A July report from the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) surprised volcanologists by dating Jeju’s most recent volcanic eruption to 5,000 years ago. Media outlets gleefully reported Mt. Hallasan was not dead, or dormant, but alive.
The research team, led by Jin-yeong Lee, radiocarbon dated carbonised wood (charcoal) below the basalt layer at Sangchang-ri, Seogwipo City, to 5,000 years old. This was 2,000 years more recent than the 7,000-year-old eruption at Mt. Songaksan, thought to be Jeju’s last volcanic activity.
Scientists had speculated that the basalt layer at Sangchang-ri was formed 35,000 years ago, yet the carbonised wood was below the basalt, making the rock at least as young as the ancient trees. Sangchang-ri was thus confirmed as the site of the most recent volcanic activity in South Korea. (The title of most active volcano on the peninsula goes to Mt. Baekdusan in North Korea, which last erupted in 1903.)
The findings were picked up by media outlets and headlines stated that Mt. Hallasan was “alive” and not dead, a fact already known as the earlier Songaksan activity was already within the same Smithsonian Institute’s Global Volcanism Program (GVP) 10,000 year timeframe for active volcanoes. Nevertheless, the Science Daily headline, “Jeju Island, Korea is a live volcano,” typified the reaction. [Cheju Weekly]
Here is an interesting historical account from the article:
While scientific evidence of volcanism on Jeju Island is proving difficult to confirm, one piece of historic evidence suggests that the island was active much more recently than 5,000 years ago. The “Dongguk Yeoji Seungram,” a Joseon Dynasty geography textbook (multiple volumes published between 1481 and 1530) includes this seemingly eye-witness account.
“In June 1002 CE, a mountain arose in the middle of the sea. There were four giant holes at the top of the mountain, out of which red liquid flowed and soared, and thick smoke plumed for five days. All the red liquid hardened and became stone like roof tiles.”
“by dating Jeju’s most recent volcanic eruption to 5,000 years ago.”
…coinciding nicely with both the beginning of Korean history and God’s creation of the world.
This is way too perfect to be just a coincidence.
“In June 1002 CE, a mountain arose in the middle of the sea. There were four giant holes at the top of the mountain, out of which red liquid flowed and soared, and thick smoke plumed for five days. All the red liquid hardened and became stone like roof tiles.”
It also had seven heads and ten horns with ten crowns.
Ahhhh… I have been sitting in front of computers writing code all weekend and I am going crazy.
My mind is drifting… hence all the crazy comments.
March is Chance the Meaning of Headlines Month, by the way.
Tom
9 years ago
I hope that volcano blows and wipe out all the Chinese construction sites.
setnaffa
9 years ago
What if radiometric dating actually doesn’t work?
ChickenHead
9 years ago
“What if radiometric dating actually doesn’t work?”
Setnaffa,
Here is the deal.
If radiometric dating didn’t actually work, it would mean other applications of isotope decay also would not work… from your smoke detector to the reactor powering your computer.
Science looks at facts, theorizes how they fit together, and then makes experiments to test these theories. Sometimes the theories are confirmed with little doubt. Sometimes they don’t work out and are discarded. Sometimes they indicate the theory is on the right track but needs expanding or refining… perhaps it is even worth keeping for the moment as it makes accurate predictions even if they are not quite right.
As this process happens, the body of established scientific knowledge expands… e.g., we no longer believe the sun revolves around the flat earth. This was known long before the invention of rockets simply because every field of science, from math to physics to astronomy, led to the same conclusion.
The understanding of radiometric dating is much the same. It fits well with all other aspects of radioactive decay, including the ones we rely on daily. Further, it fits well with observations in geology, biology, chemistry, physics, astrophysics, etc… which, in turn, fit well with each other.
…and when they don’t fit with each other, new experiments are conducted to acquire new evidence to form new theories… which are then confirmed with new experiments.
Predictions based off this knowledge are accurate and applicable.
The procedures for dating did not come about after some egghead scientists drank a fifth of Jack and did a couple lines of meth off a hooker’s azz. Despite occasional political interference in science, most of science is based on a firm foundation of millions of sincere people doing billions of overlapping experiments that show results which lead to more advanced experiments.
Regardless of what you think of the societies applying them, the results of “science” have been astounding in their ability to make accurate measurements, analyze data, and draw correct conclusions that are then passed on to the engineers who build the world you have watched develop in the last few hundred years.
This couldn’t happen if there was no true understanding of the level of science we have… of which radioactive decay is an interlocked piece.
If you wish to believe the world was created (not an unreasonable belief, as there is evidence which supports this idea) please don’t do it in such a way that seems to scream “the world is flat”.
Creationism and science fit nicely together… but not in the way James Ussher calculated in The Annals of the World (23 October, 4004 BC – making it closer to 6000 years and completely killing my Korean history joke).
“by dating Jeju’s most recent volcanic eruption to 5,000 years ago.”
…coinciding nicely with both the beginning of Korean history and God’s creation of the world.
This is way too perfect to be just a coincidence.
“In June 1002 CE, a mountain arose in the middle of the sea. There were four giant holes at the top of the mountain, out of which red liquid flowed and soared, and thick smoke plumed for five days. All the red liquid hardened and became stone like roof tiles.”
It also had seven heads and ten horns with ten crowns.
Ahhhh… I have been sitting in front of computers writing code all weekend and I am going crazy.
My mind is drifting… hence all the crazy comments.
March is Chance the Meaning of Headlines Month, by the way.
I hope that volcano blows and wipe out all the Chinese construction sites.
What if radiometric dating actually doesn’t work?
“What if radiometric dating actually doesn’t work?”
Setnaffa,
Here is the deal.
If radiometric dating didn’t actually work, it would mean other applications of isotope decay also would not work… from your smoke detector to the reactor powering your computer.
Science looks at facts, theorizes how they fit together, and then makes experiments to test these theories. Sometimes the theories are confirmed with little doubt. Sometimes they don’t work out and are discarded. Sometimes they indicate the theory is on the right track but needs expanding or refining… perhaps it is even worth keeping for the moment as it makes accurate predictions even if they are not quite right.
As this process happens, the body of established scientific knowledge expands… e.g., we no longer believe the sun revolves around the flat earth. This was known long before the invention of rockets simply because every field of science, from math to physics to astronomy, led to the same conclusion.
The understanding of radiometric dating is much the same. It fits well with all other aspects of radioactive decay, including the ones we rely on daily. Further, it fits well with observations in geology, biology, chemistry, physics, astrophysics, etc… which, in turn, fit well with each other.
…and when they don’t fit with each other, new experiments are conducted to acquire new evidence to form new theories… which are then confirmed with new experiments.
Predictions based off this knowledge are accurate and applicable.
The procedures for dating did not come about after some egghead scientists drank a fifth of Jack and did a couple lines of meth off a hooker’s azz. Despite occasional political interference in science, most of science is based on a firm foundation of millions of sincere people doing billions of overlapping experiments that show results which lead to more advanced experiments.
Regardless of what you think of the societies applying them, the results of “science” have been astounding in their ability to make accurate measurements, analyze data, and draw correct conclusions that are then passed on to the engineers who build the world you have watched develop in the last few hundred years.
This couldn’t happen if there was no true understanding of the level of science we have… of which radioactive decay is an interlocked piece.
If you wish to believe the world was created (not an unreasonable belief, as there is evidence which supports this idea) please don’t do it in such a way that seems to scream “the world is flat”.
Creationism and science fit nicely together… but not in the way James Ussher calculated in The Annals of the World (23 October, 4004 BC – making it closer to 6000 years and completely killing my Korean history joke).