The Yellowstone National Park which spans a huge area within the states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho offers spectacular views with the Yellowstone caldera being the focal point of the park. This volcanic area has stunning and strange-looking geological features and geysers with well-maintained tourist trails throughout the area. But what would happen if this super-volcano was to erupt?
Scientists are constantly monitoring the area for any changes in the caldera to determine if an eruption could be imminent. As well as looking at the current state of the caldera they also study past eruptions. These observations have determined that the supervolcano will erupt every 600,000 years with the last eruption occurring approximately 640,000 years ago.
As the magma chamber below Yellowstone fills it will cause the land above to increase in height. Since 1923 the land has risen by 29 inches (74cm) indicating that the reservoir beneath Yellowstone is filling with magma at an alarming rate. It is well overdue for an eruption.
As the magma chamber below Yellowstone fills it will cause the land above to increase in height. Click To Tweet
Should the caldera erupt in the morning it would certainly not send lava spewing over the entire surface of the planet. In fact, the release of lava would be very small in comparison to regular volcanic eruptions. People within 2 miles (3.2 km) of the eruption will be in danger of sudden death due to lava and / or a pyroclastic flow.
The biggest problem will come from the ash cloud which could see a very large deposit of ash within a 500 mile (805 km) radius of the epicentre. A further region of approximately 1,500 miles (2,415 km) from the centre of the eruption will see a lighter ash fall.
Some of the short-term consequences are:
The long-term effects of a super-volcano eruption are:
Overdue?
Scientists are constantly monitoring the area for any changes in the caldera to determine if an eruption could be imminent. As well as looking at the current state of the caldera they also study past eruptions. These observations have determined that the supervolcano will erupt every 600,000 years with the last eruption occurring approximately 640,000 years ago.
As the magma chamber below Yellowstone fills it will cause the land above to increase in height. Since 1923 the land has risen by 29 inches (74cm) indicating that the reservoir beneath Yellowstone is filling with magma at an alarming rate. It is well overdue for an eruption.
As the magma chamber below Yellowstone fills it will cause the land above to increase in height. Click To Tweet
Eruption
Should the caldera erupt in the morning it would certainly not send lava spewing over the entire surface of the planet. In fact, the release of lava would be very small in comparison to regular volcanic eruptions. People within 2 miles (3.2 km) of the eruption will be in danger of sudden death due to lava and / or a pyroclastic flow.
The biggest problem will come from the ash cloud which could see a very large deposit of ash within a 500 mile (805 km) radius of the epicentre. A further region of approximately 1,500 miles (2,415 km) from the centre of the eruption will see a lighter ash fall.
Some of the short-term consequences are:
- Crops in most of America will fail within a few weeks
- Worldwide air travel badly affected
- Air travel in America suspended for several months
Long-term
The long-term effects of a super-volcano eruption are:
- Drop in global temperatures
- Worldwide Famine
- Trade between America and the rest of the world will cease
- Massive death-toll from inhaling ash
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