Foo - What's Up with yellowstone?

I see posts on different forums about it saying it's gonna blow, taking half the continent with it...:(

I've only found this linky (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hklq5saMBlMynv31EbfNSka-SpOwD95COBD00)...Nice meeting you guys... (just in case)

So swarms of small earthquakes = impending volcanic eruption?

I must be missing something.

Yellowstone is a massive volcano, often referred to as a "supervolcano." These are the type that explode in a very dramatic fashion, complete with serious devastation for hundreds of miles around. Mt. St. Helens was a popped zit in comparison.

There might be an impending eruption there. Large amounts of certain types of earthquakes are sometimes a prelude to something happening. Often enough, there's a release of gas, some minor activity which reduces the pressure in the magma chamber, and it's done. But if the pressure builds up enough, it'll blow.

If it blows, it blows. Not a dang thing that anyone can do about it. It'll happen at some point. Hopefully it'll be long after we're gone.

If I mention Al Gore, will it be an automove to P&R?

I don't think it'll take half the continent with it when it blows. I'd be more worried about the area under the Great Basin and Range are first. I did a research paper and somehow I concluded that a new fault like were to develop in that area starting with somewhere in the Pacific and then crawling its way to the Great Basin and up via Baja California to the Yellowstone area.

Good thing I am an economics major. Got an A though...

If I mention Al Gore, will it be an automove to P&R?

nope

I don't know about you, but I don't plan on that happening in my lifetime.

So swarms of small earthquakes = impending volcanic eruption?

I must be missing something.It did for St. Helens. That's a precursor of eruptions, it seems.

"Yellowstone" blows every 600,000 years or so. The apparent hot spot (like the one under Hawaii) has been causing blowouts for at least the last 10 to 20 million years. The continent is moving west over the hot spot. The eruption itself does not bother me as I live on the west coast. The scary part is that the ash fall will wipe out most of out corn and wheat production.

While the eruption of a supervolcano such as Yellowstone will be devestating to the surrounding area. The real concern is the ash output which would lower the temperature of the Earth considerably possibly creating a nuclear winter situation and lead to our extinction depending on how massive it is. The last supervolcano to erupt was 70,000 years ago. It was called Mt. Toba located on Sumatra in the Pacific and almost caused our extinction then


There are some concerning signs such as the swarm earth quakes and upwelling in the Yellowstone Lake area which indicates the formation of a massive magma chamber.


One day it will blow like it has in the past. I hope I wont be around to see it. Hopefully Al Gore can save us all. 2012 baby ;)!!

While the eruption of a supervolcano such as Yellowstone will be devestating to the surrounding area. The real concern is the ash output which would lower the temperature of the Earth considerably possibly creating a nuclear winter situation and lead to our extinction depending on how massive it is. The last supervolcano to erupt was 70,000 years ago. It was called Mt. Toba located on Sumatra in the Pacific and almost caused our extinction then


There are some concerning signs such as the swarm earth quakes and upwelling in the Yellowstone Lake area which indicates the formation of a massive magma chamber.


One day it will blow like it has in the past. I hope I wont be around to see it. Hopefully Al Gore can save us all

The Theran (also called Santorini eruption) was also a caldera eruption. It took out the Minions (Atlantis) and went off in the second century BCE.

The Santorini eruption was quite powerful and devastating, yet it didn't count as a supervolcano event. Also the Mount Tambora eruption in 1815 outranks it in size. It was the largest recorded eruption in history.

simple solution bore a deep hole and put a nuclear bomb in and set it off problem solved, that haw it worked on the scifi channel

It would only work if Bruce Willis does it and he would have to use an experimental top secret mining device to personally deliver it to the magma chamber.

only he will have to stay behind to set it off because the remote broke

So Florida might be spared but it's gonna get pretty effin cold? Any suggestions on how to stay warm?

Did anyone see the BBC mini series/documentary Supervolcano about the inevitable Yellowstone eruption. All the really big eruptions have been pryoclastic and or caldera ones. To get an even bigger bang add water pouring into the magma chamber a la Krakatoa.

The ash and aerosol ejecta from a major supervolcano eruption will cause the global warmers to cease worrying for a while (but will drastically knock back food and plant production) and will as a pleasant side affect give brilliant sunsets.

I f'in LOVE geology!

simple solution bore a deep hole and put a nuclear bomb in and set it off problem solved, that haw it worked on the scifi channel

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7780873.stm
^^^
That is fascinating.
Geothermal drilling hits an active magma chamber.
Magma pushes up the bore hole a few meters, was re-drilled and pushed up the hole a few meters again.
This is the first time magma has been drilled (after it reaches the surface it is called lava and has lost its gasses).
The bore hole is effectively a magma observatory allowing scientists to sample it over time.

So Florida might be spared but it's gonna get pretty effin cold? Any suggestions on how to stay warm?

Thermal underwear. The rest of us wear it at this time of year. You guys might as well get used to it.

Makes a change from worrying about global warming anyways.