Page 9 of Carmine

“During an earthquake or tectonic plate movement, the earth’s plates move and pull apart or push together. This lets magma rise and then the pressure of being pushed causes a pipe or conduit and then the volcano erupts.”

As I spoke, the diagram showed them exactly how everything happened.

“That is so cool!” Aurora gasped as the volcano on-screen erupted.

“Thanks, it helps with stuff like this,” I replied.

“Where could I get one?” Drake asked.

“You can’t, they’re not for sale yet. Shall I continue?” I inquired, wondering if this was part of them poking fun at me.

“Sorry, Dr Balfour-Cherlyn. Witnessing something that’s meant to be science-fiction is an amazing thing. Please continue,” Phoenix said.

“Volcanoes worldwide operate in a certain manner. Pressure sets them off, and they explode, basically. However, what I am witnessing here is not a volcano, but it is volcanic activity. Ten years ago, I noticed a spike in the earthquakes around this part of South Dakota. They were becoming more frequent. But after they ended, the events continued, which made no sense.”

“No volcano, no volcanic rumblings,” Drake mused, and I nodded.

“Exactly, so where’s this activity coming from? I came down and began taking measurements and samples, and it all pointed to volcanic activity. But there are no volcanoes. However, what the Black Hills does have is Bear Butte. Some postulated Bear’s Butte was a laccolith; others speculate it was a volcano that never erupted and weathered over time. Some even believe that Bear Butte may have erupted when it formed before becoming dormant.

“But we all agreed Bear Butte had seen some sort of volcanic activity. There are many laccoliths all over the Black Hills, and they’re the closest thing to a volcano you have here,” I said as the man called Ace interrupted me.

“Doc, everyone might not understand what a laccolith is. Would you please explain?”

I tapped the keyboard again and brought up another diagram. This one showed the construct of a laccolith.

“It’s accepted the laccoliths in South Dakota formed over fifty million years ago when magma pushed its way up through the Earth’s crust. The pressure below forced the magma to escape, and as it shoved its way upwards, it created the laccoliths in the Black Hills. If the laccoliths had erupted, then they would have become fully fledged volcanoes. Imagine yourself in bed, and your foot pushes the covers up, making a mound, and then the bedcovers tear, and your toes peek through.”

“Basically, laccoliths are baby volcanoes that never exploded,” Phoenix said, frowning.

“Laccoliths were potential volcanoes, yeah.”

“I can see where this is going,” Drake drawled, his brain clearly busy.

“Laccoliths are dormant, though,” I informed them, and this was my quandary.

“But you’re registering volcanic activity,” Carmine exclaimed.

“Yes. Over time, I noticed it increasing steadily, which led me to form the hypothesis that perhaps the magma under the Black Hills laccoliths was on the rise again. If it were under pressure from the earthquakes and being squeezed, it would be seeking an escape. When the pressure that formed the laccoliths stopped fifty million years ago, the magma did two things. Some flowed back into the chamber, and the rest cooled but left channels in the newly created laccoliths.”

“If it were under pressure again, the magma would rise through those pathways and explode? How many damned laccoliths are up there? Is the entire state about to be eaten alive? Oh shit, how the hell are we going to evacuate everyone in time?” Phoenix cried, leaping to her feet.

“No! Calm down, please! That is not what is happening. I think the pressure is limited to a single area. Some of the laccoliths have such a thickness to them they’ll never erupt. There won’t be a volcanic explosion. What I predict will happen is the magma will find a weak laccolith and start pushing against it.

“Once it breaks a crack open, it has created a vent and then the magma, which becomes lava, will flow through it. It’s not a volcano, there’ll be no explosions or pyroclastic flow. Remove Dante’s Peak from your mind. That bloody movie is a bane for us. But I believe we’ll get a steady stream of lava until the pit has emptied its belly. Then it’ll make room before the hole seals and the process starts up again,” I explained.

“And when you told people this, they didn’t take you seriously?” Phoenix asked.

“No, because laccoliths do not leak magma! They’re not volcanoes or dormant volcanoes. I know this. All volcanologists do. Laccoliths do not have volcanic activity, yet the Black Hills are showing definite signs of it,” I exclaimed, and my frustration leaked.

“Doc, we believe you. How do we stop this happening?” Texas asked.

“You can’t. There is no way of stopping it. We could have used preventive measures to protect Rapid City, but considering the escalation these last two weeks, I don’t think we have enough time.”

The words had no sooner left my mouth than a tremor shook us and made us fall out of our chairs.

“That was stronger than earlier,” I muttered, leaping to my feet and heading for my laptop. I began typing furiously at it. “Damn, a three point five.”

“Doc, what does that mean?” Texas inquired.

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