Sunday, March 27, 2011

History of Lake Toba

Lake Toba is a volcanic lake with a length of 100 kilometers and 30 kilometers wide, located in North Sumatra province, Indonesia. This lake is the largest lake in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. In the middle of this lake there is a volcanic island called Samosir Island.
Lake Toba has long been an important tourist destination in addition to Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra and Nias, attracting domestic and foreign touris
History
Lake Toba is estimated that when the explosion occurred around 73000-75000 years ago and is the eruption Supervolcano (super volcano),the most recent. Bill Rose and Craig Chesner from Michigan Technological University estimate that volcanic materials of the mountain spit out as much as 2800 km ³, with 800 km ³ of rock and 2,000 km ³ overlies the volcanic ash which is expected in the wind to west for two weeks. Volcanic dust in the wind has spread to half the earth, from China to South Africa. The explosion occurred during the first week and throw dust reaches 10 km above sea level.
This incident caused mass death and also participated in several species extinction. According to some DNA evidence, this eruption also shrink the number of people until about 60% of the total human population of the earth at that time, which is about 60 million people. The eruption was also contributes to the ice age, although experts are still debating.
After the eruption, the caldera formed which was then filled with water and became what is now known as Lake Toba. Pressure upward by magma that has not come out cause the appearance of Samosir Island.
International multidisciplinary research team, led by Dr. Michael Petraglia, revealed in a press conference in Oxford, the United States that has found a new archeological site quite spectacular by the geologist in the south and north India. On the site it was revealed how people survive, before and after volcanic eruptions (Supervolcano) Toba at 74 000 years ago, and evidence of life beneath the ash heap of Mount Toba. Though the source of the eruption is 3000 miles, from the distribution of ashes.
For seven years, experts from Oxford University is researching ecosystem project in India, to search for evidence of life and the lives they left behind equipment in a barren desert. Wide area with thousands of hectares of this was just savanna (grassland). Meanwhile, animal bones scattered. The team concluded, in large areas is apparently covered with dust from ancient volcanic eruptions.
The spread of volcanic dust was extremely spacious, found almost worldwide. Derived from an ancient Supervolcano erruption, which leads to Mount Toba.Dugaan Mount Toba, because it found evidence of molecular forms of the same volcanic ash in the 2100 period. Since caldera crater is now a lake Toba in Indonesia, up to 3000 miles, from the eruption source. Even that is quite surprising, it turns out that the spread of dust until caught up to the North Pole. This reminds the experts, how powerful eruption of Toba super volcano at the time. Evidence is found, strengthening the suspicion, that the strength of the eruption, and sea waves could wipe out life on Atlantis.

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