06.480 you know, he was a lawyer. Hey, when you join 377 00:19:06.519 --> 00:19:08.839 the FBI, then you basically were a lawyer, an accountant, 378 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:11.759 or like a language expert. My mom is a language expert, 379 00:19:11.839 --> 00:19:14.640 so she spoke Spanish and she taught me when I 380 00:19:14.680 --> 00:19:17.240 was a kid. And my dad, my dad specialized with 381 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:20.160 his lawyer background. He did white color crime and then 382 00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:22.200 he did a bit of gang task for his work, 383 00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:25.400 and then he did cybersecurity. And my mom was a 384 00:19:25.519 --> 00:19:28.640 terrorism and foreign counter intelligence expert. Oh my god, So 385 00:19:28.680 --> 00:19:31.160 what do they think of your career? They are, well, 386 00:19:31.160 --> 00:19:32.559 my mom is the one who's like, honey, get out 387 00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:34.519 of that volcanic event. You're going to get hurt. And 388 00:19:34.519 --> 00:19:37.720 then I kind of always want to say, hey, Mom, Dad, 389 00:19:37.759 --> 00:19:40.279 you guys took bulletproof vest to work and wore guns 390 00:19:40.279 --> 00:19:43.279 every day, so you know, let's just put it in 391 00:19:43.319 --> 00:19:45.720 perspective here. But you know, it all depends on what 392 00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:47.559 you're comfortable with and what you're good at. My parents 393 00:19:47.559 --> 00:19:49.839 are trained and using guns every which way. And my 394 00:19:49.880 --> 00:19:51.599 mom used to say when I would act up, she goes, 395 00:19:52.079 --> 00:19:53.720 I could make you disappear, and so I was a 396 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:56.640 good kid. She was joking she would never do that, right, 397 00:19:56.720 --> 00:19:59.119 you know it was I'm like, well, actually, my parents 398 00:19:59.279 --> 00:20:01.519 had good threat and my boyfriends were all terrified. 399 00:20:01.799 --> 00:20:04.160 It would be kind of scary. But her mom's such 400 00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:07.200 a badass that she gets a pass from me. Speaking 401 00:20:07.240 --> 00:20:13.039