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Yellowstone super-volcano eruption could happen
London, Jan 25 : The super-volcano beneath the Yellowstone National Park in US would detonate with a force a thousand times more powerful than the Mount St Helens eruption in 1980.
This is the nightmare that scientist predict could happen if the world’s largest super-volcano erupts for the first time in 600,000 years, as it could do in the near future
Spewing lava far into the sky, a cloud of plant-killing ash would fan out and dump a layer 10 feet deep up to 1,600 kilometres away, researchers say.
Two-thirds of the US could become uninhabitable as toxic air sweeps through it, grounding thousands of flights and forcing millions to leave their homes, the Daily Mail reports.
The Yellowstone Caldera (volcanic feature formed by the collapse of land following an eruption) is one of nature’s most awesome creations and sits atop North America’s largest volcanic field.
Yellowstone caldera has erupted three times in the last 2.1 million years and researchers monitoring it say we could be in for another eruption.
They said that the super-volcano underneath the Wyoming park has been rising at a record rate since 2004. Its floor has gone up three inches per year for the last three years alone, the fastest rate since records began in 1923.
But, hampered by a lack of data, they have stopped short of an all-out warning and they are unable to put a date on when the next disaster might take place.
When the eruption finally happens it will dwarf the effect of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which erupted in April last year, causing travel chaos around the world.
The University of Utah’s Bob Smith, an expert in Yellowstone’s volcanism told National Geographic: “It’s an extraordinary uplift, because it covers such a large area and the rates are so high.”
Questions about Future Activity
Fact Sheet front page.* Steam Explosions, Earthquakes, and Volcanic EruptionsWhat’s in Yellowstone’s Future? Fact Sheet.
* Questions about Future Activity and other Frequently Asked Questions in our FAQs.
* Yellowstone Eruptions Video featuring Jake Lowenstern, YVO Scientist-in-Charge answering questions to explain volcanic eruptions at Yellowstone: When was the last supereruption at Yellowstone?”, “Have any eruptions occurred since the last supereruption?”, “Is Yellowstone overdue for an eruption?”, “What does the magma below indicate about a possible eruption?”, “What else is possible?”, and “Why didn’t you think the Yellowstone Lake earthquake swarm would lead to an eruption?”What’s Happening Now
Yellowstone Lake map showing earthquake locations for Feb 4, 2009* Yellowstone updates are published monthly on our Activity Page.
* Real-time or near real-time monitoring data are available on our Monitoring Page. The earthquake and deformation data are all provided by our partner the University of Utah.
* See the Yellowstone National Park website for information about road closures and other park information.
* During the Holiday Swarm, it was possible to see earthquakes on the webicorders that were not on the map yet because they had not been reviewed by a seismologist. Learn more about how the earthquakes are posted in our FAQ, How are Yellowstone earthquakes analyzed and mapped?.Past Activity
Yellowstone Lake map showing recent earthquake swarm locations* The Yellowstone Lake Swarm also known as The Holiday Swarm when about 900 earthquakes occurred between Dec. 26, 2008 and Jan. 8, 2009 in the Yellowstone Lake area.
* Yes! Yellowstone is a Volcano Video featuring Jake Lowenstern, YVO Scientist-in-Charge answering questions to explain volcanic features at Yellowstone such as: “How do we know Yellowstone is a volcano?”, “What is a Supervolcano?”, “What is a Caldera?”,”Why are there geysers at Yellowstone?”, and “What are the other geologic hazards in Yellowstone?”What is The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO)?
* Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Video USGS featuring Jake Lowenstern, YVO Scientist-in-Charge provides a tour of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory by answering questions such as: “What is YVO?”, “How do you monitor volcanic activity at Yellowstone?”, “How are satellites used to study deformation?”, “Do you monitor geysers or any other aspect of the Park?”, “Are earthquakes and ground deformation common at Yellowstone?”, “Why is YVO a relatively small group?”, and “Where can I get more information?”
* About YVO information about the collaboration of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Yellowstone National Park, and the University of Utah.http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/publications/2009/greatesthits.php
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