Posted on 07/09/2014 1:13:21 PM PDT by Red Badger
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK -
The world’s authority on Yellowstone’s Super Volcano says it’s more than twice as big as scientists once thought. Does that mean it’s more likely to blow up soon? Penny Preston found Dr. Robert Smith at his home near Grand Teton, and found the answer.
Millions of people visit Yellowstone each year to see its geysers, fumeroles, hot springs, and mud pots. It’s the largest concentration of thermal features in the world. The park sits on top of the world’s largest active volcano. The Super Volcano. Its most recent eruption was more than 600,000 years ago. All that remains is the top, or caldera.
When you come into the Park they’ll give you a map and it has an overlay of the caldera. It’s huge.
The scientist who knows more about the Super Volcano than anyone, Dr. Robert Smith of the University of Utah, said, “Anytime you come to Yellowstone you have to drive uphill. And the reason is this giant plume of magma, is very hot, therefore it’s bullient, low density and it just lifts the surface up.”
Dr. Smith has been studying Yellowstone’s earthquakes and it’s Super Volcanos for almost sixty years.
He pointed out, “And these giant eruptions, supervolcanos if you wish, probably last many, many months, maybe even years.”
Not only that, they’re huge, thousands of times larger than Mount St. Helens. Smith and his students use siesmographs to map the magma pool underneath Yellowstone’s volcano, and satellites to determine how much the land swells or bulges. They found that the magma is, “2.5 times larger than we had originally imaged.”
The magma movement is signaled by earthquakes. Smith mentioned the 4.8 magnitude Norris area earthquake that damaged Lake Hotel last spring.
He explained, “It’s the biggest earthquake in 30 years.”
So, how likely is it that the big one will blow soon?
“If we were to have another big eruption, it would affect a large area, on the order of several states. But, as I said, that probability is very, very, very, very small. In my calculations it’s point zero, zero, zero, one percent.”
Smith said the magma pool is not getting bigger. His team added a lot more seismographs over the years, and are getting a clearer picture of the magma.
We don’t need Kansas City or LA anyway. I call this a geothermal opportunity. Pipe into it. Forget the solar.wind fantasy. Live like Iceland.
I live in the the “death zone” should it erupt I plan on getting drunk, in fact so drunk I may have to sleep off a hangover at the pearly gates...
So we are on top of the worlds largest super volcano with the potential to wipe out half the country.
Well then, let’s tell God we don’t need Him, kick Him out ouf all public places and embrace and promote homosexuality. /s
Couldn’t have come at a worse time, just when the Royals have a shot at a wild card. It’ll be another 600,000 years before they have another chance.
Oh noes, coming this fall to a theater near you, SharkCano...
Having visited Pompeii my hunch is that “volcano” isn’t a pretty way to go.
There you go again Dr. Smith with all those dates. Where did they come from?
I’m headed that way next week. Don’t worry, I’m taking an umbrella.
This is a link to a quite good Yellowstone Volcano eruption movie from BBC (2005). Not a good event, Obama would probably leave for Hawaii!
I’m not one to question God, but Divine Providence would have made more sense to me if this was discovered under DC instead of “Red State” country.
They found that the magma is, “2.5 times larger than we had originally imaged.”
...
Smith said the magma pool is not getting bigger.
The first quote indicates that Dr. Smith has no reliable basis for asserting the second quote.
“I call this a geothermal opportunity.”
Steve,
My Uncle, a retired geologist was involved in a government project over 30 years ago, drilling horizontal wells around Yellowstone to determine the potential for geo-thermal uses. The project didn’t last long though. A few years at most.
Bogie
Aw, I wouldn't take it too much to heart. God put it there a very long time before we came along. We chose to put DC on swampland. I'm not entirely sure it wasn't God had a little hand in that decision. ;-)
Considering a Yellowstone eruption will shut down crop production for years might be a better deal to go out early and not face the hellish aftermath.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUT8g8_Yd2Y
I like how they just stand there like dumbasses and don’t immediately go for the plane...
It must be growing.
It gets bigger everytime they report on it.
Soon it will be three times as big as the earth.
You might have to drink really really fast.
You might have to drink really really fast.
Im in denver area, even if it moves at the speed of sound I will have a few minutes at least...
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