The eruption of supervolcano in america. Where is Yellowstone

Probably, each of us at least once heard of Yellowstone National Park, located in the United States in the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho (see map).

The park is famous for its numerous geysers and other geothermal objects, rich in wildlife, picturesque landscapes. But, unfortunately, not these beauties have recently attracted the attention of scientists and researchers all over the planet, including ALLATRA Science scientists. And their attention was attracted by the increase in geological, tectonic and septon activity in this region. Indeed, in the territory of the national park there is the supervolcano of the same name Yellowstone, and all these manifestations indicate its awakening.

“The activity in recent years of the largest supervolcano on the North American continent, the Yellowstone Caldera, is especially alarming, according to experts, the size of which is about 55 km per 72 km. As mentioned in this report, recently supervolcano has become much more active, the number of tremors has increased. In early April 2014, an earthquake occurred in Yellowstone National Park, which until recently was classified by experts as the strongest in this place in the past 30 years. ”

With the introduction behind us, the time to get to work is something to learn! Yellowstone is not just a volcano, Yellowstone is a volcano. The plume of molten rock that rises under the park creates one of the largest active volcanoes in the world, and we can see evidence around us in the form of geysers and hot springs. But before you start thinking about another resting place, find out which scientists controlling the Yellowstone “superbolkan” have to say about the likelihood of an eruption.

If you look at the map of the modern park, you will see a caldera map. The Yellowstone "superbolkan" is a topic surrounded by great curiosity and sometimes speculation. The Yellowstone volcanic system experienced two overcaps or events that resulted in more than 250 cubic miles of debris. This is enough material to bury the state of Texas five feet deep! says Lowenstern. "Any volcanic system that led to super-sovereignty is called super-volcan."

The prefix "super" this volcano received because of its huge size (about 3960 km 2), and, as a result, an enormous amount of matter emitted into the atmosphere during eruption, according to approximate calculations - 2000 km 3. As a result, its eruption can lead to climate change throughout the planet. For comparison, an eruption of the Indonesian volcano Tambor in 1815, during which 160 km ³ of rock was emitted into the atmosphere, became the largest volcanic eruption in the history of our civilization. The explosion of the volcano was heard on the island of Sumatra, located 2000 km north-west of Tambory. Volcanic ash fell even on such remote islands as Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Java, Molukki. The death toll reached 71,000 people (the highest number of deaths from a volcanic eruption in the history of mankind). What can lead to the eruption of Supervolcano Yellowstone can be understood from the report.

“With the most modest predictions of many scientists, the superintendency of the Yellowstone Caldera may globally lead to dramatic climate change throughout the planet. But the worst thing is that he is able to instantly destroy life on almost the whole continent. Scientists have modeled this situation and came to the conclusion that already in the first minutes after the eruption, all life within a radius of 1200 km will be destroyed, since the zone adjacent to the volcano will suffer from pyroclastic flows consisting of red-hot gas and ash. They will spread at a speed close to the speed of sound, destroying everything in its path. The second zone, which covers the entire territory of the United States and part of Canada, will be covered with ashes, which will lead to the death of people who are at that time in this zone, from suffocation and collapse of buildings. And this is not all the deadly and destructive consequences ... ".

Where is Yellowstone?

The caldera rim is best seen from the Washburn hot springs that face south from the Dunraven Pass. Gibbon Falls, Lewis Falls, Lake Butte and the flat mountain arm of Yellowstone Lake are part of the rim. The team includes employees from various universities, as well as federal and state geological agencies that have significant experience in predicting volcanic eruptions around the world.

At any given time, 10–20 volcanoes erupt on Earth. As a rule, volcanoes give from months to several months of warning before their initial eruption. Volcanoes, such as Yellowstone, usually take even longer, said Lowenstern.

The first of the three giant eruptions of Yellowstone's supervolcano occurred 2.1 million years ago. Then the mountain chains broke up from the explosions, emissions rose to a height of 50 km - to the upper boundary of the stratosphere, volcanic ash covered more than a quarter of North America. The second eruption of supervolcano occurred 1.27 million years ago. The third took place 640,000 years ago. And although some scientists do not want to recognize this fact, but the next eruption, according to all forecasts and calculations, falls on our time.

"... Starting in 2002, scientists began to observe the following phenomena in Yellowstone National Park: the formation of new geysers, the deformation of the earth's surface, an increase in soil temperature to the boiling point, the appearance of new cracks and crevices through which the volcanic gases contained in magma are released, and many other dangerous signs of supervolcano awakening. It is alarming that these figures are several times higher than in previous years. All this suggests that the magma of the Yellowstone Supervolcano at a speed that has increased several times begins to approach the surface. In April 2014, the scientific group of the International Public Movement “ALLATRA” recorded a sharp jump-like increase not only in the neutrino emission in the area, but also an increase in the septon field voltage. Judging from the graphs of neutrino behavior and the increase in voltage of the septon field in April 2014, Yellowstone Supervolcano was on the verge of an eruption. But it is even more alarming that, after relative stabilization, the pace of activity begins to grow again, that is, volcanic processes are currently gaining momentum intensively ... "

Here are nine frequently asked questions and answers regarding the Yellowstone Super Volcano. Yellowstone is considered a “supervolcano,” which refers to a volcano capable of erupting more than 240 cubic miles of magma. Two of the three major eruptions of Yellowstone met criteria that are considered super volcano.

What is the difference between a volcano and a caldera?

A volcano is a hole or crack that contains a magma chamber and can spew lava or volcanic gases over the surface of the earth.

Did the volcano erupt before

  Will the Yellowstone volcano erupt? Although the volcano is active, there are currently no signs that any catastrophic eruptions will occur. Experts from the service of national parks and other agencies for more than 30 years followed the activity of the volcano and practically did not observe changes in geological activity.

The criticality of the situation is obvious, an eruption can occur at any time. It will not only take away a large number of human lives, but also cause significant climate change on the entire planet. And, undoubtedly, a huge number of climate refugees (according to experts - several billion) from the affected regions, it will affect every inhabitant on Earth.

Caldera Yellowstone is a supervolcano, the eruption of which can completely change our planet. As a matter of fact, this caldera is a huge crater in the ground, located on the territory of the Yellowstone National Reserve, which was among the first listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Where is Yellowstone?

Organized in 1872, the natural park is located in the north of the United States of America on the adjacent territory of the states of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. The total area of ​​the reserve is 9,000 km². Through the main park attractions passes the highway "Big loop", which is 230 km long.

Yellowstone Attractions

The sights of the national park are unique natural formations, representatives of the flora and museums on the territory of the reserve.

Yellowstone Geysers

In the park there are 3000 geysers. Source Steamboat Geyser (Steamship) - the largest in the world. The Old Faithful Geyser geyser is widely known. He became famous for his unpredictable temper: from time to time he launches water jets to a height of up to 40 meters. You can only admire the geyser from the observation deck.

Yellowstone Falls

The park includes many lakes, as well as rivers. The fact that the river beds pass through mountainous terrain explains the presence of a significant number of waterfalls - 290 of them. The highest (94 m), and in combination the most attractive for tourists, is the Lower Falls on the Yellowstone River.

Yellowstone Caldera

One of the most extensive lakes in the North American continent is the Yellowstone reservoir, located in the Caldera - a giant volcano in Yellowstone Park -. According to the research of scientists and speleologists over the course of 17 million years, the volcano was activated at least 100 times, the most recent eruption happened about 640 thousand years ago. Yellowstone eruptions occurred with inconceivable power, so most of the reserve is flooded with frozen lava. The structure of the volcano is unusual: it does not have a cone, but represents a huge hole with an area of ​​75x55 km. Another surprising feature is that the Yellowstone Volcano is located in the center of the tectonic plate, and not at the junction of the plates, like most volcanoes.

Recently, the media flashed reports of the emergence of a real danger of eruption, The fact is that under the national park more hot lava than they thought. The eruption of Yellowstone Supervolcano occurs approximately once in 650-700 thousand years. These facts alarm scientists and alarm the public. The activity of the giant will be a global tragedy, because the cataclysm will be comparable in power with a nuclear explosion, much of the territory of the United States will be flooded with lava, and volcanic ash spread throughout the globe. A suspension of ash in the air will greatly affect the Earth’s climate, blocking the light of the sun. In fact, over the course of several years, the planet will have a year-round winter, and a model built on a computer for this event has shown that at the worst outcome, 4/5 of all life on Earth will perish.

Yellowstone Fauna

The reserve is home to 60 species of mammals, including the rare ones: bison, puma, baribal, wapiti, etc. There are also 6 species of reptiles, 4 species of amphibians, 13 species of fish and more than 300 species of birds, among them there are very rare.

How to get to Yellowstone?

The national reserve is located an hour away by bus from American airport Cody. Also, between July and September, buses run from Salt Lake City and Bozeman. The park is open throughout the calendar year, but before the trip it is recommended to consult about the weather forecast, especially since public transport does not go around the reserve.