Yellowstone supervolcano is even bigger than we thought

Status
Not open for further replies.
Just hold off for another 65 years or so please. Once I die do whatever the fuck you want Mr Volcano
 
Not shocked, I love Yellowstone, easily one of my favorite national parks.

The scale of the geothermal features compared to places like Lassen makes one realize the gigantic scale of the volcano.
 
King_Moc said:
If the ash cloud covers most of the world for about 2 years (and it might well do) then pretty much everything green will die, then regrow from seeds once the sun comes back. That'll destroy the food chain and probably eradicate upwards of 90% of life on the planet.

Humans are extremely adaptable, but we'd need to know about this years in advance to plan for it. If we had the time, I suppose you could build up enough tinned food supplies for everyone to last that time, but with all the energy networks down and the weather being far colder than normal, some people will, unfortunately, be fucked. Merry Christmas :)
Click to expand...

this is some armchair science if i've ever seen it. the thing last erupted 630,000 years ago. 90% of life of the planet was certainly not eradicated. everything green won't die and your post is ridiculous.
 
casabolg said:
I would love and be terrified to see the political reaction to such a massive weakening to America if this were to erupt.
Click to expand...

That's all I can think of when I hear about stuff like this. Wouldn't it shift the balance of world powers significantly?

I feel like there's a movie idea there.
 
dr3upmushroom said:
The blast would affect the whole world though by messing up weather patterns, possibly causing food shortage because it would block out the sun. Worldwide we only have a surplus o food that can last 60 days, imagine a summer without crops.

Krakatoa that exploded in the 1880's caused the "year without a summer" in England.
Click to expand...

A year without Summer in England?

We call that "every damned year" :P
 
We should fire off all our nukes if it starts to erupt; make sure nobody tries to fuck with us in our weakened state.
 
Vilam said:
We should fire off all our nukes if it starts to erupt; make sure nobody tries to fuck with us in our weakened state.
Click to expand...

Aren't most of the US nukes located in Washington? What happens if the blast compromises them immediately? Ahh shit, ash and radiation? Looks like Fallout 3 is going to be a reality.
 
Protein said:
The worst part is that this can happen ANY DAY NOW.
Click to expand...

Some guy/gal could blow your brains out during a mugging tomorrow. A black hole could wander into our solar system and kill us within the year. Gamma rays from a supernova from too close by could hit us and kill all life on Earth. This is just one more thing that could easily kill us. Live life to the fullest and take one thing at a time.

Was that too cynical?
 
Fantastical said:
That's all I can think of when I hear about stuff like this. Wouldn't it shift the balance of world powers significantly?

I feel like there's a movie idea there.
Click to expand...

It would definitely shift powers. It's the moment where we see where our true friends and enemies are and when America stops being the powerhouse it originally was.
It's also when East Coast is confirmed to be best coast.
 
Vilam said:
We should fire off all our nukes if it starts to erupt; make sure nobody tries to fuck with us in our weakened state.
Click to expand...

Um,the AF has Minuteman 3 nukes in Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota, they're not going to be that effective since the earthquakes will more than likely damage them.
 
fb0.jpg
 
I remember I did a power-point on Yellowstone when I was freshman. It was the way I found out this thing was a super volcano and could kill me even if I am far. My class mates were tripping balls.

Got to start stocking up on the Chef Boyardee's.
 
I tried out to be an extra in Dante's Peak when I was little but I was too beautiful to be in the background.
 
Stay calm

Science said:
On Sunday morning, 30 March, a magnitude-4.8 quake struck Yellowstone National Park, centered about 6.4 kilometers northeast of the park’s iconic Norris Geyser Basin. That temblor, the largest to strike the park since 1980, is part of a series of at least 25 quakes that began in the area on Thursday, 27 March. Besides the main shock, the largest quake in this group measured magnitude 3.3.

Is such seismic activity normal?

Yes. There have been three clusters, or swarms, of earthquakes beneath Yellowstone in the past 6 months, says Robert Smith, a geophysicist at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Sunday’s quake is notable only because it’s somewhat larger than recent temblors. On average, the park experiences about 3000 quakes per year, he notes: “Yellowstone never stops shaking.”

What caused the quakes?

In general, the presence and movement of molten material at shallow and intermediate depths beneath Yellowstone is what triggers much of the seismic activity there. (The heat from that molten rock, of course, is the driving force for the park’s iconic geysers.) Sunday’s magnitude-4.8 quake was centered in a region where instruments have measured the landscape rising and falling for the past several months. That connection, too, is normal: A previous period of uplift in the same area between 1996 and 2003 was also accompanied by increased seismic activity. Nevertheless, Smith says, the causes of specific quakes and swarms are difficult to pin down. There have been spates of quakes without uplift, and there have been extended periods of uplift without abnormally high seismic activity.

Are these quakes related to those in southern California?

Probably not. Although it’s possible for a quake in one area to trigger others along faults in a distant region, the Yellowstone quakes are much more likely to be related to geological changes taking place locally within Earth’s crust.

Do the Yellowstone quakes pose a future threat?

Unlikely. There’s no sign that the current swarm of quakes is any different from those experienced there in recent months or years, and it doesn’t seem to be linked to any volcanic processes, he notes.

What’s next?

A field team from the U.S. Geological Survey arrived in Yellowstone on Sunday. They’re assessing the area near the quake’s epicenter to see if the event altered the terrain, and they’ll also check to see if the seismic activity has changed the size or eruption frequency of geysers in the area.
Click to expand...
 
"These unfortunate people here will be instantly killed. This circle, which I am sad to say we are in, will experience a slower, considerably more painful death." -The Simpsons

First thing that came to mind.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

  • Poll
Who is the bigger asshole?
2
86
2K
Ikutachi replied
Carlton is officially cooler than Will Smith
2 3
108
2K
Beretta replied
Is there a more beloved IP than Dragon Ball among dudes?
41
401
p_xavier replied
Grok is so much better than ChatGPT now
2 3 4 5
208
8K
Critical Hit replied
There is no greater pain than acute illness
NSFW 
38
3K
Mistake replied
Top Bottom