The Yellowstone Super volcano
JP Lipari
Deep in the heart of the most famous national park in our country lies what many believe to be the most dangerous entity in our nation. Beneath the surface of the spectacular Yellowstone national park lies the Yellowstone super volcano, which is believed to have produced three of the biggest eruptions in human history. The volcano is caused by plumes of magma rising due to convection currents in the mantle. Once the magma reaches the rocky crust it melts the rocks there, and then more magma is produced. Over time this creates hotspots of volcanic activity. This process eventually yielded two magma chambers of partially molten, part solid rock close to ground level in Yellowstone. These chambers emitted so much heat onto the crust above it, the crust actually expanded causing faults to from on the newly expanded ground. At last the magma chambers pushed their contents up through the cracks, and huge amounts of pressure, volcanic gasses, and magma combined to create potentially the largest volcanic eruptions in history. Ash from the explosion stretched as far away as Missouri, or 5,790 square miles. Estimates have concluded that this was roughly 6,000 times more volcanic material than Mt. St. Helen’s.
On the off chance that the Yellowstone supervolcano were to explode to its full potential, the greater Midwest region of the United States would be left in dier conditions. However, due to the immense size of the volcano there would be ample warning to anyone in the vicinity that doomsday was near. At least a couple weeks of intense seismic rumbling would have to occur in order to crack the rocks enough for an eruption to happen. That said, the main source of danger would actually be the ash produced by the explosion, not the lava itself. The ash generated by the explosion would affect the entire continental United States to varying degrees. The states surrounding the national park: Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, and Utah would see parts if not all of their territory devastated by the splintered rock and glass that makes up the volcanic ash. That volcanic ash is lethal to humans, animals, plants, and potentially could even destroy structures. In addition to the immediate impact it would have on the people near the volcano, the whole country would see air quality drastically drop. This means agriculture and quality of life would plummet for the entire country.
Although it is interesting to speculate what the implications of the super volcano might be, it is quite unlikely that anyone alive today or the near future would experience it. The U.S. Geological Survey has done the math on the theoretical probability of the volcano exploding in any given year is about a .00014 chance, which happens to be less than the odds of being killed by a lethal asteroid. There is also a chance that the volcano might never end up exploding due to the movements of the North American tectonic plate. The magma needs to gain more heat from underneath then it losses to the crust above to remain active, and with the North American sliding southwest the hot spot is moving northeast. This is yet another piece of evidence scientists have gathered to put themselves at ease when it comes to the matter. What is much more likely to occur some time soon are small events resulting in lava flows. This lacks the nation-wide devastation that an eruption entails, and instead would only spell local issues.
However, this is not the only natural disaster that has been under the microscope in recent years however. As geologists and seismologists have improved and developed new technology, concern around the world has grown around looming natural disasters. Almost the entire United States is under warning of a huge natural disaster to occur at some point. From earthquake induced tsunamis ravaging both coasts, to climate change powered hurricanes tearing apart Florida, the world could be in for a world of hurt in the coming years. Although it would be near impossible to prepare for most or all of these possibilities, we have to make use of our foresight into their possibility. Organizations like the Red Cross would be stretched too thin if asked to save areas as big as the whole Midwest United States, so some other entity would have to step and help.
Questions:
Which group / organization should be responsible for preparing for these natural disasters?
Does the world have the capability to bounce back from a devastating event such as the Yellowstone supervolcano exploding?
How could we potentially tie our class goal into helping with these looming disasters?
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How could we potentially tie our class goal into helping with these looming disasters?
Sources:
17 comments:
With the volcano having a large, catastrophic effects, the government and bigger organizations should be equally involved to help prepare for a possible disaster. Since this would effect almost all of the US, it makes sense for the government to involved in preparing for it. With proper preparation, the world may be able to recover, but not to its former state. We may never have the same privileges before, but if we prepare well, we can survive and bounce back. Since infrastructure can influence the effect of natural disasters, it is essential that we improve our infrastructure. With stronger buildings and more networks, we can survive a natural disaster and have less deaths because of it.
This super volcano could have potentially disastrous effects, even outside the United States. Since the world is relatively dependent on the US as a whole, a destroyed US would really change things in the world. It is scary to think about how disastrous an explosion could be, and even though we are away from the hot lava the ash could plunge us into another ice age. It would be hard to bounce back from the potential ice age this could cause, but with good technology and infrastructure and world cooperation we could certainly bounce back. But, it would not be without a lot of deaths since it is severe.
I actually find this topic to be incredibly fascinating. I think it is important that we all take an interest in these matters even if it is not likely to happen in our lifetime. The idea that the entire human race can be at the break of extinction is something that should be worrisome even if it would affect our kin in hundreds of years to come. The matter and research should definitely be supported by our government because in the unlikely case that this does happen, we need to at least have an idea of what exactly will happen and how we can prevent devastation.
The large volcano in Yellowstone is a huge issue. When it goes off (hopefully not soon) it will change the United States and world forever. The explosion itself would destroy everything around it, but the after effects of the lava and ash could force the population into another ice age. Humans need to prepare plans and efforts to limit the explosion of Yellowstone and how it will change the environment. If we just ignore it, then the problem will catch us when we don’t expect it, and we will not be able to do anything about it.
Since climate change directly affects the bleaching of corals, participating in reducing greenhouse gas emission into the atmosphere will help reduce mass bleaching. People can do so by converting to renewables energy sources, limit the consumption of forcing fuels and convert to transportation through electrical energy. Actions like these will help reduce mass coral bleaching as it will decrease greenhouse gas emission.
I feel like everyone in the us should be prepared for the event due to as said in the passage the air quality would get worse and we as a country would suffer because the production of agriculture would come to a halt and other natural disasters could occur and people could or couldn't be there to help."in addition to the immediate impact it would have on the people near the volcano, the whole country would see air quality drastically drop. This means agriculture and quality of life would plummet for the entire country."The world would have the capability to bounce back from such drastic event because we have come back from many things such as war between countries and natural disasters such as tsunamis didn't stop Japan from developing over again.We could tie this to our class goal to help with these looming disasters by introducing a system where we could go and help the people in need and people could help us in return when times are needed.We as a class should take like a trip once a year to a place in need of help and go help with whatever they need
Ultimately everyone could participate in the preparation of natural disasters. For example, architects and construction workers can construct buildings that are resistant to common natural disasters in that area, such as hurricane resistant buildings in Florida. The overall population can help out by reducing carbon emissions and combat climate change since climate change is fueling an increase and the strength of natural disasters. The government can pass laws on reducing carbon emissions and enforce them to keep the general people accountable. Overall everyone has their own part in helping prepare to withstand and recover from natural disasters.
Th government should have an extensive emergency fund stacked away just in case the disaster occurs. Considering that we have no idea when it happens we should prepare disaster responders to this unprecedented disaster. We should pass laws to reduce carbon emissions and enforce them to prevent the likelihood of natural disasters in the first place.
This topic is incredibly intriguing. We have known about natural disasters and catastrophic events since millennia. The only difference form then and now is how we can prepare for them. For example, the earthquake in Haiti was detrimental and not necessarily because of its scale. More notably, it was because of the lack of preparation and weak construction. If this event takes place, the government and its citizens should and and are capable of being prepared and recovering.
Having been to Yellowstone, I find it incredibly interesting at exactly what wonders are happening in the surface below. It’s evident that in the event that the super volcano fully explodes, the entire nation will go through a complete change, as the amount of ash would raise temperatures and surrounding states would be hit with glass and ash. The US government needs to be prepared if this happens, even though the probability is not high.
This volcanic eruption in Yellowstone was a pretty big issue, so I am pretty sure that the U.S. government and many worldwide organizations would be equally involved and quickly prepare for events like this. After this event has happened, I don’t believe the world won’t have the capability to return to its regular state before because they would always need to be prepared for the next occurring event. With equal help from our government and organizations, we need to stay ready and always prepared because if we aren’t primed, then we won’t know what has hit us.
I believe that the government should be held responsible for preparing for these types of natural disasters. Once they are notified that a natural disaster is about to strike, the government should do all that they can to protect their people and the land. Yes, theoretically the world could bounce back after a devastating natural disaster, but there would have to be lots of preparation for this to work. It would take time, and working together, but yes we have the capability of surfing after a tragic disaster. We could help with these looming disasters by donating money and resources to the people who are affected by these disasters.
The organization put in charge of preparing us for these natural disasters should be one of the already existing, disaster committees in America. The world itself would not be that effected by this turn of events. A place like Wyoming is low in residents so the number of people affected would be few. This event may effect the area and spread over a period of time but because the economy does not rely on Wyoming, the world would be able to recover. We could tie our class goal into this by deciding to educate others so that they are best prepared for these natural disaster events.
Along with the existing disaster communities in America, the government and other organizations should be more involved in preparation for natural disasters. The Yellow Stone volcano eruption, especially, would have disastrous effects and would require the help of several organizations and governments to get back from. However, whether we can bounce back from such an event is unsure. Its explosion could put us Into an Ice Age.
I feel like all organizations should group together to prepare for this event/events. If the volcano erupts, i believe that the world will be able to bounce back,, but only after a very long period of time. We can tie this into the class goal by just spreading the word and educating others on what may go down in the future.
We need to be more prepared in case of a natural disaster. The volcano in Yellowstone has already been predicted to happen, so we need to make sure that the aftermath won't be as destructive as previous ones. I think the government should be responsible for making sure that everyone is safe and protected. It is their job to inform the public of an event so damaging, otherwise, the results will be chaotic.
I feel like the government should be held responsible, to prepare for when/if the volcano erupts. Yellowstone, did bounce back from fires, occurring in the 80's. Although, I don't know if we could bounce back after a volcano explodes. Over time, yes; but it would be destroying homes and ecosystems. This will effect both people and animals lives greatly. We could tie our class goal into this by educating others so that they are prepared for these natural disaster events.
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