What will happen if Yellowstone super volcano erupts?

Scientists at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory of the US Geological Survey (USGS) always scoff at these worrying statements, but this does not mean that researchers have ignored the possible consequences of the super volcanic eruption. While predicting the damage, scientists constantly monitor the area, looking for signs of changes in underground molten rocks. Scientists have carefully studied the past super volcanic eruptions and smaller volcanic eruptions to predict what will happen if Yellowstone volcano really erupts.

Most of Yellowstone National Park is located in three overlapping craters. The shallow bowl-shaped depression was formed when the underground magma chamber in Huangshi National Park erupted. Every time, a large amount of material spewed out of the ground and collapsed downward, forming a crater. 265438+ 10,000 years ago,1.3,000 years ago, and 640,000 years ago, a large-scale volcanic eruption occurred. These past volcanic eruptions provide us with clues about what will happen if there is another big explosion in Yellowstone National Park.

If the future super eruption is similar to the last one, the flowing lava will not pose much threat. According to the US Geological Survey, the older lava flows in Yellowstone National Park have never moved beyond the park boundary. For volcanologists, the biggest worry is the volcanic ash from the wind. Imagine an 800-kilometer circle around Yellowstone National Park. On August 27th, 20 14, scientists reported in the journal Geochemistry, Geophysics and Earth System that the research showed that there may be more than 4 inches (10cm) of volcanic ash on the ground in this circle.

Scientists predict that these volcanic ash will cause considerable damage to the United States. The consequences will include short-term destruction of agriculture in the central and western regions, and rivers and streams will be blocked by gray silt.

People living in the Pacific Northwest may also be affected by radioactive dust in Yellowstone National Park.

Larry Mastin, a volcanologist of the US Geological Survey and the lead author of the study on 20 14 volcanic ash, said: "People living against the wind of volcanic eruption need to worry about large-scale volcanic eruption." Mastin said that large volcanic eruptions usually produce huge umbrella clouds, pushing volcanic ash to the upper hand and spanning half the continent. These clouds are named because the wide and flat clouds hovering over the volcano are like an umbrella. "Umbrella clouds fundamentally changed the distribution of volcanic ash," Mastin said.

The next super eruption of Yellowstone volcano may spew a lot of gas, such as sulfur dioxide. Sulfur dioxide will form sulfur aerosol, absorb sunlight and reflect some back into space. The resulting climate cooling may last for ten years. Temporary climate change may change the rainfall pattern, accompanied by severe frost, leading to large-scale crop losses and famine.

But a large volcanic eruption in Yellowstone National Park will not destroy life on earth. After the past three major outbreaks, no species has become extinct, and no other super-explosions have caused species extinction in the past millions of years.

"If Yellowstone National Park erupts, will we all die?" Almost certainly, the answer is no. Jamie Farrell, an expert in Yellowstone National Park and an assistant research professor at the University of Utah, said. "In the past millions of years, there have been many super eruptions, and we still exist."

However, scientists agree that there is still a lot to know about the global impact of super eruption. A study found that the problem is that such a large-scale outbreak is very rare, only once or twice every million years. Mastin said: "From the geological evidence, we know that these are large-scale outbreaks, but most of them take a long time, so we don't have much details about their consequences." "These incidents are very rare, and our advice is not to worry."

Of course, human civilization can survive in the super big bang, so let's break another myth. There are no tumbling lava pools under the iconic fountains and mud pits in Yellowstone National Park. The crust and mantle under Yellowstone National Park are really hot, but they are mostly solid, and a small piece of molten rock is scattered everywhere, just like water in a sponge. Scientists reported in the journal Science on May 15, 2065438 that about 9% of this hot substance is molten and the rest is solid. This magma chamber is located between 5 and 10 km underground of the park.

Like magma mapping, the science of predicting volcanic eruptions is also improving. Most scientists believe that the accumulation of magma can be detected weeks or even years before the Yellowstone National Park explosion. Early warning signals include unique earthquake swarm, gas emission and rapid ground deformation.