Is the Yellowstone super volcano a silent ticking time bomb?
Many believe it is. This mega volcano is said to erupt approximately every 600,00 years, so what is there to worry about? Plenty, it has already been about 640,000 years since its’ last eruption, that’s about 40,000 years over due!
There are signs that this global devastator is beginning to wake up.
It was reported by the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory that there were 118 small earthquakes in the Yellowstone region, the largest of which was a 2.5 magnitude. This is considered to be normal, and the alert level is at green, for the time being. However, it has also been reported that the volcano’s caldera has risen significantly since 1925, which is when measurement records began.
If this volcano erupts it will not be unexpectedly.
There will be signs to look for. Most likely the first signs will be an increase in earthquake activity including increase in the number and magnitude of regional earthquakes. The second most obvious sign will probably be regional animal behavior. Animals who have called the region home for thousands of years, will most likely leave the area or at least begin to behave strangely. An early, depending on the time of year, migration of local bird species is also likely. There will also likely be an increase in geyser activity as well, Old Faithful will begin to be not so faithful, rather it will become quite erratic.
So what is there to worry about?
Most likely, when not if, the Yellowstone super volcano erupts, it will cause world wide devastation. It is reported that approximately 1,000 cubic miles of hot magma will be ejected into the sky, devastating the region. Also, thousands of tons of hot ash will spew into the atmosphere causing a blackening out of the sun as well as over an inch of ground covering, burning up what plants that do exist and causing a difficulty in growing more plants for years to come. Airplanes and other flying machines will have to be grounded because the thick ash in the atmosphere will clog air intakes causing engines to fail. The ash cloud, which will reach into the hundreds of degrees, will set fire to everything it touches, and will begin to travel east with the prevailing winds.
The explosion itself is estimated to be equivalent to hundreds of atomic bombs. The location is such that over a third of the United States could be devastated by the blast alone. Between the thousands of tons of hot lava, and the noxious fumes, animal life in the area would be decimated.
What to do.
I would recommend to anyone that you watch this area closely, and look for the signs of an inevitable eruption, and prepare. Move away from the area, moving to the west, or south west of ground zero would probably be your best bet due to the prevailing west to east winds. Stock up on food and water. There is likely to be a significant shortage of food after he event. Any crops in the fields will be destroyed and the ground will be sterilized. Make sure your house is as sealed up as possible, and is equipped with heavy duty air filtration and plenty of extra filters. Mostly your best bet is to move out of the area all together. Provided in the sources section are websites with more information and maps. I highly suggest that you check them out.
Sources:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/182822/strange_rumblings_from_yellowstone.html?cat=58
http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/supervolcano/supervolcano.html
http://scienceray.com/earth-sciences/geology/when-will-the-yellowstone-supervolcano-erupt/
