MICHAEL CRICHTON

among “miscellaneous long-term findings of national security significance.” Butthe following year, Congressman David Inaga (D., Hawaii) challenged DOD / ARPD/VULCAN. demanding to know “its exact military purpose, and why it shouldbe funded entirely within the state of Hawaii.”Pentagon spokesmen explained blandly that VULCAN was a “tsunami warningsystem” of value to the residents of the Hawaiian islands, as well as to militaryinstallations there. Pentagon experts reminded Inaga that in 1948 a tsunami hadswept across the Pacific Ocean, first devastating Kauai, but moving so swiftlyalong the Hawaiian island chain that when it struck Oahu and Pearl Harbortwenty minutes later, no effective warning had been given.“That tsunami was triggered by an underwater volcanic avalanche off the coastof Japan,” they said. “But Hawaii has its own active volcanoes, and now thatHonolulu is a city of half a million, and naval presence is valued at more thanthirty-five billion dollars, the ability to predict tsunami activity secondary toeruptions by Hawaiian volcanoes assumes major long-term significance.”In truth, PROJECT VULCAN was not long-term at all; it was intended to becarried out at the next eruption of Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano in theworld, located on the big island of Hawaii. The designated purpose of VULCANwas to control volcanic eruptions as they progressed; Mauna Lea was chosenbecause its eruptions were relatively mild and gentle.Although it rose to an altitude of only 13,500 feet, Mauna Lea was the largestmountain in the world. Measured from its origin at the depths of the ocean floor,Mauna Loa had more than twice the cubic volume of Mount Everest; it was aunique and extraordinary geological formation. And Mauna Loa had long sincebecome the most carefully studied volcano in history, having a permanentscientific observation station on its crater since 1928. It was also the mostinterfered-with volcano in history, since the lava that flowed down its slopes atthree-year intervals had been diverted by everything from aerial bombers to localcrews with shovels and sandbags.VULCAN intended to alter the course of a Mauna Loa eruption by “venting” thegiant volcano, releasing the enormous quantities of molten magma by a series oftimed, non-nuclear explosions detonated along fault lines in the shield. InOctober, 1978, VULCAN was carried out in secret, using navy helicopter teamsexperienced in detonating high-explosive resonant conic charges. The VULCANproject lasted two days; on the third day, the civilian Mauna Lea VolcanicLaboratory publicly announced that “the October eruption of Mauna Lea hasbeen milder than anticipated, and no further eruptive episodes are expected.”244