About 4 miles beneath Yellowstone National Park's beautiful scenery is a forty-mile-wide chamber full of molten rock under incredibly high pressure. This magma is what powers Yellowstone's fantastic geysers and hot springs, but is it about to erupt in a cataclysmic explosion that will decimate the western United States and push mankind to the brink of extinction?

Just wondering what your opinion's are on this happening?


[edit on 2/13/2005 by shots]

The Earth has undergone all kinds of periodic catastrophes. Unless there are indications that there is something unusual happening at Yellowstone, I wouldn't spend much time worrying about it.

[edit on 13/2/05 by AlexofSkye]

Hardly nonsense. You should read some of the older threads on this issue. I believe Vhall has a good thread on this.

Done to death, done to death, done to death.....

I further note that the Solcomhouse website is hosted by a group describing itself as a "nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing the destruction of the Ozone Layer, preventing Global Warming and the preservation of Earth's Environment".

Sounds laudable enough, except that a common tactic of such groups is to promote the scariest scenarios, whether groundless or not, in order to stimulate donations. You know, its "Look! Something horrible is happening and I just happen to have the solution! Send money!"

Unless there is something actually going on underneath Yellowstone that indicates its pattern is changing, we have no reason to believe that our 600,000 year run of luck is about to change. These numbers are usually averaged. It could be another 100,000 years. Don't hold your breath waiting for something to happen.

I saw a show on the Science channel called "Super Volcanoes" and it was mostly about Yellowstone. They said that we were overdue for an erruption at Yellowstone, but they have no idea what if any signs would be as we have never witnessed an eruption of this magnitude for 70,000 years. But the last eruption was in Indonesia, I believe the name was Toa, and nearly wiped out our species. They estimated only about 10,000 people survived. They surveyed the park back in the 90's and noticed the center of the couldron had risen 20 cm, but a more recent survey showed it was dropping. So basically, nobody knows when it might errupt. No sense worrying about it. But as they always say, it's not not a matter of if, but when.

Originally posted by AlexofSkye
I further note that the Solcomhouse website is hosted by a group describing itself as a "nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing the destruction of the Ozone Layer, preventing Global Warming and the preservation of Earth's Environment".

Sounds laudable enough, except that a common tactic of such groups is to promote the scariest scenarios, whether groundless or not, in order to stimulate donations. You know, its "Look! Something horrible is happening and I just happen to have the solution! Send money!"

Unless there is something actually going on underneath Yellowstone that indicates its pattern is changing, we have no reason to believe that our 600,000 year run of luck is about to change. These numbers are usually averaged. It could be another 100,000 years. Don't hold your breath waiting for something to happen.

Our so-called run-of-luck actually ran out about 74,000 years ago when the supervolcano TOBA blew up and made the existing hairy hominid population at that time dwindle (Tracing Michondral DNA backward research) down to approx. 5,000 to 8,000 bone-chewing neanderthals. With the recent two 'big' (9.0 & 8.7 mag.) earthquakes in Sumatra and on the same fault zone as TOBA, then it's possible a third 'big' earthquake that is 8.7 mag. or greater centered near TOBA could set it off again. So if a third 'big' earthquake 'does' happen again in Sumatra on the same fault zone and centered near TOBA, (which by the way, is the mother of all supervolcanos), you better hold your breath!

Mag10

Which scenario will happen first?

a) Yellowstone supervolcano erupts

b) Toba supervolcano erupts

c) Yellowstone and Toba erupts together at the same time


I find "b)" most likely, but who knows?
If "c)" happened...

Originally posted by Hellmutt
Which scenario will happen first?

a) Yellowstone supervolcano erupts

b) Toba supervolcano erupts

c) Yellowstone and Toba erupts together at the same time


I find "b)" most likely, but who knows?
If "c)" happened...

Anything is possible. It's obvious Yellowstone is probably well overdue (approx. 40,000 years) for another big blast. When TOBA (Circa: 72,000BC)does go off again and it probably will sometime in the future if not for another 'big' sumatran earthwquake doesn't set it off sooner. And then if Yellowstone decides to blow it's top off again (It has a 'regular' super eruption cycle of approx. every 600,000 years) some short period of time later, say a few decades from now maybe, then it would be classified as a 'Double Whammy' towards near global exinction. It would be difficult to imagine the population of the earth coping with that occurance. Probably would be as close to 'Armageddon' as you could get I imagine. If it were not for supervolcanos erupting every hundred thoudand years or so, the world population would probably be much greater than it is now.

Mag10

Originally posted by Mag10
overdue

And if that wasn´t enough... There´s a supervolcano on New Zealand (Mount Taupo). It has a big eruption every 2,000 years, and it last erupted about 2,000 years ago...

Here is something that makes you go.. hmmmmmmm. In the quake reports there isn't a seismograph within 1000km of Northern Sumatra listed. And believe me there are a BUNCH listed. I find it hard to believe there isn't a seismo anywhere in the area. Also the mainstream press isn't talking about it. Who here suspects someone is trying to coverup Toba activity?

Before Lake Toba errupts into a super volcano again won't the peak have to rise up considerably, effectively pushing all of the water out of the lake?

Probably will not happen in our lifetimes, just think of the time scales involved, and soon that magma chamber will be under quite alot of rock. I'm talking in geologist time here btw. It's possible but not that probable, you cannot say it's a cycle due to 3 super-eruptions in it's history, it's not a statistically valid trendline.

Point is if it erupts, it's more then likely going to be a lava flow which has happened hundreds of times in the past. It's also a very dynamic system that is always changing, for all we know it may not be able to do that anymore *shrug* No need in getting worked up about it, if it happens it happens and we are much more prepared then our hunter gathering ancestors(especially us Canucks ) as it would most likely cause another ice age.

Originally posted by Indy
Here is something that makes you go.. hmmmmmmm. In the quake reports there isn't a seismograph within 1000km of Northern Sumatra listed. And believe me there are a BUNCH listed. I find it hard to believe there isn't a seismo anywhere in the area. Also the mainstream press isn't talking about it. Who here suspects someone is trying to coverup Toba activity?

There is certainly very recent seismic activity around TOBA. There have been major earth quakes there also. 1892, 1916, 1920-1922 and 1987 and now some big ones nearby on the same sumatran fault zone of 9.0 & 8.7, which are getting closer to TOBA's spot on the fault zone. The next big one could have TOBA in it's site's. If that happens, all bets are off. However, if you want a real 'Doomsday' scenario, then a 3 to 6 mile wide asteroid crashing into Yellowstone or TOBA should be the 'ultimate' global extinction event! Never say never.

Mag10