Magma Matters
“Fear is a distortion of the truth.” ~Unknown
Yellowstone National Park, established in 1872 and covering over 3,400 square miles, is home to one of the most beautiful and geologically diverse landscapes in North America. When people think of Yellowstone National Park, they tend to think of “Old Faithful,” the famous geyser that erupts every few hours, spewing forth a huge fountain of steam and water. There are hundreds of geysers throughout Yellowstone and with good reasons, Yellowstone sits atop one of the world’s few “Super Volcanos”. There are 20 identified super volcanos throughout the world, two being in the United States (Yellowstone National Park and Long Valley, California). The geological term used is caldera versus super volcano and the last time the Yellowstone Caldera erupted was over 600,000 years ago. Over the past several weeks, there has been a higher level of geyser activity around the Yellowstone Caldera than typical. Couple that with the new volcanic activity on the big island in the state of Hawaii there has been a large amount of information flowing out of the media causing an upswing of concern of the possibility of the Yellowstone Caldera letting go in a cataclysmic episode that will wipe out the Western United States and causing massive global cooling…a violent eruption of any of the massive calderas around the globe would be bad for humanity…period.
The last big super volcanic activity was in April of 1815 when Tambora, located on the Island of Sumbawa near Java in the South Pacific blew 12 cubic miles of magma and ash 28 miles up…that’s roughly 210 trillion pounds of rock launched 28 miles into the atmosphere. Needless to say, hundreds of thousands of people died due to the immediate effect of the blast and then the following after effects like failed crops and starvation. 1815 was known as the year without a summer as ash and snow fell on Europe in June of that year with frost persisting all summer long. The global impact was incredible both close to the volcano as well as half way around the world. An eruption of one of the many super volcanos would bring about rapid climate change, countless people would die, and millions of others would be faced with a serious threat of survival. I’m just trying to paint a picture here of the devastating reality of a massive super volcano letting loose with all it’s fury. The good news is that none of this is expected to happen in our lifetime.
Geologist believe that the Yellowstone Caldera, which has been getting a lot of press as of late, is not expected to blow a gasket for at least a thousand years or more. There is a lot of science that has gone into the estimation of this and the quick and easy explanation is that the magma chamber for the Yellowstone Caldera, is at least six miles beneath the earth’s surface. One day, it will erupt, but you and I will long be gone by then. Scientist will still need to deal with this natural phenomenon as the magma chamber continues to “bubble up” to the surface of the earth’s crust. Humanity will hopefully be in a better position to deal with the aftermath of such an event.
Today, as I type this, there is little reason to take council of fears of the Yellowstone Caldera blowing up the Western half of the United States into the atmosphere. I always encourage people to be prepared for any and all emergencies (natural or man-made) and in any sudden and large-scale event like a volcanic eruption, we only have so much we can control. To fear something that we have no control over is a waste of energy in terms of stress and anxiety. Yes, humanity will indeed need to face these concerns at some point in the future but face them with due diligence, not fear. This sentiment rings true in every aspect of life. As President Roosevelt said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” This from the man who was guiding our country through perhaps one of the lowest points in our nation’s history. The man was right, we have nothing to fear but fear itself.
The Yellowstone Caldera, 44 square miles of super volcano, is a frightening thought as to the global destruction it could bring. Despite all the recent activity and the cascades of news scaring people about a possible world ending event, there is really nothing of note to worry about at this time. In the immortal words of Chip Diller, “All is well,” and we need to go about our day like it is at any other given point. Love one another, care for each other and always be ready to reach out and lend a hand to a human in need…those things we can control. The Yellowstone Caldera is something to prepare for (for our great-grand-kid’s grand-kids…something like that) but in the meantime, take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.
Wm Reid
Best Home Care Services
325 N Eastern Ave
Connersville, IN 47331
765-827-9833
besthomecareservices@comcast.net