An unqualified geologist is in a bit of trouble with the United States Geological Survey after issuing an bogus evacuation warning for the area surrounding Yellowstone National Park.
On Jan. 1, Christopher C. Sanders posted a YouTube video and web announcement warning everyone within a 200-mile radius of Yellowstone's volcanic caldera to evacuate, and used a USGS logo to do so. He was apparently spooked by the large number of small Yellowstone earthquakes in recent days.
The only problem? The USGS has seen no data suggesting a supervolcanic eruption is on the way and is/was not issuing any sort of warning.
(For those of you busting out Google Maps right now, Powell's definitely included in the 200-mile range.)
Sanders, who claims to be a natural gas operator based in California, dubbed himself a geologist, put the USGS logo on a Web page, and told folks to pack their bags under the header "Yellowstone National Park - State of Emergency."
On Wednesday, the USGS issued a news release denouncing the warning, and said they were taking legal action to have the logo and evacuation notice removed.
I was blown away by the audacity of the whole thing, so I had sent out an email to Sanders last Friday, and got this response early Saturday morning (Jan. 3). I was saving the comments for a column-in-progress about the whole situation, but with Internet buzz now focusing on the guy and him being apparently unreachable now, it seems appropriate to share his email in its entirety.
My only edits to his reply were some formatting tweaks to make it easier to read. Typos are his. My questions are in bold.
1. Is your evacuation warning serious, or are you just pulling off a prank?
C.J. Baker - I am serious. I think it safe to stay away while the earthquakes are showing movement. I have been right predict many disasters over the last decade in California.
2. Why a 200 mile radius as opposed to the 600 mile radius scientists have predicted would be devastated?
based on seismology and the results I have given a radius of 200 - 300 miles. I am looking at the data.
3. Why should folks believe your advice over that of government officials and more established geologists?
- Government officials will listen when they know that one of their BLM officials is speaking out. My wells produce 17% percent of the nations natural gas in the Barnett shale in Texas, New Mexico, and the Bakken Shale in Montana.
I am a federal operator with the BLM / bureau of land management and am the S&P's highest paid consultant for natural gas in the United States. No one is more established than I am underground. I feel as though I am the most established geologist as my drilling record speaks for itself and who else is paying attention to the movement? People should know the facts and get moving and aware. Its also good advice for news and media in the area to monitor all movement for the sake of what is real news.
For to die in a volcano cloud like Mt. Saint Helen's - did you see what that did? Well we have the same exact signs here. Only this is a bigger volcano.
4. Why brand your web page with a USGS logo? Couldn't that mislead people into thinking you're an official USGS scientist? Is that the intent?
I am a scientist. The web page is posting direct facts about what is happening under the ground. I am showing where it is coming from. I want people to know where these facts that are coming from our own government - that is the point.
I produce Oil & Gas on BLM lands - I operate federal leases and I have for the last three administrations. I also will be continuing me services for the BLM with Obama. Who else should tell the people? Why is anyone else not telling the people? Perhaps Christmas and the New Year has taken everyone's attention away from the earth and mosy people do not live in your area.
Why is it not news? Why is hurricane Ike not news? We only have about 5 cities devastated around Galveston Texas leaving over 500,000 people without homes - that is not news either. No our banking industry and what we are doing with that money has taken the limelight versus our own safety.
This is official information in everyway. I would rather be wrong than have the death of countless people on my conscious. If I am right everyone in the area could die - If I am wrong - I am only wrong for an amount of time. I am merely suggesting to pay attention and to leave the area while we have underground activity. - and yes to the USGS.gov and to my site for updates.
The email was signed:
Chris Sanders
President
The Gas Company
chris.sanders@yahoo.com
7510 Sunset Blvd. Suite #1073
Los Angeles, CA 90046
NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION
http://www.thebarnettshale.com
PLANT A TREE TODAY!
http://www.kiritree.com
WORLD WIDE WATER PLAN
http://www.worldwidewaterplan.com
We'll have more on this as things develop.
Demonstration of Eruption (Yellowstone, Hudson Bay)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zULevzGwGn0&feature=channel_page
This You Tube video is my experiment to determine how a magma chamber would erupt if inundated by a lake.
I know where the fault that will rupture is located. I know how Yellowstone will erupt. And I know when.
Watch,and find out more,if you're curious. Ask a question and I'll provide the answer.
When?
The when of the eruption is tied to where of the eruption. The eruption will start along the original caldera. It will happen when The Huckleberry Ridge Tuff fracture intersects the fractures caused by the Sour Creek dome.
http://www.seis.utah.edu/helicorder/GIFs/misc/ynpwebcord.gif
On the map on this site, you will see the orignal caldera (Huckleberry) marked in orange. The Sour Creek Dome is the northern most of the two uplifted zones marked by a dashed lines, it is just north of the lake. You will see where the first caldera and the doming intersect. An eruption occurs when fractures allows a breach in the system. The area also has fractures caused by the Elephant Back Ridge uplift in the 1970's. A fracture in the lake would allow water to enter into the aquafier and geyer system. The pressure from the lake will force water into plumbing and will widen passages and collapse others. Very quickly, parts of the roof of the magma chamber start to collapse, allowing pockets to capture gas. It then becomes a cascade as earthquakes destabilze other parts of the fracture and chamber. It will happen anytime within the near future. It will happen following a major earthquake.
Sincerley,
Robin Marks
lol. I love guys who believe they know everything about science because they do a bathroom experiment.
ReplyDeleteLook, the long and short of it is this...
no one knows the truth. This thing hasn't erupted in 600,000 years, which isn't unprecidented considering if you round off the average of it's 3 eruptions, there's usually a 750,000 year lul between blows according to scientists. (one scientist saying those who say we're overdue because there's a 600,000 lul and it's been 650,000 years... needs to go back to math class).
the majority of scientists also agree that there will be decades if not centuries of warnings before an actual cataclysmic eruption, meaning it probably won't happen for a few thousand more years. (in scientific time that's fairly soon, but in actual time it's a few thousand years.)
there may be an eruption, a devestating one, but not one of a catoclysmic nature.
There have been earthquakes for years at yellowstone. This isn't the first swarm, and this isn't the hardest. one swarm gave us a 4.9 quake. Most of the quakes from this swarm didn't make it past 3.8.
Not to mention, when it comes to Mr. "Sanders" claim that he's a "scientist"
this is the same guy who posted pictures of "orbs" in one of his videos claiming they were alien life forms, when they were, in fact, dust or water particles the light of the flash were reflecting.
"orbs" that look like these in the "paranormal world" are discounted by paranormal experts. 98% of them are merely water or dust particles reflecting light, or bugs reflecting light in just a certain way they look like "orbs". It's actually a joke in the paranormal community, and THIS "Scientist" is claiming in another youtube video that dust is really alien entities.
come on. Seriously. We're suppose to take a scientist who tries to pose as an official when he's not, that claims dust particles are alien entites... seriously? really?
Idiocy will doom our planet sooner than a supervolcano.
When this video came out, I had noticed that Sanders did not have any other collaborating evidence or even another Yellowstone geologist included in the video. That told me..BOGUS. The
ReplyDeleteguy has gas wells, makes a hord of money and wants to play geologist.
Him saying he is qualified is like saying your dentist is qualified to do brain surgury.
Perhaps he should stick to his gas and not give everyone else gas.
RFB
Anyone watched the BBC`s documentary about Yellowstone supervolcano ?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF-RKzqNtz0&feature=PlayList&p=83F6492FA7EACDEA&index=0&playnext=1
They stated, characters fictional - but events FACTUAL.
Strange then really, how (in their fictional-come-FACTUAL) documentary NO real warning was given to the people lol.
I was always led to believe we ought never to shoot the messenger lol, whilst what may appear off-beat today can soon become reality tomorrow.
It`s my belief that the movies that get released, and which ppl often pay to see, thinking they are merely entertainment, are (in reality) education as to what is going to take place.
Laughing so hard it is hard to type. Very good entertainment, thank you. I suppose some people really believe there is a barrister in some country looking to help them claim some poor recently deceased lost fortune owed to them too. Enjoy and have more fun, I look forward to seeing if any new geysers pop up or if some of the other ones change from the quakes.
ReplyDelete"I was blown away . . . " Nice choice of words, CJ.
ReplyDeleteRWK
Thanks, Rob. I'm going to pretend the wording was intentional, because I'm pretty sure it wasn't.
ReplyDeleteRE: <<<
ReplyDeletethe BBC`s documentary about Yellowstone supervolcano ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF-RKzqNtz0&feature=PlayList&p=83F6492FA7EACDEA&index=0&playnext=1
>>>
factual... fictional...
forget the geology
but as far as the government goes
that movie could not be more accurate
and no these things have happened and will again
"why warn ppl - we can't/won't help them anyway"
I would say "lol" but its not really funny....
If Yellowstone blows as a volcano, there will be no where to run. Geologists will tell you that it will change the whole earth and probably result in mass extinsion, including us.
ReplyDeleteIt's May 3rd, 2009. Did i miss the super eruption? When did it happen? Oh, it didn't happen? Oh, I see. Also, on one of those delusional-paranoid-conspiracy websites I found the link below to a very clear and sober explanation of Yellowstone volcanism. Apparently it's one of three movies with the guy who runs the Yellowstone observatory. All of you crack pots ought to take a peak.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0cVU-Uv7p8