Yellowstone. Just the Biggest Volcano in North America.

Yellowstone National Park is known for a number of things: sweeping vistas, geysers, wildlife, etc.  But what some may not know is that Yellowstone is a supervolcano.  No, not a little volcano.  Not a medium volcano.  It's the biggest volcanic feature in all of North America.

Let's put it in perspective.  As someone who was born shortly after the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, I know a thing or two about volcanoes.  Thing one: magma - don't throw your keys in it.  Thing two: volcanic ash - good luck getting that out of your car engine.  Luckily, I can turn to the Discovery Channel to fill in the rest of the blanks.  Mt. St. Helens' crater is about 2 square miles.  Yellowstone's caldera (broad sunken area) is 1,500 square miles.  The last time Yellowstone blew (not quite 700,000 years ago), it emitted 8,000 times more ash and lava than our friend in the PNW.

Oh, great.  So what happens to all of us funny little humans if Yellowstone gets its ire up?  Total suckage.


"There is no argument that a major eruption at Yellowstone in modern times would be devastating. It would obliterate the national park and nearby communities, spread ground-glass-like volcanic ash from the Pacific coast to the Midwest, and cause worldwide weather changes from the airborne dust and gases, according to Smith, who described the potential effects in detail in his book Windows Into the Earth, published in 2000.  A modern full-force Yellowstone eruption could kill millions, directly and indirectly, and would make every volcano in recorded human history look minor by comparison."


Luckily, supervolcanoes are a little more polite in giving warning signs than their weeny mountain counterparts.  If Yellowstone starts a rockin', we could have centuries of warnings before things go apocalyptic.  Earthquakes, small eruptions, land bulges and the like should all start appearing well before the big ba da boom.  (Also, eruptions of this magnitude only occur about once in a million years.)


And, because I know you're wondering, you can rest assured that none of the above-named warnings are currently percolating at Yellowstone. So go forth, enjoy your geysers, sweeping vistas, and deplorably long traffic lines.  Yellowstone will wait.