Yellowstone Volcano is a volcanic caldera in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, USA.Yellowstone is on the list of the 20 most famous supervolcanoes on the planet, and their eruption could lead to climate change throughout the world.
Naturally, natural secrets such as Yellowstone are beyond the control of the human mind. Science is powerless before them.But let us try to understand what this miracle of nature is and what potential threats it poses.
Super Volcano Yellowstone
According to recent studies by American scientists, the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano may occur shortly. As a result of this catastrophe, about 70% of the U.S. territory will be destroyed.According to volcanologists, in the event of a possible explosion, magma under high pressure will rise high into the sky, and ashes will be so much that it will cover the surface of the earth at a distance of 1600 km with a 3-meter layer.As a result, tens of millions of people will die and the area will become uninhabitable because of the high level of radiation.Today, the lava is so close to the surface of the Earth's crust that the soil has already risen by as much as 1.5 m.
Interestingly, in some areas of Yellowstone, you can feel the warmth of magma without the help of any devices. This once again proves that a volcanic eruption can indeed begin at any time.
Yellowstone volcano the beginning
But how did it all start? In 2002, two new geysers with healing water were formed in the Yellowstone Reserve.In this regard, tourism companies began inviting people to visit the national park to improve their health, and at the same time enjoy the beauty of nature.
As a result, the annual number of tourists wishing to see healing springs with their own eyes increased to 3 million people.
In the beginning, nobody gave serious importance to the formation of natural geysers. However, after 2 years the situation began to change dramatically.The U.S. government tightened up the visit to Yellowstone Park, and some areas were banned from entering at all.Besides, there has been a marked increase in the number of guards, as well as in the number of scientists studying supervolcanoes.
The reserve covers an area of 3,825 km² and has a caldera area of approximately 55 km by 72 km.Initially, volcanologists did not believe that the caldera could be of such a huge size, but after careful research, this fact was confirmed.It was therefore clear that the water coming from the geysers was heated by the hot lava.
In 2007, during the presidency of George W. Bush, Jr. The Yellowstone volcano began to be studied seriously by the best American geophysicists and seismologists.Even the U.S. Secretaries of Defense and Intelligence joined in. Every month meetings were held, which were headed personally by the president.
As it turns out later, such measures were not taken in vain. It turned out that the clogged hot geysers heralded the awakening of Super Volcano Yellowstone.Also, seismologists have recorded a sharp rise in the soil under the reserve. In the period 2007-2011, it rose by 1.8 m. At the same time, it should be noted that over the previous 20 years the soil rise did not exceed 10 cm.
During the many thousands of years of its existence, Yellowstone erupted 3 times. According to scientists' estimates, 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 quite different.
Over the past ten years, experts have noted a steady rise in soil temperature and an active rise in lava.New cracks have also been found through which hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide contained in magma have been released. Naturally, this could not but bother American scientists.
How will the Yellowstone explosion happen
Volcanologists believe that before the explosion of the Yellowstone volcano, the ground will rise by several tens of meters. At the same time, the soil temperature will rise to 70°C.
The explosion will immediately release volcanic ash, which will rise to the sky by about 50 km.This will be followed by a release of magma, which will cover a giant area. All of this will be accompanied by powerful earthquakes.
In the first minutes after the explosion, only the hot lava will kill about 200 thousand people. Then people will perish from the subsequent earthquakes and a tsunami.Ultimately, the number of deaths will reach 10 million. All this will resemble the legendary Armageddon.
It is worth noting that the particles of volcanic ash 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 away from the volcano will also be exposed to mortal danger.
Also, the explosion of the Yellowstone volcano will provoke the formation of an ozone hole, resulting in a sharp increase in radiation levels.
North America and southern Canada will become a scorched desert.The Yellowstone explosion will cause hundreds of other volcanoes to erupt across the globe. Earthquakes, magma, and suffocation will kill all life in a matter of days.
In a few weeks, the vast masses of ash will close the sun and the cosmic darkness will fall to Earth.