Death by super volcano: Yellowstone could cause the next apocalypse

“Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice.” If you could pick your apocalypse, which would you choose? Perhaps, just perhaps, the ice won’t be quite as intense but let’s say our end will come in fire. When you hear “volcano”, you might think of fiery mountains. If you’re near them, say hiking up a mountain or camping somewhere around such a mountain, you want that mountain sleeping like a baby. 

When the volcano finally does awaken, you’d much rather be far enough away from the eruption but close enough to watch the show from your window. It’s a dangerously beautiful sight. But they’re not just occasional fiery mountains. 

Volcanic materials break down and help to form some of the most fertile soils on Earth. It’s the same cultivation that’s given us abundant food and raises civilizations. The internal heat within young volcanic systems has been used to make geothermal energy. We thrive because of volcanoes but everyone has a lingering darkside. 

Yellowstone Caldera

The Yellowstone Caldera is known for the Yellowstone Supervolcano. It’s a cauldron-like hollow and forms right after a magma chamber is emptied in a volcanic eruption. Basically, the caldera is this great volcanic bowl that’s usually made by a dominating eruption which leads to the mouth of the volcano to collapse. They’re sunken areas. 

The Yellowstone Caldera was born during the last three super eruptions over the past 2.1 million years. Along with most of the park, it lives in the northwest corner of Wyoming. 

Yellowstoone’s three major eruptions composed three nested calderas that stretch for miles across. The rising magma domes, lava flows, and tectonic shifting have all composed the area’s stunning landscape. 

Volcanoes

The burning Yellowstone supervolcano is an underground heat engine stirring up the seething geysers, boiling mud puddles and hot springs. The Caldera is about the size of Rhode Island, and is indeed a living volcano. We’ll talk more about its likelihood of awakening soon. This is no ordinary volcano. 

Over the past 2.1 million years, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has endured three supervolcanoes. They’re gruesome volcanic eruptions. See, volcanoes awaken more often and don’t inflict nearly as much damage as their superior counterparts. Between them not sleeping as much and being less powerful, they’re like children to the supervolcano. 

Supervolcanoes blow their fire on a massive scale. Thankfully, they awaken less frequently. 

Next Apocalypse

So, if a supervolcano awakened at Yellowstone again, what would happen? Should we be solely focusing on our bucket lists? Or can we continue binging the streaming networks? As previously mentioned, supervolcanoes do not erupt as frequently as their weaker allies. But who wants to sleep all the time?

If another heavy, caldera-forming eruption were to happen at Yellowstone, the consequences would be world-wide. The regional outcomes will include changes to the global climate, and falling ash. The nearest states surrounding the national park 一 Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming would experience pyroclastic flows. They’re dense, fast-moving flows of lava, hot gases, and volcanic ash. 

Other places in the U.S. will experience the falling ash. But are we about due for another awakening?

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Scientists say, Yellowstone supervolcano is not due for an eruption. Numbers don’t lie. Mathematics is the most precise science there is and the math doesn’t work out for the volcano to be “overdue” for another eruption. 

“Yellowstone has experienced three at 2.08, 1.3 and 0.631 million years ago. This comes to an average of about 725,000 years between eruptions. That being the case, there is still about 100,000 years to go”

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Scientists say an eruption is very unlikely over the next 10,000 years, let alone thousand. Chances are, we don’t have to rush our bucket lists. But we do have climate change to focus on! Can you think of any other ways the apocalypse may bloom? Let us know in the comments!