From: maridai@ecs.comm.mot.com (Marida Ignacio)
Subject: WANTED: Petrologists, Mineralogists, Geologist, Volcanologist and RE: Pinatubo...
Organization: Motorola Land Mobile Products Sector
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 18:36:14 GMT

:Blessing in disguise                                   

   |In article 5582, c60a-zg@volga.Berkeley.EDU (Martin Guerrero-LabA) writes:
   |<stuff deleted>
   |A blessing in disguise?

For sure, some may think it is another manifestation of some punishment
from above but why the Phils.?  Are we the most deserving?  More loss
of lives, homes, jobs?  More trials?  As one poster (albert@ams.sunysb.edu)
mentioned in another thread: his mother thinks the Phils. is better off
becoming another American state than removing the American bases over 
there (funny, this is how my mom thinks too).  We would be left helpless
against oppressors outside the country as well as from within.

A friend's widowed sister, who lives in Pampanga, became panicky of the 
situation.  She used to be a cashier inside Clark and with the loss of
her job, she couldn't be able to support her children who are going to
college.  She became desperate as to ask her brother, who is here, to
find some ways to get her to America but to no avail.  New news state
that she's gone back to dressmaking but she had to get more training
since it has been a long time.

Talking with some Americans who had been in the Phils., they said
Filipinos are always resourceful when it comes to surviving calamities.
Afterall, we are never free from them (typhoons, floods, etc.).  I
watched, with sympathy, the victims of hurricane Andrew on TV here
and it all seemed the end of all that they worked for.  I also
watched all the government support and aids (though late) they are
getting and I said to myself, "they'll be fine...".  They are just
not used to it.  Then I remember the Phils... townfolks building homes
every year knowing that every year they will just go down with the
typhoons and floods...
I heard from a friend back there that people
made figurines from the ashes of Pinatubo to sell; construction 
companies and materials suppliers take the ashes to make use of it 
for construction, etc.  I know of an air-drying product retailed here 
that one can mold and form and can be made to look like porcelain when 
dry.  I called the supplier and they said it is composed of non-toxic 
materials including volcanic ashes.  They are selling for $11.something
for a ~ 6"x3"x1" size block of clay.  Well, the Philippines is not far 
behind this innovation.  Think of how much $ the Filipinos can receive 
from all the ashes they have. ;^)

Another good thing that makes things bright about Mt. Pinatubo's 
eruption is less prostitution(I do hope), less spread of AIDS (I do 
hope) in the capital places where they were rampant.
                                                    
                         
                
Saving the best for last:

I try (TH) to be an artist and crafter when it comes to making and
giving gifts to special friends and family.  I went to a bookstore
a few days back to look for some ideas for a gift project.  I was
browsing thru some fine arts books, fine jewelries books and then
came across a gemstones book.  For a while I was lost in awe because
of their beauty while looking thru the pages.  I tried grasping all
of them in one quick browse and finally, I settled to concentrate
on the diamonds.  To make this story short:
A particular plate (picture) caught my eye in this chapter on diamonds.
It is different from the others because it is the only one that does
not picture diamonds.  Instead, it illustrates the phases of a volcanic
eruption and on a sidebar it states (not exact quote): "The geological
origin of diamond starts deep within the earth.  Diamonds are formed
under *high pressure and high temperature* and are forced toward the
earth's surface in Kimberly, este, Kimberlites."

I know. I know.  Volcanoes erupt in parts of the world every year
but Mt. Pinatubo is quite different.  It's been a tamed mountain
for 600 years.  How many miles above the earth's surface did the
ash clouds reach?  It definitely took very high pressure to obtain 
such height.  High temperatures?  Pinatubo did not miss out on this
either.  

I looked up the word Kimberlite.  I found out that it is a rock that 
is igneous (formed by solidification of molten rock; like the magmas 
coming from Pinatubo) and which is a *parental* rock for diamonds and 
some other crystals.

I did not bother to research on this any further because that was
not my original purpose in being at that bookstore.  I am leaving
this to the professionals on the subject.

[ I hope I did not hit any panic button.
  Maybe, this can be one reason some people will want to go
  back to the Phils.]

So, are there any volcanologist, petrologist, mineralogist,
geologist and other professionals on subjects related to this matter 
out there who could care to comment on this?

Can there be kimberlites and diamonds that got out and are among 
the ashes lying there on  our desperate looking grounds?
Would it take a few more years before diamonds evolve from these rocks?
Are there no kimberlites inside that part of the earth that
could possibly be spewed out by Mt. Pinatubo?

Your comments are going to be very much appreciated.  Thanks
in advance.

-Marida
 "Some people could care less about what you know.
  They do want to know how much you care."