I have seen many documentaries on volcano’s, earthquake’s, tsunamis and so on. But this time I really was quite shocked when I heard what could happen if the Yellowstone super volcano erupted. Last night I was watching a documentary on the Yellowstone supervolcano and asked myself the question, “do I feel safe?”
Wikipedia defines a supervolcano as.
A supervolcano or super volcanic eruption is a volcanic eruption which is substantially larger than any volcano in historic times (generally accepted to be greater than 1,000 cubic-kilometers). Supervolcanoes occur when magma in the Earth rises into the crust from a hotspot but is unable to break through the crust. Pressure builds in a large and growing magma pool until the crust is unable to contain the pressure. Supervolcanoes are relatively new to science; they were previously unknown because they do not fit the stereotypical model of volcanoes. Although there are only a handful of supervolcanoes, super volcanic eruptions typically cover huge areas with lava and ash and cause a long-lasting change to weather (such as the triggering of a small ice age ) sufficient to threaten the extinction of species.
There are only 8 super eruptions that scientists have recorded.
Lake Taupo, New Zealand - 26,500 years ago
Lake Toba, Indonesia - 75,000 years ago
Whakamaru, New Zealand - 254,000 years ago
Yellowstone Caldera, United States - 640,000 years ago
Island Park Caldera, United States - 2.1 million years ago
Kilgore Tuff, United States - 4.5 million years ago
Black Tail Creek, United States - 6.6 million years ago
La Garita Caldera, United States - 27.8 million yrs ago
As you can see these eruptions have happened a very long time ago, which only adds to the amount of pressure building within these supervolcanoes.
December 2008 swarm
The Yellowstone supervolcano has been displaying signs of an eruption over due by 20,000 yrs. Earthquakes are a common, averaging 1,000 to 2,000 earthquakes a year. Yellowstone volcano observatory recorded about 900 earthquakes occurring between Dec. 26, 2008 and Jan. 8, 2009. Durring this swarm the largest quake was on December 28th recorded at a magnitude of 3.9. Swarms are common at Yellowstone only this one was above typical activity.
What will happen if the Yellowstone supervolcano or any other erupts? Well within a week, the skies will be dark with dust from the impact and they will stay dark for years. All plant life will be dead within weeks. Animal life within a few months. Anyone within about 62 miles (100 kilometers) would simply be killed by the explosion itself. So ask yourself. Do you feel safe?
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