Yellowtone Volcano Research Paper

Volcanos are amazing and frightening geologic features of our earth. Their volcanic ash feeds the farmlands, but that same ash from a violent eruption destroys crops. There are numerous volcanic eruptions that have changed the world. These eruptions include Mt. Saint Helens, Kilauea, Pompeii, and Pinatubo. The purpose of this paper is to describe the jeopardy of a volcano in the United States.

The Yellowstone supervolcano is in Wyoming, a sparsely populated state in the American West. Yellowstone National Park is in the northwest corner of Wyoming. This volcano is underneath the park, and scientists suggest that it is capable of destroying a large amount of the nation. Scientists discovered this volcano in Yellowstone decades ago, and

it has been a subject of intense research. Scientists have documented occurrences of the park roads melting from the extreme heat of this volcano. Research has revealed three violent eruptions from this volcano. The most recent eruption, 640,000 years ago, formed the Yellowstone Caldera. The Yellowstone Caldera is the valley in Yellowstone National Park that has all of the exotic geologic attractions such as hot spring, geysers such as Old Faithful, and the colorful lakes. The purpose of this paper is to describe the consequences of an eruption from this volcano. It is believed that two-thirds of the United States could be destroyed in an eruption resulting in severe and devastating effects on the economy and people. This paper will first describe the features of a supervolcano. Next, a discussion of the immediate consequences following an eruption will be presented. Finally, a longer term perspective of a post eruption environment will be presented.
A supervolcano is a volcano with an eruption a thousand times larger than a regular volcano such as Mt. Saint Helens. The size of a volcano is determined by the size of the magma chamber. A magma chamber is the underground pool of lava or melted rock that is the core of the volcano. A supervolcano’s magma chamber can be five miles deep, and over thirty-five miles wide. The Yellowstone supervolcano is estimated to hold enough molten rock to fill the Grand Canyon seven times. Further, this supervolcano, like other supervolcanos does not have a central exit point like a traditional volcano. The exit point for a supervolcano is a valley or dip in the earth, where the crust is thin. A normal volcano is a hole in the crust, as if the earth’s crust were pierced. Thus, these traditional volcanos form a conical mountain as it spews lava. A supervolcano does not spew lava, but rather uses the entire valley floor as its vent. The valley floor will bubble and expand across its entire length. Then, the final eruption will pop and displace miles of earth and lava. The resulting explosion could take three days, three months, or three years.
This dramatic and intense eruption will have immediate consequences to the people and land.

Scientists estimate that a Yellowstone supervolcano eruption will result in the immediate deaths of 87,000 people. This figure includes people attending the park as well as people who live in the immediate area. The ash ploom will shoot high into the stratosphere, over 30 miles above the earth. The ash will cover much of the globe and block the sun’s rays, resulting in a “volcanic winter.” For example, temperatures lowered by an estimated 1F after the eruption of Mt. Pinotubo in 1991. Intense concentrations of the ash will remain in the stratosphere for about a month. The ash will fall to the ground as it cools resulting in the lands downwind receiving as much as ten feet of ash. The areas downwind from Yellowstone National Park include rich farmland and major cities. This inundation of ash will make the land

uninhabitable.
The longer term consequences of the eruption could be equally as frightening as the immediate catastrophe after the eruption.

The first problem would be the destruction of roads, runways, and farmlands from the falling ash. The roads would be impassable due to the heavy deposits of ash. At times the ash would create impassable roadways due to the depth of the ash, sometimes the ash would create slippery and treacherous conditions. Air travel will be no different. Runways would be unusable, and the ash suspended in the air will clog and destroy aircraft engines. Farmlands will fare no better. Even one centimeter of ash fall will result in destroyed crops and infertile soil. Moreover, communication could be crippled. Internet, phone lines, and cell phone communication will be disrupted due to the eruption and ash fall. This disruption of communication will hamper and restrict rescue and recovery efforts. It is suggested that the only means of escape would be on a boat through ash covered

ocean.
It seems that the Yellowstone volcano is a disaster waiting to happen. Scientists suggest that the chance of an eruption in our lifetime is 1 in 700,000. Therefore it is not an immediate danger, but the jeopardy is there and we should be prepared for it. Scientists continue to monitor the Yellowstone valley for geologic changes. High school students will continue to write about this amazing phenomena.