Reply #3: That "large natural explosion at Yellowstone" [View All]

[Dogmudgeon]

It's no secret that Yellowstone is perched on top of one of the largest volcanoes in the world. It's a large caldera volcano, also known as a Supervolcano.

When they erupt, they erupt with the force of thousands of eruptions like Pinatubo or Krakatau. The last one, Toba, erupted 75,000 years ago and nearly caused the extinction of the human race. Yellowstone erupts once every 650,000 years, and we're about 50,000 years "overdue".

If Yellowstone "erupts", it would be the biggest natural disaster humans have faced since Toba. The world's temperature would drop by a good 10F for a decade or more. The sheer amount of magma thrown up by the eruption would kill just about everyone within 200 km of the park.

It's also no secret that the volcano is becoming active again, very active. But if it does erupt, Sylvia Browne will have more on her mind than booking an appearance on Oprah or Leno.

--bkl