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Yellowstone Volcano: Supervolcano Eruption Would Last for ‘Many Months,’ Possibly Even ‘Years’
by Zachary Stieber
Epoch Times
An eruption of the Yellowstone National Park supervolcano could last for over a year.
The park sits on top of the world’s largest active volcano, which erupted around 640,000 years ago and sent ash across most of North America.
The two other recorded eruptions are 1.3 million and 2.1 million years ago.
While discussing the effects of an eruption, supervolcano scientist Bob Smith told NBC that an eruption could last for a long time.
“These giant eruptions in Yellowstone – the supervolcano, if you wish — probably last many, many months, maybe even years,” Smith said.
This map from the U.S. Geological Service shows the range of the volcanic ash that was deposited after the biggest of the Yellowstone National Park eruptions around 2.1 million years ago. “These eruptions left behind huge volcanic depressions called “calderas” and spread volcanic ash over large parts of North America,” it said. “If another large caldera-forming eruption were to occur at Yellowstone, its effects would be worldwide. Thick ash deposits would bury vast areas of the United States, and injection of huge volumes of volcanic gases into the atmosphere could drastically affect global climate.”
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Source: http://www.riseearth.com/2014/07/yellowstone-volcano-supervolcano.html
