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Super Volcano threat to North America.
Major catastrophe.
Some experts believe that a super volcano in the United States may soon erupt with such force as to lay waste much of North America. Moreover they believe that
such an event may now be imminent and would constitute a major catastrophe whose effects would be felt around the world and push Mankind to the very brink of extinction.
Yellowstone Volcano.
The volcano in question is the Yellowstone Super Volcano in the United States of America. This is a relatively young volcano but its immense size and the power
of its previous eruptions - amongst the largest in recorded world history - mean it poses a threat of considerable proportions.
Unbelievable power.
Some indication of the enormity of the power involved in these eruptions, thousands of times more powerful than a
normal volcano can be judged from the first astonishing eruption of the Yellowstone around 2.1 million years ago. This was so potent that it gouged out a crater 85 kilometres
long by 60 kilometres wide - a truly phenomenal eruption that had it happened today would have come close to obliterating the whole of the United States. That isn’t to
mention the broader implications for the world as a whole, with volcanic ash obscuring the Sun and likely to have enormous consequences on world weather, agriculture, and quality of life.
Altered world.
So one thing is for certain - if there were another volcanic eruption of these dimensions it would fundamentally alter the
world as we know it. But is such an eruption imminent? If so when is it likely to occur? To answer this let us look at what we know.
Astonishing periodicity.
The Yellowstone Volcano is relatively young, in fact surprisingly young. Moreover during the course of its two
million years of life it has erupted with astonishing periodicity around once every 600,000 years. Some experts feel that another eruption is well overdue. But how justified is this claim?
Rising caldera
The fact is that until recently the Yellowstone has not attracted much concern. In the 1970’s however scientists
noticed there had been a two feet rise in the vertical level of the Caldera and this prompt ed closer investigation of the Yellowstone which is now monitored around the clock. From this study we know that the caldera rises and falls over time
and is now said to be bulging towards the Southwest. In addition the north side is estimated to have bulged around 170 feet in the last 50
years. But are these bulges indicative of a coming eruption? Experts say not, explaining that these rises and falls are merely a normal part of the volcanoes life cycle.
It will erupt.
Although most experts agree that the Yellowstone volcano will erupt at some point in the future, they claim there is little
evidence of this happening any time soon. Nevertheless bulges in volcanoes are proof or enormous pressures building up beneath the surface and in the case of the
Yellowstone these pressures make sober if not alarming reading.
Immense magma reservoir.
It is thought that 5 miles beneath the surface of the Yellowstone lies an immense red hot  reservoir of magma around 30 miles long, 20 miles wide, and 6 miles deep. This magma is what powers
Yellowstone's fantastic geysers and hot springs, but it is the pressures associated with this build-up that could one day prove lethal with an explosion of unparalleled proportions that
some experts believe would not only obliterate much of North America but push the entire human race to the brink of extinction.
Sooner rather than later?
The main question concerning the Yellowstone is not if it will erupt but when? Geologist Ilya Bindeman thinks this will
happen in the near geologic future. But since this undoubtedly means anytime within the next 25,000 years we are left none the wiser regarding the present likelihood.
What does worry Bindeman is the near clockwork series of past eruptions that suggest the next one will be sooner rather than later. He warns: "These magmas usually erupt in
a very catastrophic way. By comparison, the eruption of Mount St. Helens sent about two cubic kilometres of ash into the atmosphere. These catastrophic types of eruptions send
thousands of cubic kilometres of ash skyward.”
The last eruption of the Yellowstone was 600,000 years ago and blasted 1,000 cubic kilometres of volcanic rock into the
atmosphere which would have settled as ash over more than half of the United States.
The last super volcano.
Across the world the last eruption of a super volcano was the Toba volcano in Indonesia. This erupted around 75,000
years ago spewing out tremendous quantities of rock and ash and is thought to have reduced global temperatures by up to 21 degrees centigrade.
Worldwide implications.
We see then that the eruption of super volcanoes is on a much more violent scale than normal volcanoes with much
wider implications for the world as a whole. Reassuringly scientists at The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory say there is presently no cause for concern with little evidence to
suggest that an eruption is imminent. Even if there was there is not much one could do about it. Here as with many other natural hazards we find ourselves wishing that the inevitable
day of reckoning will be postponed for as long as possible.
For more on the Yellowstone Super Volcano please go to the following links:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/08/0828_wi reyellowstone.html
http://www.earthside.com/yellowstone.html
Atlantean connection.
Super volcanoes may also throw fresh light on the Atlantis mystery. Amongst those who believe that Atlantis once
existed as an Atlantic Island there is a growing belief that it too may have fallen victim to an immense super volcano. It should be understood that super volcanoes are much larger
than normal volcanoes and when they erupt, hurl thousands of cubic kilometres of earth, rock, and ash skywards.
A vanished island.
According to the Greek philosopher Plato, Atlantis fell victim to immense volcanic eruptions and within a single day and
night disappeared beneath the waves to be forever lost. Until recently such claims may have been regarded as nonsense. However an erupting super volcano would
disgorge so much matter it would form an immense magma depression into which a surrounding landmass would quickly submerge. An island in an Ocean would simply vanish. On a
continent much of the land would be swamped to form a lake such as can be found in the Yellowstone National Park.
For more on Atlantis and whether it really existed as an Atlantic island please see the following link:
Atlantis - Did it really sink in a day and a night?
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