Wait? Is the American Megavolcano Yellowstone waking up?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

There is already so much information about the probable explosion of Yellowstone that sometimes the topic of a super-volcano that will "demolish half of America" is perceived skeptically, as sweet dreams and the last hope of those who are outraged by the leading role of the United States in the global political and economic crisis.

Below is a selection of materials that will help assess how justified such expectations are …

For starters, some recent headlines in the English-language press that show that the topic is not on the loose:

Daily Mail: "Yellowstone Timed Bomb: Experts Warn of 90,000 Immediate Deaths and a" Nuclear Winter "in the US if Supervolcano Erupts":

CNN: "The magma layer beneath the Yellowstone supervolcano is more extensive than thought":

WNCT News: "Could a super volcano underneath Yellowstone National Park erupt anytime soon?"

Daily Express: “Will Yellowstone erupt in 2016? The shocking video shows a dramatic change in seismic activity ":

Business Insider: "Supervolcano under Yellowstone - this is what happens if there is an eruption":

National Geological Survey of Oregon predicts complete destruction of the North American continent due to large-scale earthquake

The next activation of tectonic activity in Cascadia will launch a chain of events that could lead to the complete destruction of North America. And this is only a matter of time: according to preliminary estimates, a catastrophe may occur within the next 50 years.

On August 22, 17 earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 0.9 to 3.5 were recorded in the region of the Caldera Long Valley. The portal "Volcanoes" informs about it.

It should be noted that as of August 20, there are 32 volcanoes in the world at the stage of high activity.

However, the greatest fear at the moment is still the famous monster - the Yellowstone volcano. More frequent earthquakes can provoke an increase in its activity.

Information agency "Foreign Policy Relations" informs that the cause of the mass death of fish in the river of the same name, originating near the deadly supervolcano Yellowstone, has not yet been established.

Therefore, the US authorities urgently closed for visits not only one section of the river with a length of about 295 km, but also hundreds of kilometers of adjacent territories for fishing, walking, boating and other activities.

As of August 19, four thousand dead fish were found, but, according to ecologists, there are much more of them - tens of thousands of lifeless individuals are counted, the reason is still unclear.

At first, the official version of the US Department of Fisheries stated that the reason was a drop in oxygen levels in the water due to an increase in temperature.

But later it changed - the cause of the death of fish in the parasite, which causes kidney disease. many experts did not agree with this, because if the fish dies because of the parasite, then there would not be such a mass scale in such a short time.

Rumors are circulating on social media that the authorities are hiding the Yellowstone volcanic gas outburst to avoid unnecessary panic.

Among the dead species are trout and whitefish, such a mass extinction endangers the entire fishing industry in this region.

The deaths of whitefishes, which were recorded by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Department last week, continued at a rapid pace. If a few days ago scientists talked about 400 dead fish, then by 17 08 2016 their number increased to a thousand. Some experts say that the figure is greatly underestimated and we should talk about 10,000, says author Polina Perova on the pages of Foreign Economic Relations.

Andrea Johnson, a spokesman for the Department, believes that large numbers of whitefish have sunk or been eaten by scavengers. The ecologist is sure that only a tenth of all dead fish are on the banks of the rivers. Dead fish are found all over the Yellowstone River.

Water withdrawals from the river and samples of dead fish are still in the laboratory. The scientists promised to announce the results in a couple of weeks.

Experts note that never in the history of Yellowstone has such an ecological catastrophe been observed, why it happened, one can only guess.

Elevated levels of carbon dioxide near Yellowstone in the United States have raised fears that the deadly volcano is on the verge of a catastrophic explosion

Carbon dioxide emissions (the higher the concentration, the darker the color)

A large concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) is usually observed just before the start of an eruption, due to the increasing pressure below the surface, writes the British Express.

Satellite images show that the level of carbon dioxide in the Yellowstone area is now one of the most concentrated in the world.

Moreover, in the state of Wyoming, in the past week alone, there were 40 small tremors.

The last time the supervolcano Yellowstone erupted more than 700 thousand years ago. If the volcano begins to erupt, it could lead to a global catastrophe, especially in the United States, where two-thirds of the country will become uninhabitable immediately. In addition, the US agricultural industry will be in ruins, and most of the country will be covered with a 10cm layer of ash, writes Express.

Scientists started talking about the increased activity of the supervolcano a couple of years ago, which can be read in detail on the "Volcanoes" website. Let us dwell only on some points.

Given the cyclical nature of Yellowstone's eruptions, the Geological Society of America initially assumed that the volcano would explode no earlier than 20 thousand years later. However, recent events have forced scientists to change their minds. At first, they said that the eruption would occur within 75 years, and now many agree that the event could occur in the coming years. Where are such conclusions from? The fact is that since the beginning of 2014, many interesting events have taken place in Yellowstone Park that have influenced the predictions of volcanologists:

1. In the rivers and lakes of the national park, the water temperature has risen significantly, reaching the boiling point in some places. Geysers became more active, including large ones, which had been sleeping for more than 100 years.

2. From January to July 2014 alone, more than 60 tremors occurred in Yellowstone. The strongest of them with a power of 4.8 on the Richter scale happened on March 30.

If at the beginning of 2014 earthquakes occurred at a depth of 10-30 km, now - from 5 to 10 km. By the nature of the earthquakes, it can be concluded that the so-called "seismic nails" occur in the caldera - vertical shocks that contribute to the appearance of tears and cracks.

3. In April 2014, residents of the surrounding settlements began to notice that bison and deer were fleeing from the park, and, as you know, animals are acutely aware of impending disasters.

4. As of mid-2014, the soil in the caldera area has risen by 178 centimeters. Further information about her rise is carefully hidden.

5. In different parts of the park, the appearance of Helium-4 gas was recorded, which usually occurs on other volcanoes shortly before the eruption.

6. In May 2015, an aggressive movement of magma was noticed in the caldera of the volcano, the seismic sensors read off scale from time to time.

7. In the first half of 2015, seismic activity increased markedly around the world, volcanoes began to erupt in Asia, South America, on the Pacific Ring of Fire.

There are many indirect facts indicating that the eruption will be. It is known that the US government has long been preparing for the coming disaster. In particular, several years ago they turned to South Africa with a request to accept refugees in case the volcano explodes. Moreover, every year for 10 years, they pledged to pay South Africans $ 10 billion. After South Africa's refusal to conclude such an agreement, the Americans turned their attention to Liberia, where road infrastructure and entire cities are now being built, the Volcanoes portal writes.

In May 2014, ballistic missiles were removed from military bases near the volcano. From time to time, Yellowstone Park is closed for tourists for unknown reasons, and the webcam aimed at the Old Faithful geyser sometimes simply turns off. If we talk about the latest news, then along with Yellowstone, there is an activation of the Long Valley supervolcano located in California, in the caldera of which 398 tremors were recorded in February 2015 alone. If he starts to act, then Yellowstone will not remain on the sidelines.

Read also about the version of the targeted explosion of the megavolcano:

Evacuation project. Self-detonation of the Yellowstone volcano 2015-2016

In July 2016, 71 earthquakes were recorded, their strength is very small, no more than 2.5 points.

But here it is worth noting that not all information about tremors gets into the media.

So, The National Geological Survey has banned access to online broadcasts of earthquakes in the Yellowstone Calderia.

It is also alarming that some areas in the National Park, where Yellowstone is located, are completely closed not only to tourists, but also to scientists, the edition writes.

The next fact that the volcano is preparing for its awakening is the appearance of new geysers and an increase in temperature in the lakes.

Not far from Yellowstone, crevices appear, from which carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide go

Scientists at the University of Utah have calculated exactly what will happen after the eruption begins. A powerful explosion will be accompanied by earthquakes of up to 10 points and lava flows reaching speeds of up to several hundred km / h. Hot lava will sweep away everything in its path, pyroclastic flows will spread to a distance of hundreds of kilometers from the volcano, people will begin to die from suffocating smoke and hydrogen sulfide, ash will cover vast territories. The states of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Iowa will be wiped off the face of the earth. As a result of the appearance of the ozone hole, the radiation level on the mainland will approach the Chernobyl level.

Serious trouble awaits the southern part of Canada, the explosion of Yellowstone will lead to the activation of many volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean, which will cause giant tsunamis. The waves will be so high that they will wash away not only the coastal cities of the Pacific basin, but also reach the central parts of the continents. Tons of ash thrown into the atmosphere will block the sun, a sharp cooling will begin, and then a nuclear winter will come. Its duration will be from 3 to 5 years, which will not allow farming and will destroy many plants.