Is the Yellowstone Supervolcano Due for an Eruption?

If the volcano located under Yellowstone National Park were to erupt, there would be catastrophic consequences. Scientists claim that a trace of ash and soot would cover almost all of the United States. The volcanic material lifted into the sky would block out the sun for a period of time, causing a global temperature decrease. The ash, combined with lower temperatures, would kill most crops—leading to a nationwide food crisis. Whoa….this sounds like a disaster of epic proportions. But there’s no need to start freaking out just yet. According to National Geographic, the United States Geological Survey (USGS)

“puts the annual odds of a super-eruption at 1 in 730,00.”

Okay, so does that mean it won’t happen anytime soon? Do scientists working at Yellowstone have any approximate idea of when it is due to erupt? It appears that they actually have no clue. What they do know, however, is that signs of magma coming up should give us weeks to months of warning before something big goes down. They also recently found out that the magma reservoir hiding below the volcano is far greater in size than previously thought. This new, larger size,

“means the current magma reservoir is roughly equal to what it was when the supervolcano last erupted, about 640,000 years ago.”

Great. No wonder a lot of people are claiming this supervolcano is “overdue” to erupt. Okay, so it’s going to explode sometime soon. What will happen to our country when it does? Based on past historical events, volcano eruptions seem to cause the unexpected demise of civilizations and cities. The massive supervolcano at Santorini erupted sometime in the mid 2nd century BCE. One of the largest volcanic events in Earth’s history, it destroyed much of Thera (Santorini), and all of Akrotiri. Historians believe that the entire Minoan civilization crumbled due to this volcano’s eruption. However, these people did not have the technology to see a blast coming. When that first scientist does warn U.S government that Yellowstone is going to spew (cue The Day After Tomorrow cut-away scene), let’s hope that they are prepared with the right plan.

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