Skip to content
Deacon Keith Fournier Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you. Help Now >

What destruction would Yellowstone's eruption cause? Scientists believe Super Volcano is more than TWICE as big as previously thought

Free World Class Education
FREE Catholic Classes
Very slight chance of eruption says Dr. Robert Smith

The lead authority in the world on Yellowstone's Super Volcano says that it's twice as large as scientists previously thought.

Deacon Keith Fournier Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you. Help Now >

Highlights

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
7/10/2014 (9 years ago)

Published in U.S.

Keywords: US, News

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Dr. Robert Smith of the University of Utah said: "Anytime you come to Yellowstone you have to drive uphill. And the reason is this giant plume of magma is very hot, therefore it's bullient, low density and it just lifts the surface up."

Bring a light to the darkness, fight world hunger through "prayer and action."

Dr. Smith has been studying Yellowstone's earthquakes and Super Volcanoes for almost sixty years, and pointed out that "these giant eruptions, super volcanoes if you wish, probably last many, many months, maybe even years."

Smith and his students used seismographs to map the magma pool underneath Yellowstone's volcano, and satellites to determine how much the land swells or bulges. Using this technology they've found that the magma is 2.5 times greater than initially estimated.

Magma movements are also signaled by earthquakes, and Smith mentioned the 4.8 magnitude earthquake in the Norris area last spring.

"It's the biggest earthquake in 30 years," he explained. "If we were to have another big eruption, it would affect a large area, on the order of several states. But, as I said, that probability is very, very, very, very small. In my calculations it's point zero, zero, zero, one percent."

Millions of tourists visit Yellowstone every year to see the countless geysers, fumeroles, hot springs and mud spots. It's the largest concentration of thermal features in the world. The park sits on top of the world's largest active volcano. The Super Volcano's most recent eruption was more than 600,000 years ago, and all that remains is the caldera, the top portion.

---


'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'


Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online

Light Your Free Payer Candle for a departed loved one

What is Palm Sunday?

Live on March 20, 2024 @ 10am PDT

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.

Lent logo
Saint of the Day logo

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

Catholic Online Logo

Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.

Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.