Oh yeah! I know where that is. Utah is full of mysteries thanks in part to the Navajo and Ute peace treaty expiring many, many years ago!
1 Like
Is the Yellowstone supervolcano really âdueâ for an eruption?
By Joe Phelan
published January 21, 2023
Yellowstoneâs supervolcano last erupted 70,000 years ago. Will it erupt again anytime soon?
A hydrothermal feature at Yellowstone National Park. (Image credit: zrfphoto via Getty Images)
Beneath Yellowstone National Park, a vast region of spectacular wilderness visited by around 3 million people annually, lurks one of the largest volcanoes in the world.
The Yellowstone Caldera â the cauldron-like basin at the summit of the volcano â is so colossal that it is often called a âsupervolcano,â which, according to the Natural History Museum in London, means it has the capacity to âproduce a magnitude-eight eruption on the Volcanic Explosivity Index, discharging more than 1,000 cubic kilometers [240 cubic miles] of material.â
To put that into perspective, the 1991 eruption of Pinatubo in the Philippines, arguably the most powerful volcanic eruption in living memory, was rated a 6 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index, making it, according to the Natural History Museum, âaround 100 times smaller than the benchmark for a supervolcano.â
So should we be worried? Will Yellowstone erupt anytime soon?
Is Yellowstone âdueâ for an eruption?
Media reports have often claimed that Yellowstone is due to erupt. They claim that because the last eruption of the supervolcano was 70,000 years ago, itâs bound to blow soon. But thatâs not how volcanoes work.
âThis is perhaps the most common misconception about Yellowstone, and about volcanoes in general. Volcanoes donât work on timelines,â Michael Poland, a geophysicist and the scientist-in-charge at Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, told Live Science in an email. "They erupt when there is enough eruptible magma beneath the surface, and pressure to cause that magma to ascend.
âNeither condition is in place at Yellowstone right now,â he added. âItâs all about that magma supply. Cut that off, and the volcano wonât erupt.â
Many volcanoes go through cycles of activity and inactivity, Poland said. More often than not, a volcanoâs activity is a direct consequence of the magma supply. âSome volcanoes do seem to have regular eruptions, but this is because the magma supply is relatively constant â think Kilauea in Hawaii or Stromboli in Italy,â Poland said.
So where does the idea of Yellowstone being âoverdueâ for an eruption come from, then?
âI suspect the âoverdueâ idea comes from the concept of earthquakes,â Poland said. âEarthquakes happen as stress accumulates on faults, and in many places this stress accumulates at relatively constant rates due to, for example, plate motion. That being the case, you might expect earthquakes to occur at somewhat regular intervals. It is, of course, more complicated than that â there are many variables at play â but for that reason, it makes more sense to say that a fault is âoverdueâ for an earthquake.â
Poland also noted that âsupervolcanoesâ â a term he considers somewhat crude and sensationalist â are âno more or less temperamentalâ than other volcanoes. So, how do experts keep an eye on Yellowstoneâs subterranean activity so that, in the case of a major volcanic eruption, warnings can be given?
âYellowstone is very well monitored by a variety of techniques,â Poland said. âIt is covered in terms of seismicity and ground deformation. We track the temperatures of some thermal features, although this is not an indicator of volcanic activity, but rather of the behavior of specific hydrothermal areas. We look at overall thermal emissions from space, collect gas and water to assess chemistry over time, and track stream/river flow and chemistry.â
So what might indicate that a massive eruption is imminent?
âHaving thousands of earthquakes in a short period of time (a few weeks), with many felt events, would be noteworthy, as long as it was not an aftershock sequence from a tectonic event,â Poland said. âThat seismicity would need to be coupled with really extreme ground deformation (tens of centimeters over the same short period), park-wide changes in geyser activity, and thermal/gas emissions. The ground rises and falls normally by 2-3 cm [0.8 to 1.2 inches] every year, and there are typically ~2000 quakes annually in the area, so it would have to rise far beyond these normal background levels.â
While Yellowstone is relatively stable right now and has not displayed any unusual seismic activity lately, if it were to erupt, the consequences could be extreme. Volcanologists have suggested that the ramification they are most concerned about is wind-flung ash, which could end up coating a surrounding region 500 miles (800 kilometers) across in more than 4 inches (10 centimeters) of ash. This could, experts predict, result in the short-term destruction of Midwest agriculture, and would leave scores of watercourses clogged. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, âthe surrounding states of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming that are closest to Yellowstone would be affected by pyroclastic flows, while other places in the United States would be impacted by falling ash.â Poland added that the effects would also be felt beyond the United Statesâ borders.
âIf there were a very large explosive eruption, it could impact the global climate by emitting ash and gas into the stratosphere, which could block sunlight and lower global temperatures by a few degrees for a few years,â Poland explained.
Research published in the journal Science in December 2022 found that the Yellowstone caldera holds more liquid molten rock than previously estimated. Given that volcanoes tend to erupt only when a vast amount of magma is readily available, should this finding be a cause for concern?
âThis [research] really just confirms what we already know about Yellowstone,â Poland said. âInitial findings were that the magma chamber beneath Yellowstone was only 5-15% molten. The new research, which uses more advanced techniques but the same data, suggests it is closer to 16-20% molten. The take-home message is that the magma chamber is mostly solid. And that means there is far less likelihood of a consequential eruption. I find this result reassuring.â
Scientists have been known to be wrong as well. Take Mt St Helens for example, they certainly didnât expect the catastrophe that followed that eruption. Although I would tend to agree that Yellowstone is well monitored and therefore advanced warning of a major eruption would be forthcoming in buying enough time to evacuate people from the area if need be.
2 Likes
Hey buddy how you feeling today?
There was footage of buffalos panicking and running from something a few years ago. But I guess everything quieted down.
When Yellowstone does erupt, it wonât be like Hawaii and it wonât even be like Mount St. Helens. The pool of magma underneath Yellowstone is huge, and it will take days or weeks to empty. The explosion will be so powerful that huge amounts of ash will be ejected into the stratosphere.
Some of this ash will fall to create accumulations of up to 10 feet within a couple hundred miles of Yellowstone. Geologists have been able to find a layer of ash from the last eruption in the rock layers all the way on the East Coast.
Whatâs the biggest danger?
Those actually in or near the park will likely not even know what happened, as a huge explosion would occur at the start of the eruption. Those farther away wonât have to deal with the explosion, but the outlook might not be much better.
The falling ash is not like the soft ash from a campfire. Volcanic ash is very sharp â if you look at it under a microscope, it is like shards of glass. If breathed in, the ash will cut up your lungs and will also form a cement in your body. The volcanic ash will also permanently damage all car and plane engines that try to operate in these conditions. This will kill many animals, including humans, that try to breathe it in.
Sharp volcanic ash may be the most immediate concern, but the long-term impact is worse. The ash that gets caught in the stratosphere will stay suspended for months or even years. The ash, along with different volcanic gases, will block out much of the sunâs energy. This will create a several-year period with below-normal temperatures and below-normal energy for plants to grow.
Between the ash, lack of sunlight, and colder temperatures, finding food to eat is going to be the most dangerous consequence of a super-volcanic eruption. The lack of sun will reduce the amount of photosynthesis, which plants require to obtain energy. The animals that feed on plants will go hungry, and the loss of animals will be another reason our food sources will go down.
Th US will no longer exist as it is today.
1 Like
I believe that also to be true which is why there have been Hollywood movies made on it. I guess such scientists have to be in the business of quieting fears than stoking panic.
The illegals will be running in the opposite direction, Mexico will begin enforcing the border keeping people out.
1 Like
Wouldnât that be ironic by returning the favor. On a more serious note, the opportunity to move to coastal cities in South America seems really appealing while all the illegals turn America in a giant sh*thole, retiring to some cheap resort doesnât sound like a bad idea after all.
1 Like
My leftist in laws vote for Biden and democrats, leave the country to live in Spain, Mexico. Then return for a month a year and support more illegals in the US.
1 Like
Unbelievable! Seems there plan is to divert the masses from their get away paradise!
2 Likes
Is it morally justifiable to kill them?
Of course not.
But will vax-injured people and those people whose family member(s) has been killed by the medical / pharmaceutical establishment let them get away with murder?
I donât think so.
https://twitter.com/HenryMakow/status/1660715542359965696/photo/1
1 Like
Vigilante justice will find them in another way through cause and effect.
1 Like
Warning (Get your affairs in order)
Hope you got your contingency plans made because now this is what is coming.
Predictive programming? You Bet! The Global Elite (Cabal) warn of cyber attacks (they will be causing) and the MSM are setting the narrative like the good little propagandist they are. Prepare for blackoutsâŠ
2 Likes
You really have a covert nemesis to deal with.
Everything is a mess, but our very lives will be in danger soon!
Here is more evidence that the globalists are going after the farms and food sources.
1 Like
An evil enemy will burn his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashes - Sun Tzu
2 Likes