A volcano has awakened in America. A disaster that could destroy America: the largest volcano

National Geographic magazine wrote about this, citing a study by scientists from the University of Arizona. They analyzed the fossil remains of volcanic ash from the last eruption in Yellowstone and came to the conclusion that an eruption of the local supervolcano could happen within a few decades - within a human lifetime.

Winter 4 years long

Perhaps the most famous supervolcano in Yellowstone is considered to be because it is a national park with a huge flow of tourists. Actually, this is not a volcano, but a volcanic caldera - a giant depression measuring 80 by 40 km, which was formed over millions of years as a result of several super-eruptions. The last one happened 640 thousand years ago. And the next one can happen at any moment.

The Yellowstone earthquake will trigger the eruption of several hundred volcanoes on Earth. They will generate many tsunamis that will wash away all the cities on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

In a day, acid rain will begin to fall in the United States, which will destroy almost all vegetation. The ozone hole will grow, also killing all living things.

A month later, clouds of ash and ash will cover the entire Earth from the Sun. A sharp cold snap of 10-20 degrees will disrupt gas and oil pipelines, railways, and power lines. The Nordic countries (Scandinavia, northern Russia) will simply cease to exist. But India and China will suffer the most. There, 1.5 billion people will die from hunger in the first months. In total, 2 billion people will die on Earth in the first year. The cataclysm will least affect Southern Siberia.

The “volcanic winter” will last 4 years. Over the course of a whole century, humanity will degrade, plunging into the Middle Ages.

In general, the conclusion is this: in vain the patriots are waiting for Yellow Stone to destroy only the United States; the entire planet, including Russia, will suffer.

What if we help him?

The consolation is that this scenario is hypothetical and none of the serious scientists claims that it will be realized in the 21st century, or indeed during the existence of human civilization.

“According to the geological time scale, an eruption in Yellow Stone may happen soon, but in the everyday, familiar sense - not at all soon, in tens and even hundreds of thousands of years,” explains Head of the laboratory of the Institute of Earth Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexey Sobisevich.- Earthquakes constantly occur in the northwestern part of the Yellowstone Caldera, but small tremors are a common occurrence there. A strong earthquake could trigger an eruption, but so far the US Geological Survey has not observed any warning signs of such a seismic event. And then let’s not forget that we are all descendants of those who survived three super-eruptions in the past.”

True, it is possible that the Yellowstone supervolcano will be helped to wake up. “There are six known ways of using an atomic bomb by terrorists, and an attack on a supervolcano is the most dangerous among them,” he believes futurologist, global risks researcher Alexey Turchin. “In addition, a volcano can be blown up artificially by attacking the lid of the magma chamber with several megaton-class warheads.”

Incredible facts

Yellowstone volcano is one of the largest known volcanoes in the world and a volcanic system in North America.

One of the strongest earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.8 recently shook the Yellowstone volcano.

Could a major earthquake be a sign that the Yellowstone supervolcano is beginning to awaken?

And if it starts to erupt, could this lead to the apocalypse?

Here are some interesting facts about the Yellowstone Volcano.

1. Yellowstone Volcano is a supervolcano sitting on a huge bubble of magma

Yellowstone volcano is a supervolcano. A supervolcano is not an ordinary cone-shaped mountain. Instead, a supervolcano forms during a depression in the ground called a caldera. This is a huge basin that was formed after previous eruptions.

Some scientists even more often use the term " living breathing caldera" or " hot spot", denoting an area of ​​concentrated and active volcanism.

When an ordinary volcano erupts, lava gradually accumulates in the mountain until it begins to flow out. At a supervolcano, when magma approaches the surface, it collects in a huge underground reservoir. It melts nearby rocks and becomes even thicker as pressure begins to build. This can continue for hundreds of thousands of years until an eruption occurs and it explodes, forming a new caldera.

Yellowstone sits above a hot spot where hot molten rock rises to the surface. About 10 km below the surface lies a reservoir of hard rock and magma.

2. Yellowstone Caldera Is 2.5 Times Larger Than Thought

Last year, a study of this supervolcano showed that the underground storage of magma is 2.5 times larger than previously thought.

Its size reaches 90 by 30 km and it can accommodate 300 billion cubic kilometers of molten rock.

3. The eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano will result in a global catastrophe

Supervolcanoes are second largest global catastrophic event after an asteroid hit. In the past, supervolcanic eruptions have led to mass extinctions, long-term climate change and " volcanic winters" when the ashes block out the sunlight.

The supervolcano's last eruption occurred about 71,000 years ago at the site of Lake Toba on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. This resulted in a volcanic winter that blocked sunlight for 6-10 years, and a cooling of 3-5 degrees. Anthropologists have calculated that only several thousand people survived, and three-quarters of all plants in southeast Asia died.

4. The Yellowstone supervolcano erupts approximately every 600,000 years.

The first eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano occurred 2.1 million years ago, then 1.3 million and 640,000 years ago.

Scientists estimate that Yellowstone volcano erupts every 600,000 years, and the next eruption is long overdue.

The supervolcano in Yellowstone Park in the northwestern US state of Wyoming last erupted, sending 1000 cubic kilometers of ash and lava.

Researchers studied the movement of magma in Yellowstone Park and found that some areas of the earth have risen by 74 cm compared to 1923.

Scientists predict that the supervolcano's eruption could cause global temperatures to drop by 10 degrees over a decade, changing life on Earth.

5. Volcanoes and earthquakes: the largest earthquake in Yellowstone in the last 30 years

Due to the volcanic nature of this area, the caldera experiences between 1 and 20 earthquakes per day. However, they are very weak with a magnitude of no more than 3 points.

Earthquake magnitude 4.8 points, what happened March 30, 2014 years near Noris Geyser Basin in northwest Yellowstone, was the largest in Yellowstone in 30 years. But this did not lead to any serious consequences.

Earthquakes are associated with volcanoes in a variety of ways, as they lie along tectonic plate faults, and earthquakes often coincide with volcanic eruptions.

6. Are animals leaving Yellowstone National Park in the USA?

Recent video of bison escaping from Yellowstone National Park, has caused people to be concerned that this could be a sign of an imminent supervolcano eruption.

Usually before an eruption, animals leave the dangerous area, and this video was taken 10 days before the earthquake. However, authorities say this is a normal migration of the animals and they have started leaving the park due to lack of food during the winter months.

There is little research into whether animals can predict catastrophic events, although some scientists have acknowledged that during major events some animals exhibit strange behavior.

7. Consequences of the Yellowstone volcano eruption

Analysis of molten rock from the Yellowstone supervolcano showed that an eruption is possible without any external mechanisms. Previous Yellowstone eruptions have released more than 1,000 cubic kilometers of magma into the environment.

That's enough to cover most of North America a blanket of ash up to 30 cm thick. Everything within a radius of 160 km will die immediately, and death toll could reach 87,000.

The ash will remain in the air for several days, causing breathing difficulties, enveloping plants and polluting water.

The rest of the world is at risk climate change for several years ahead. Volcanic ash in the atmosphere will block sunlight, and global temperatures could drop by 20 degrees. The chemical composition of the atmosphere will change for a decade or more.

Did you know that there is a supervolcano in Yellowstone National Park? Perhaps you've heard that an eruption could happen much sooner than expected, within months or even days?

Researchers from Arizona State University spent weeks studying fossilized ash deposits from the Yellowstone volcano and recently shared their findings. Minerals in these sediments showed that the critical changes in temperature and composition that precede an eruption accumulate over decades, not thousands of years, as previously thought.

"It's shocking how little time it takes for a volcanic system to be quiet and unchanged until it erupts," said Hannah Shamloo, a graduate student at Arizona State University who worked on the study.

The good news is that scientists will likely be able to predict an eruption a decade in advance.

Sometimes knowing about the world around us makes us more in control of our lives and survival. And sometimes such knowledge only emphasizes how small and helpless we are in front of the forces.

Here are some facts about the Yellowstone supervolcano:

Is Yellowstone the only supervolcano we need to worry about?

No, of course not. There are about 20 other supervolcanoes around the world. While Yellowstone hasn't had a super-eruption in 631,000 years, others have been active more recently. The Phlegrean Fields, a supervolcano in Italy, had its last largest eruption 12,000 years ago. According to the researchers, the Phlegrean Fields are in a “critical condition.” The Aug. 22, 2017, eruption, which killed several women and injured several others, was a minor event compared to the largest known eruption 39,000 years ago. More than 200 km³ of magma was released, which likely contributed to the extinction of the Neanderthals and led to the prosperity of modern humans in Europe and Asia.

Which regions will be affected by the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano?

If this supervolcano erupts, more than 1000 km³ of rock and ash will be released into the atmosphere. This is five times more than the super eruption of the Phlegrean Fields in Italy. An eruption at Yellowstone would produce a cloud of volcanic ash more than 500 miles wide, extending across nearly the entire western United States.

The explosion could be so strong that there is a possibility of a volcanic winter throughout the planet. This means it will be impossible to grow crops, and current food stores will only last 74 days, according to a 2012 United Nations estimate (although advances in agriculture are allowing plants to be grown underground).

Does the eruption mean the end of the world?

According to NASA, volcanic eruptions pose a greater threat to life on Earth than any asteroid. Fortunately, NASA has a plan to neutralize the threat from super-volcanoes by drilling into the volcano to a depth of 10 km to release heat and avoid a potentially dangerous eruption.

Thanks to this, a supervolcano can cool for hundreds or even thousands of years. There is another bonus: thanks to drilling, a source of geothermal energy will appear. But there are also significant risks. Such interference can also trigger an unexpected eruption.

What is the likelihood of the Yellowstone supervolcano erupting?

Even though new research confirms that conditions could be favorable for a Yellowstone volcano to erupt within a few decades, the likelihood of you personally witnessing an explosion of this magnitude is still very low.

According to the USGS, the odds of a supervolcano erupting within this year are 1 in 730,000. Here's a quick comparison: That odds are significantly better than your odds of winning the lottery and only slightly worse than the odds of being struck by lightning .

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Yellowstone Volcano is a volcanic caldera in Yellowstone National Park, located in the US state of Wyoming.

Yellowstone is among the 20 most famous supervolcanoes on the planet, the eruption of which could lead to climate change throughout the Earth.

As a result, the annual number of tourists who want to see the healing springs with their own eyes has increased to 3 million people.

At first, no one gave serious importance to the formation of natural geysers. However, after 2 years the situation began to change dramatically.

The US leadership has tightened restrictions on visiting Yellowstone Park, and entry into some areas has been banned altogether.

In addition, the number of guards, as well as scientists researching the supervolcano, has noticeably increased.

The area of ​​the reserve is 3825 km², with the caldera measuring approximately 55 km by 72 km.

Initially, volcanologists did not assume that the caldera could be such a huge size, but after careful research, this fact was confirmed.

In this regard, it became clear that the water emanating from the geysers was heated by the influence of hot lava.

In 2007, during the presidency of George W. Bush, a special scientific council was formed. The best American geophysicists and seismologists began to seriously study the Yellowstone volcano.

Even intelligence officials and the US Secretary of Defense got involved in the work. Meetings were held every month, chaired personally by the president.

As it turns out later, such measures were not taken in vain. It turned out that the gushing hot geysers were harbingers of the awakening of the Yellowstone supervolcano.

In addition, seismologists recorded a sharp rise in the soil under the reserve. During the period 2007-2011. it rose by 1.8 m. It should be noted that over the previous 20 years, the rise of the soil did not exceed 10 cm.

Over the many thousands of years of its existence, Yellowstone has erupted 3 times. According to scientists, the last eruption occurred about 600 thousand years ago.

Previously, experts thought that this supervolcano no longer poses any threat to the Earth, but after careful research, everything turned out to be completely different.

Over the past ten years, experts have noted a constant increase in soil temperature and active rise of lava.

More and more cracks were also discovered, through which hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide contained in the magma were released. Naturally, this could not but worry American scientists.

Feature of supervolcanoes

It should be said that the eruption of an ordinary volcano occurs at one specific point.

But supervolcanoes cover large areas, and can have several ordinary volcanoes on their territory.

Their danger lies in the fact that they do not erupt, but literally explode over a gigantic area.

Supervolcano explosion

Scientists were able to simulate a potential explosion of a supervolcano. The picture turned out to be downright apocalyptic.

It all starts with magma rising up under high pressure. Next, a “hump” is formed, which can reach a height of several hundred meters and be up to 20 km in diameter.

Then cracks and countless vents begin to appear around the perimeter. At one point, the central part of the hump cannot withstand the load and collapses down. As a result, the collapsed rock pushes millions of tons of magma and ash out of the depths of the earth.

Scientists suggest that the explosion power of the Yellowstone volcano will be a thousand times stronger than an atomic bomb dropped on the city.

An interesting fact is that not so long ago bison began to rapidly leave the Yellowstone Nature Reserve. And these, as you know, have the ability to anticipate future disasters, which is further evidence of an impending large-scale cataclysm.

Following the bison, moose began to flee from the park, which alerted not only scientists, but also rangers. Recent studies have shown that helium accumulation and the number of mini-earthquakes in the Yellowstone region have increased 1,000-fold.

How will Yellowstone explode?

Volcanologists suggest that before the explosion of the Yellowstone volcano, the earth will rise another few tens of meters. At the same time, the soil temperature will heat up to 70°C.

The explosion will immediately release volcanic ash, which will rise approximately 50 km into the sky.

This will be followed by a release of magma that will cover a gigantic area. All this will be accompanied by powerful .

In the first minutes after the explosion, about 200 thousand people will die from the hot lava alone. Then people will die from subsequent earthquakes and tsunamis.

Ultimately, the number of deaths will reach 10 million. All this will resemble the legendary Armageddon.

It is worth noting that volcanic ash particles are so tiny that respirators cannot prevent them from entering the lungs. Once in the human body, the ash begins to harden and turn into stone.

Thus, people living even thousands of kilometers from the volcano will also be in mortal danger.

In addition, the explosion of the Yellowstone volcano will provoke the formation of, as a result of which the level of radiation will sharply increase.

The territory of North America and the southern part of Canada will turn into a scorched desert.

The explosion of Yellowstone will cause hundreds of other volcanoes across the earth to erupt. Within a few days, all living things will die from earthquakes, magma emissions and suffocation.

In a few weeks, huge masses of ash will be covered, and cosmic darkness will descend.

Nuclear winter

After the explosion of the Yellowstone volcano, acid rain will fall for a long time, which will destroy crops and the entire animal world. Due to the lack of solar energy, the temperature on the planet will fluctuate between -20°C and -50°C.

Winter will continue for several more years, resulting in the death of all plants and a serious lack of oxygen.

According to scientists, people living in the center of Eurasia and the Eastern European part have the greatest chance of survival.

An inglorious end

If you believe such forecasts, then many questions involuntarily arise. For example, why is there so little talk about this in the press and on television?

Some sources claim that the authorities considered it inappropriate to cover this topic, since humanity is unable to prevent the impending catastrophe.

According to the leadership of the United States of America, the wisest thing to do is simply not to cover this topic, so as not to cause unnecessary panic among the population.

Yellowstone today

American scientist Howard Huxley has been studying the Yellowstone volcano for a long time. He and his like-minded people formed the Foundation for Saving Civilization.

In their opinion, after the disaster, the entire elite will go to live in Liberia, located in. Such conclusions were made based on the fact that cash injections began to flow into this country en masse.

They began to build good roads, airports and special bunkers designed for a comfortable existence for several years.

Perhaps in connection with this, American billionaires also built a “Doomsday Vault” in which the seeds of most plant varieties are stored. This structure is a huge armored safe built in Spitsbergen.

From all that has been said, the conclusion suggests itself that even if some people manage to survive the explosion of the Yellowstone volcano, their continued existence on Earth is still doomed to death.

But this is already the area of ​​​​exclusively hypotheses and assumptions.

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