The Gulf Methane Explosion and Yonaguni

The tragic explosion of an oil well drilling rig off the coast of New Orleans brings up a factor in the Yonaguni submerged ruins survey. The common factor is methane gas.

One possible explanation for the US disaster involves a burst of methane gas rising upward from the sea floor, expanding, and exploding. The source of the methane gas may have been a pocket of frozen methane tapped by the drilling.

A legend about Yonaguni claims that the "real" Yonaguni island disappeared ages ago in a spectacular explosion. The island is not and never has been volcanic, so there is no possibility of a Krakatoa-like exploding volcano. But the sea around Yonaguni is pocketed with deposits of frozen methane.

This is not to say that the legend about the "real" Yonaguni's disappearance is true, as legends are beyond the realm of physical proof. The US disaster is, however, living proof of the destructive power of frozen methane when it thaws and expands and comes in contact with a detonating spark.

an island is born

The big question about Yonaguni is, why did a part of the island sink and disappear? Destruction is part of the natural process, and can be tragic when it happens on a grand scale in places where people are making their homes. Haiti, for instance, today. Yonaguni, perhaps, a millennium ago.

On the other hand, the creation of new land is also part of the natural process.

At this very moment, a new island is struggling to be born in Tokyo's territorial waters. Billowing fumes rising from the sea, churning water dyed sulphuric yellow--these signs, visible at the tip of an arc that includes the volcanic island Ohshima and its sister islands, are indications that underwater eruptions are laying the foundation for a brand new island.

These indications were reported on February 3.

A Thought at Christmas Time

One of the monuments underwater at Yonaguni is a pair of stone pillars with a narrow slit between them. At least, that is how they are thought to have looked when they were still standing. One idea concerning them suggests that the narrow--and very even--space between them might be related to the sun's position in the annual calendar.

Certainly, the ancient peoples of the world had a more intimate relationship with the sun than we seem to have today.

For instance...

Saturnalia—the ancient Roman festivities that took place in mid-December—may be the earliest verifiable ancestor of our Christmas/New Year festivities. Evergreens and holly probably have more to do with this tradition from frosty Europe than with the events in Mediterranean Bethlehem, as they symbolize faith in the return of the sun’s warmth and the regeneration of all that is green and growing, not to mention edible.

Japan has a tradition of reverence for the sun, too. Just look at the national flag—a red circle on a white background representing the rising sun. One of Japan’s preeminent geographers, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, wrote in one of his works that this showed a certain ecological wisdom. The American environmentalist Hazel Henderson would agree. Asked to place an economic value on solar energy, she replied, “Should we figure in the value of pre-warming the planet?” Without the sun, we might as well be Pluto.

Japan, too, tries to celebrate Christmas, but the festivities are more like Saturnalia—a way to brighten up a cold season that contains the shortest day and the longest night. Frankly, I like it. I like the idea of taking the given circumstances and making something out of them.

Makiguchi, the Japanese philosopher who gave our ancestors credit for recognizing the worth of solar light and warmth, didn’t advocate worshiping the sun as a god/goddess. Instead, he advocated a philosophy that asked, “Given your circumstances, what are you putting forth? What are you creating? What value are you adding to society?”

I like that thought a lot. Joy, cheer, an appropriate gift, breaking bread together! There are so many ways to put forth creative contributions out of our own particular circumstances.

Happy Holidays to All!

Giant Zipper in the Earth's Crust

Why are the ruins at Yonaguni underwater? This is a big question. The easy answer is the global warming of an ancient era that raised sea levels and sunk coastal settlements. The more complicated answer concerns crustal movements--the changes that happen when the Earth's tender skin wrinkles or cracks.

A rare opportunity to watch crustal movement in action is happening now, in the desert of Ethiopia. A volcanic eruption and the flow of magma that split a rift through the desert has been likened by the scientists observing it to the opening of a giant zipper in the Earth's crust--one that is some 35 miles long.

Please follow the "tiny url" like below to see the whole story.

http://tinyurl.com/y8pgndu

Or, try cutting and pasting the original:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/giantcrackinafricawillcreateanewocean

A Natural Arch vs a Man-made One

This is a natural arch, easily created by nature from coral-origin rock. The arch in the photo is on Tokunoshima, an island between Okinawa and Kyushu. Yonaguni's submerged ruins have a different kind of arch, one created by rocks piled on rocks. That kind of arch is a little harder for nature to make, but a simple accomplishment for human builders.

Annual General Meeting (2)

The 4th annual meeting of the Marine Cultural Heritage Research Association was over in a jiffy. The main news was the new camera we had to buy in order to have our underwater research broadcast on TV. How cool is that?

We now own a high-definition underwater video camera--worth it because Channel 12 (Tokyo) broadcasts our research every other month. It cost almost as much as we have--I mean had--in the treasury. It's worth it because research has to be recorded.

This past year's research focussed on the submerged ruins off Chatan, on the main island of Okinawa. Chatan is not Yonaguni, and not being Yonaguni is both the good and the bad news. People are curious about Yonaguni, so not doing more there is a letdown. On the other hand, Chatan is easy to get to and, therefore, more divers can get involved.

Getting involved is good. A diving group from the University of Tokyo has offered their assistance. A group of independent divers from Osaka has also offered theirs.

MaCHRA is alive and growing.

Annual General Meeting

I'm off to the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa for the annual meeting of the Marine Cultural Research Association. We'll hear what's new in Yonaguni.

You'll hear all about it on this weblog next week.