The ground has been shaking a bit at Yellowstone National Park and that has some geologists worried that it may be a sign of a looming volcanic eruption.'So, what?' you say.
Well, this eruption could be a doosey -- one that may be legitimately classified as a threat to human civilization. A volcanic explosion in that area could result in half of the United States and Canada getting buried under a blanket of ash.
And it gets worse. According to the Geological Society of London, the effects of a super-eruption would be comparable to those predicted for the impact of a 1km-diameter asteroid with the Earth. And somewhat surprisingly, super-eruptions are 5-10 times more likely to occur than such an impact.
Even more disturbing is that eruptions at Yellowstone happen every 600,000 years or so -- which means we're about due. But thankfully, SciAm's David Biello contends that the signs of a super-explosion aren't all present.
Read more here and here.
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