posted on Oct, 13 2014 @ 01:04 PM
originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: _Del_
The largest ranges are very active, yes, but you would not consider placing one atop the tallest mountain, would you?
Screw it, the choice has been made!
Because most of those peaks do not have roads, do not have large flat areas to put buildings or large constructions on. Most of the world's tallest
mountains can only be reached by foot and climbing.
A dome volcano on the other hand has large flat areas that construction can be done on. It's because the type of erruptions they have (IE not
explosive).
Again: Latitude is a BIG consideration. Closer to the Equator, the better for the telescope to see much more of both hemispheres.
Not every country may want to host such a facility, nor are there a lot of choices given those requirements (IE altitude, latitude, room to construct,
and being able to access easily with roads for construction equipment and all the stuff to build it).
Mauna Kea last erupted back in 2460 BC. It's listed as a 7 on the list, with 9 being "extinct volcano".
Geologist expect a lot of warning if it were to ever erupt again, and, get this:
The mirrors of these telescopes would actually provide a lot more detection of activity from land rising because they would act like tiltmeters.
The good news is that the volcanoes of Hawaii tend to not erupt with explosive force with little warning like other volcanoes on the Earth.