New at Rosetta Stones: Wherein Trees and Pyroclastic Material Meet

Our next installment of the Cataclysm is up at Rosetta Stones. In this episode, you learn how some trees could actually survive the fury of a lateral blast – with the help of some rocky debris. Enjoy!

 Trees protected by snowbank at Toutle station after Mount St. Helens eruptions. Cowlitz County, Washington. June 18, 1980. Image and caption courtesy USGS. The image is of many dead trees stripped of their branches, most leaning to the right, in a field of gravelly gray ash. One tiny, vibrant green fir tree is perkily alive in the foreground.
Trees protected by snowbank at Toutle station after Mount St. Helens eruptions. Cowlitz County, Washington. June 18, 1980. Image and caption courtesy USGS.

 

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New at Rosetta Stones: Wherein Trees and Pyroclastic Material Meet
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9 thoughts on “New at Rosetta Stones: Wherein Trees and Pyroclastic Material Meet

  1. 1

    Our next installment of the Cataclysm is up at Rosetta Stones.

    As of 01:31 PST (’bout 40 minutes after this posting), no, it isn’t. At least, clicking on the link gets nothing of interest.

  2. 3

    The SciAm scheduler broke. I have administered loving correction. Everything should be functional, as I have made tests and issued dire threats. Sorry for the delay, my darlings!

  3. rq
    5

    I think you need more dire threats and more loving correction, and possibly better tests. Now it won’t even give me SciAm (for a 504 Gateway Timeout)! :( More tears are ensuing. I hope you’re happy, SciAm – I hope you’re satisfied!!

  4. 6

    Hi folks,
    Dana hasn’t broken Sciam, I can’t get into Tetrapod Zoology either. At least it is good to know it is a systemic fault and not blog specific!

  5. 8

    Hooray for another installment! I never tire of all things pyroclastic.

    I am left wondering about that little tree that weathered the blast from inside a snowbank.
    Is it still alive today? How big is it now? Is the eruption recorded within its growth rings?
    It would be fascinating to study how the soil organisms fared.

  6. 9

    I must admit, that even without the extremely fascinating science, this would be as gripping and well written a tale as one could wish for. More please, lots more and thank you muchly, as I really look forward to each new instalment.

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