1. seed
  2. The Buzz: Eruptive Media

The Buzz: Eruptive Media

By ejohnson on September 23, 2009.
i-fa7f8170045dedcb95d075ffdf7954a7-2277397-Space_Needle_Downtown_and_Mt_Rainier-Seattle.jpg

This week, Eruptions' Erik Klemetti sparked interest in the recent rumblings heard coming from Mt. Rainier in Washington State when he responded to a reader's comment on increased seismic activity in the area over the past month. Klemetti's response post, which reported on concrete facts surrounding the geologic events and featured a detailed graph of Mt. Rainier's seismic activity over the past year, yielded a slew of comments and stirred fellow blogger, Greg Laden, to post a related story, which also garnered lively commentary. Ironically, Klemetti's following post detailed this viral media phenomenon, commenting on a recent article in Australia's Brisbane Times hyping an "overdue" volcanic eruption as "full of nothing but vapid speculation and media fear-mongering." The juxtaposition sheds light on the power--and responsibility--engendered in science writers, journalists, bloggers and other media makers.

Tags
Geology
Volcanology

More like this

Is Australia "overdue" for a volcanic eruption?
The Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland, Australia. Nothing makes me shudder like any article titled "Blankety-blank volcano is overdue". Typically the article that follows is full of nothing but vapid speculation and media fear-mongering. So, it wasn't too surprising that an article…
2009: The Volcanic Year in Review
Here it is, my attempt to recap a year's worth of volcanic events. By no means is this supposed to capture every event, but rather the highlight/lowlights and what most captivated me during 2009. I'll be announcing the winner of the 2009 Pliny for Volcanic Event of the Year tomorrow. Waimangu…
Time to start watching Mt. Rainier?
Erik Klemetti notes that Mt. Rainier has been experiencing increased seismic activity as of late. (details) Overall activity level is up since the last month and the little earth quakes are a little bigger. No particular explanations are forthcoming yet. Current seismic data are here.
The Buzz: Science and the Element of Surprise
A rainforest in...Iran? A volcanic eruption...on Venus? This week, ScienceBloggers are bringing our attention to places where nature is defying our expectations. No matter how well we think we know the patterns and forces of the universe, we are constantly surprised: On Gene Expression, Razib…