Perhaps the end of the world is closer than you think. Or maybe not. Many people are under the impression that the super volcano beneath Yellowstone National Park is going to erupt very soon. There have been videos of bison migrating away from the park, ground uplift and earthquakes at Yellowstone, and helium escaping from the ground, all common indicators for a volcanic eruption. Despite these warning signs, the USGS, United States Geological Survey, still states that Yellowstone will not erupt and that animals always migrate this time of year in Yellowstone National Park. Furthermore, the recent ground uplift and earthquake reported in the Yellowstone National Park area is reported as normal from the geologists at the USGS. To say that a Yellowstone eruption is imminent is a little far-fetched based on the facts above, BUT, if Yellowstone were to erupt, the effects would be lasting and devastating and would essentially kill us all.

IF Yellowstone were to erupt in the next year or so, nearly the entire United States would be covered in ash, ranging from 100 cm of ash, which would practically trap anyone and anything, and 1 mm, which is enough to close an entire airport. Also, everything within 100 km of Yellowstone would be completely destroyed and killed due to the Pyroclastic Flow, which is essentially a giant wave of hot ash, rock, and gases traveling at numbers close to 435 miles per hour. Colorado would be covered in 15 cm of ash to 6 cm of ash. This would be dangerous to everyone, as this ash could collapse a roof and inhaling the ash is lethal. Needless to say, life would get just a little bit tougher for everybody. The food belt in the Midwest would be killed by ash, so a large, worldwide famine would ensue following the super-eruption. Also, due to the different gases released into the atmosphere, even our chemical composition of Earth would change for years to come. Even if Yellowstone erupts, scientists believe that it would not be an extinction causing event like an asteroid impact might cause. However, a volcanic eruption of this scale would certainly cause problems for the human race and inflict a massive loss of life.

But, scientists are saying that in our lifetime, we have nothing to worry about, as the chances of Yellowstone erupting in our lifetime is 1 in 10,000. So, fear not because Yellowstone will probably still churn and shake and bubble beneath our feet for many thousands of years to come. Or maybe it will erupt by the end of school. Either way, an eruption in Yellowstone would certainly be ground-breaking news!

Sources: “USGS: Volcano Hazards Program Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.” USGS: Volcano Hazards Program Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.

“Yellowstone Volcano.” Www.thesurvivalprepper.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.

Wolchover, Natalie. “What If the Yellowstone Supervolcano Erupts?” LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 02 June 2012. Web. 06 May 2014.