In light of the recent earthquake: Are you concerned with the Yellowstone Caldera (Supervolcano) at Yellowstone National Park?

I live on the world’s most active volcano. There is one thing we can be sure of. Volcanic eruptions cannot be predicted with pinpoint accuracy.

It’s possible to say an eruption is likely. Such happened with Mt. St. Helens in Washington and with Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines.

It’s not possible to say it will erupt on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m.

The volcano at Yellowstone has not erupted for a very long time. It will take a lot more investigation to determine if an eruption is imminent.

In the grand scheme of things I am not concerned. Geologic time is long. It could happen at anytime or it could happen in a thousand years.

I do have supplies in the event of a disaster. I have enough food for a few months and about two weeks of water along with candles and radio that is cranked by hand. I’m in Oregon and my biggest fear is a earthquake and I think I am prepared if a big one hits.

Yellowstone does, indeed, post a huge risk. A major eruption would be catastrophic, the ash cloud could block out the sun for decades. It could go at any time, remember Mt. St. Helens, Yellowstone would be dozens of times worse. I saw a documentary once, and many people are not aware of what a land mine it is. Who knows when, but “if” isn’t even a question.

When it happens, the implications for us and humanity in general are beyond grim. The immediate devastation to all of the country east of Yellowstone would mean the elimination of the country’s bread basket, and all croplands downwind from the eruption as unheralded volumes of ash cover the earth and blot out the sun. Within months the entire Northern hemisphere would be blanketed, and world wide famine, assured.

Not very. If it happens it happens. Not shit any of us can do to prevent it.

How bad could it be? Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” was a pleasant read.

I hope it does happen. I like the idea of being a survivor in a post apocalyptic world.

It would be interesting to consider the best plan of action. I’m thinking either Tierra del Fuego or the deep interior of Canada or Alaska, though the ice age and brutal winter conditions resulting from the loss of sunlight might mitigate against the Northern choices.

@flip86 You don’t mean that. The majority of survivors would soon envy the dead. Did you know that there are an estimated 280 -300 MILLION firearms distributed in just the civilian population of the United States.

If* the Yellowstone caldera has a supervolcanic eruption, some sources predict a kill zone of almost 1,131,000 square miles.

I.e., everything within an area larger than Argentina would die.

*I say if rather than when, because the caldera has gone through many pressure-relieving eruptions according to this source.

I’m not worried because according to the second source linked in your details, “The tremor was the largest to hit the famed reserve in 34 years, but that doesn’t mean Yellowstone’s sleeping supervolcano is getting ready to spew, or even belch….”.

The primary source for our two latter references is USGS geologist Jake Lowenstern, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

It’s potentially very dangerous (much more so than the one @Hawaii_Jake is on, which is a different animal altogether). But there’s not a damned thing we can do to prevent it. So, I can’t say I’m concerned. I do wonder about people who roll the dice by living close to it, though. Wouldn’t be my choice.

Vesuvius is another one. Maybe they should just all go at once, kablam!
then again, I’m hoping we’re just swallowed up by a renegade black hole. haha

To read a take down of all this hyperbole from the site I Fucking Love Science, click here.

@Hawaii_Jake There is certainly hyperbole in the media (isn’t there always?) about the timing of a major Yellowstone eruption. But showing concern about the eventuality of a major Yellowstone eruption is not hyperbole. From the article you just linked:

“If another explosive, caldera-forming eruption were to occur at Yellowstone, thick ash would bury vast areas of the U.S., and the injection of volcanic gases into the atmosphere could affect global climate.”

”If…”

Oy vey.

So… you’re saying I should postpone that move to Colorado until land prices drop due to apocalyptic unrest?

According to this antipode locator, the safest place to be if the YC has a supervolcanic eruption might be on the southern Indian Ocean, about halfway between South Africa and Oz.

Of all the Flutheronians with whom I’m familiar, I guess Espiritus_Corvus would have the best chance of surviving El Supremo Blasto. ;-o

I am not sure what I could do to stop it if it decided to blow. (boy do I wish I could say that more often).

We are due for another eruption however but whether it will be the big multi-100K year blast or just the 60K year lava flow, that is the big question.

And, just to stir the pot, I do not imagine the frikkin’ frakkin’ that is going on in the US is helping things any. Kind of like cigarettes, you can deny the facts all you want but that does not stop them from being true.

If I thought this was imminent: I’d worry because my BBE doesn’t live far away and his region still shows signs of ancient and more recent volcanic activities. (which kind of makes it perdy and odd landscape-y) I don’t want my BBE to be blown up. But I don’t think this is imminent.

Not worried at all.

Any eruption is FAR beyond my control. It might happen tomorrow and it might not happen for a million years. That sort of a range makes it pretty difficulty to develop any sort of worry.