Yellowstone Supervolcano

[Neo]

Most individuals seem to be enamored by the fact that Yellowstone National Park is less of a park and more of a beast awaiting its assailment of hundreds of miles in the United States. Beneath the curious surface spectacles that draw tourists in from around the world is an underground labyrinth of magma chambers containing an ever increasing force that could someday doom much of the surrounding area.

When you visit the park you are actually inside one of the world's largest supervolcanoes, but because of its sheer mass almost no one makes this a reality. The unfortunate fact is that doomsday will occur at some point in the future, the question is will be have the unlucky chance of being around for this cataclysmic event. Much of the world's supervolcanoes happen to be under water, the one at Yellowstone is in an odd situation as it happens to be in the middle of the United States, and very much on land.

A doomsday scenario could mean grave danger for any of those within a 600 mile or so radius of the volcano:

Rendering of the magma chamber with scale:

Today in the news was a report that significant activity is occuring at the site. What are your thoughts of this doomsday scenario?

[suburban george3]

I have watched many of the television specials on this, and it is disturbing.. however pretty much everyone in the world lives in an area that can suffer some type of cataclysmic event. People need to make themselves aware.

In the Yellowstone Doomsday scenario, I would hope that we have some types of warning signs that we can start evacuating people early. Thank goodness the area covered is not one of the more densely populated areas of the country. Denver, Salt Lake City, and Portland appear to be the biggest cities in the pictured zone. However, the global impacts of a Yellowstone Supervolcano eruption could be enormous. It would impact travel, communication, power supply, agriculture, and climate. Most of the US would be darkened by the eruption and I would say global sunlight and temperatures would decrease for some time.

Scary stuff, hopefully we won't see it happen during our lifetimes....

[JDC]

Thank goodness the area covered is not one of the more densely populated areas of the country. Denver, Salt Lake City, and Portland appear to be the biggest cities in the pictured zone.

[suburban george3]

I think there's another big city you're missing. Hint: It's population is greater than all the others you listed and it's not in the United States.

[davidals]

Scary stuff, hopefully we won't see it happen during our lifetimes....

[MadVlad]

I saw one of the shows on this a few months ago. While it's scary to watch some of these doomsday shows they have, like this one, or the one about the mega tsunami that is bound to hit the East Coast from rocks sliding off the Canary Islands, it's difficult to think that it would happen in our lifetime.

[Neo]

it's difficult to think that it would happen in our lifetime.

It is also difficult to see events like on September 11th, 2001 happen as well but they do. It is hard for any of us to fathom such a catastrophic event but the reality of the universe is that we're walking around on a time bomb of not just one or two events but a plethora of doomsday scenarios.

[Captain Worley]

Pretty cool; I haven't heard of this. I doubt I'll be around for it, but stuff like that is kind of like a roll of the dice, it's gonna turn up snake eyes eventually.

[dimebag1980]

It is also difficult to see events like on September 11th, 2001 happen as well but they do. It is hard for any of us to fathom such a catastrophic event but the reality of the universe is that we're walking around on a time bomb of not just one or two events but a plethora of doomsday scenarios.

[Cadeho]

Well... it could be the best sweeps mini-series or It Could Happen Tomorrow episode if they combined the supervolcano, with the Atlantic tsunami, and have it all occur on the same date... April 13, 2036, the day we could get hit by an asteroid. Well at least I'll be old and 57... and ready to go