Yellowstone Hellfire: A Survival Thriller by Bobby Akart

Author:Bobby Akart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-08-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 33

Jake’s Cabin

Yellowstone

Jake attempted to apologize for another night of serving hot dogs and beer to his guests, but he doubted they heard him, much less cared. He’d never experienced this kind of energy and excitement before. Computers were set up throughout his living area. Several antennas were attached to his deck railing, all pointing in different directions. He didn’t even bother building a fire. Between the electronics and the scurrying about of Ashby and her team, Jake found it necessary to open a few windows to let some heat escape.

“How are we gonna get samples?” asked Dusty. “I never imagined we’d have this opportunity at Yellowstone.”

“What do you need?” asked Jake before adding, “Maybe I can help?”

Ashby finished her beer and set it in the center of Jake’s table with the other empties. “The technique is simple, actually. You dip a steel hammer or pickax into the lava flow with a stainless bucket attached, filled with water. The water will quickly cool the sample, preventing the growth of any crystals, thus preserving the composition of the lava.”

“We’ll need to send it for a more in-depth analysis of its chemical composition,” added Rita. “We’ll need VIPER to charter a plane or a chopper to come and get it.”

Jake was curious. “What exactly will you learn from the composition testing?”

“One of the most important aspects will be the silica level,” replied Ashby. “If the silica level is high, approaching the content of rhyolitic lavas, then an eruption could be brewing.”

“I have a galvanized bucket,” Jake said as he wandered off to the kitchen. He rustled around through a lower cabinet and returned with a five-gallon beer bucket with the Corona Beer logo emblazoned across the side. The handle had a hook at the top in the shape of a bottle opener. “It’s one of my prized possessions, but you can have it.”

Dusty took the bucket and showed it to Ashby and smiled.

“Hey, it matches my messenger bag. Are you sure, Jake?” Ashby said.

“Yeah, there’s another one around here somewhere.”

Ashby studied the handle. “This will work perfectly. Now, we could use two more things. We need some type of headgear that can act like a heat shield, together with some heavy insulated gloves that will protect us from the heat.”

“No problem,” replied Jake. “We have a welding shop down at headquarters. I can get both of those for you.”

Ashby turned to Dusty and Rita. “Tomorrow we’ll get our samples, and I’ll make the arrangements for VIPER to pick them up.”

“Doc, you know what else this means?” asked Dusty.

“What?”

“The magma chamber beneath Yellowstone is much larger than everyone previously thought.”

Accurately mapping the volcanic hot spot that sits beneath Yellowstone has challenged scientists for decades. From geysers to hot springs, the most famous aboveground features of Yellowstone owe their existence to the melted rock in the shallow magma reservoir below the Earth’s surface. Scientists have studied the caldera’s plumbing continuously, hoping to accurately define the magma chamber’s size, but nobody has been entirely successful.

“I’ve

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