If You See Greener Trees Near a Volcano, Get Away

Bright Side

If you notice trees looking greener near a volcano, it's a good idea to get out of there. The extra green is because volcanic activity is ramping up, releasing more carbon dioxide which plants love. But once the volcano really gets going, those plants turn brown because of the harmful sulphur dioxide and intense heat. So, greener trees can be an early warning sign that the volcano might wake up soon. Basically, if the greenery starts to pop, it might be time to drop!   Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

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00:00Brighter green plants might give us a warning when a volcano is stirring.

00:05Turns out, unlike earthquakes, which are super unpredictable, volcanoes can sometimes show

00:10early signs.

00:11Plants growing around volcanoes look healthier when volcanic activity ramps up, because they

00:16thrive on increased carbon dioxide levels, a gas that volcanoes emit during eruptions

00:22and through underground magma.

00:23They also turn browner when the volcanic activity peaks, likely due to harmful gases and heat

00:29harming the vegetation.

00:31Scientists use satellites to figure this all out.

00:34They analyze satellite data spanning from 1984 to 2022.

00:39Future changes might be tracked through satellite imagery as well.

00:43This isn't easy to measure directly, especially when volcanoes are tucked away in hard-to-reach

00:48lush areas, such as Taal Volcano in the Philippines and Mount Etna in Italy.

00:53This way, plants could give us a heads-up about volcanic eruptions years before they

00:58happen.

00:59With this new weird method, we could save nearby communities by enhancing safety measures,

01:04minimizing property damage, and improving evacuation plans.

01:09Volcanoes and plants are often tied in mysterious ways.

01:12For example, volcanic eruptions in Krakatoa, Indonesia, gave a surprising boost to saguaro

01:17cacti in Arizona's Sonora Desert, even though they're thousands of miles away.

01:23When the infamous Krakatoa volcano erupted in the 19th century, it sent shockwaves around

01:29the world and suddenly helped nurture a generation of saguaros.

01:33These incredible cacti can be up to 40 feet tall as adults, but they start life as tiny

01:38seedlings that struggle to survive in the desert's harsh conditions.

01:42However, thanks to the cooler and wetter conditions caused by volcanic eruptions like Krakatoa,

01:48they can get unbelievable growth spurts.

01:51Chillier summers and milder winters that follow such eruptions create perfect conditions

01:55for young saguaro, which usually don't make it due to extreme heat and cold.

02:00But volcanoes not only influence plants, they're also Earth's jewelry makers.

02:06Deep beneath the surface, in the fiery heart of a volcano, conditions are just right to

02:11form dazzling gems.

02:13When volcanoes erupt, they can bring these treasures up to the surface.

02:16One of the most famous gems created by volcanic activity is the diamond.

02:21They're usually found in a rare type of volcanic rock called kimberlite, which forms deep within

02:26the Earth under extreme pressure and temperature.

02:29Millions of years ago, kimberlite eruptions – small but powerful volcanic events – hauled

02:34diamonds from deep within the Earth.

02:36This created sources for many of today's diamond mines.

02:40These eruptions didn't happen just anywhere, but originated from the stable hearts of continents

02:45known as cratons.

02:47They were bursting forth from as deep as 75 miles underground.

02:51Fueled by a mix of carbon dioxide and water, they were like natural rockets, blasting through

02:56the Earth to form parrot-shaped channels filled with diamond-laden rocks.

03:01Recently, scientists have delved into why these eruptions happen.

03:06They suggested that the breakup of ancient supercontinents like Pangaea disrupted the

03:10mantle's flow underneath, triggering these spectacular kimberlite eruptions.

03:15When a volcano that hosts kimberlite erupts, it can propel these precious stones toward

03:20the surface, where we eventually find them.

03:23There are other gems that can be found in solidified lava, like peridot, a bright green

03:27stone that forms in the molten rock of the upper mantle and is brought to the surface

03:31by volcanic activity.

03:33There's also obsidian, a shiny glass-like rock that forms when lava cools rapidly.

03:39And then there are some insane rocks, like the ones that can hold water in them, even

03:44in lava.

03:45The deeper we dive in volcanoes, the rarer are the gems we can find.

03:49If we dive into the thick layer known as the mantle, we might find olivine, a resilient,

03:55pretty green mineral that makes up about half of this layer.

03:58It loves high temperatures and happily forms in lava, eventually crystallizing into the

04:03igneous rocks we find scattered across the Earth's surface thanks to volcanic eruptions.

04:08As olivine cools, it starts to crystallize.

04:12Sometimes these crystals are tiny, but other times they grow large and can be polished

04:16into beautiful gemstones used in jewelry or industrial processes like metal casing.

04:22But as we venture deeper, about 250 miles down, olivine undergoes a fascinating transformation.

04:29Here we encounter the layer that's called the transition zone.

04:33In the transition zone, the pressure is intense, and the heat is on the rise.

04:38In this place, olivine morphs into exotic materials like wadleycide and ringwoodite.

04:43They show a lovely blue-green hue and a glossy sheen.

04:47While they're too rare and small for jewelry, they have a unique ability to hold water within

04:52their structures, not as droplets, but as hydrogen and oxygen components, making up

04:57to 3% of their volume.

04:59Later, it turned out that the transition zone is not just a pressure cooker for minerals.

05:04It's a giant sponge, holding a vast underground water reservoir.

05:09This was a groundbreaking discovery, you get the pun.

05:12This hidden water doesn't form an ocean as we know it, but suggests vast amounts of water

05:17are stored deep within the Earth.

05:20Volcanoes can help us learn more about life not only on our planet, but on others as well.

05:25In the fiery heart of Costa Rica's Poas volcano lies Laguna Caliente.

05:31This hydrothermal crater lake is among the most brutal environments on Earth.

05:35We've got a whole bunch here, scalding temperatures, toxic minerals, and water so acidic it can

05:41corrode metal.

05:42But despite all that, there's a few tough microorganisms that manage to thrive in these

05:47conditions.

05:48And this remarkable survival has caught the attention of scientists, because it might

05:53just hold clues about life on Mars.

05:56Scientists are studying these extreme microbes.

05:59Turns out, they've developed a myriad of genetic adaptations to withstand their harsh

06:03surroundings.

06:04They have genes that help them process everything, from sulfur and iron to carbon and bioplastic

06:10granules.

06:11All these things could be crucial in environments as challenging as Mars.

06:15NASA's Perseverance rover is currently exploring the crater rim of Jezero crater on Mars.

06:21Previously, we looked for Martian life signs in places like old stream beds and river deltas.

06:26However, the discovery of Laguna Caliente suggests that we should probably look for

06:31life in the remnants of ancient Martian hot springs as well.

06:35These spots might have once had the right cocktail of heat, water, and energy sources

06:40that are thought to be essential for kick-starting biology.

06:45Volcanoes can help planets in many ways, but they can also destroy life.

06:49Scientists believe that volcanic activity was one of the main reasons for at least three

06:53of Earth's five mass extinctions.

06:56Like the mass extinction of dinosaurs, we're used to blaming it on the Chicxulub meteorite,

07:01but there's a chance it could've been caused by volcanoes.

07:05The consequences of the eruptions can be horrifying.

07:08Mount Tambora, located on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, erupted in 1815 and was the most

07:15powerful eruption ever recorded in history.

07:18This massive eruption was so strong it ejected between 8 to 11 cubic miles of material.

07:24It was so loud that the sounds of the eruption were heard as far away as Sumatra, over 1,600

07:30miles distant.

07:32Before its catastrophic eruption, Tambora had been dormant for centuries, and its magma

07:37chamber slowly cooled and crystallized.

07:40This process built up immense pressure inside the volcano.

07:43It was eventually released in a series of terrifying events starting on April 5, 1815.

07:50The climax came on April 10, when massive plumes of ash and pumice were thrown into

07:54the atmosphere.

07:56The aftermath of the eruption was dire.

07:59Tsunamis devastated the surrounding area.

08:01It's estimated that around 4,600 people passed away immediately from the eruption itself,

08:07with ash fallouts affecting air quality and water sources across the region.

08:12This event came down in history as the year without a summer.

08:16This was due to the vast amount of sulfur dioxide Tambora ejected into the stratosphere.

08:21It created a veil of aerosols that reflected sunlight and significantly lowered global

08:26temperatures.

08:27A similar thing happened to our planet 66 million years ago, during the dinosaur extinction.

08:32The sky turned black for months.

08:34I mean, I wasn't there, but that's what they say.

08:39That's it for today!

08:40So, hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your

08:44friends.

08:45Or, if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

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