Is Yellowstone’s Supervolcano About to Erupt? Or Is This a ‘Blatantly False Rumor?’

Some news sources say the “supervolcano” underneath Yellowstone National Park is due to erupt anytime. And that it could destroy humanity.

Other sources say this volcano will erupt at some point, but will give decades of warning before it does.

Some even report the whole thing a “blatantly false rumor.”

So, who to believe? As with anything else, the best way to approach it is to discover the facts and base our judgment on them.

‘Worldwide Hunger’ Could Follow

To get a better grip on what might happen in the future, it’s wise to take a look at what occurred in the past.

Business Insider tells us that the volcano under Yellowstone erupts approximately every 600,000 years. And that it’s been about that long since it last erupted.

They say that such an eruption would create worldwide hunger and panic. Not to mention a volcanic winter. Which means the cooling of the lower atmosphere.

It quotes a United Nations official as saying that such an eruption would leave us with food reserves for only 74 days.

‘It Will Erupt Again.’ But When?

A USA Today article tells a slightly different story. It acknowledges that the last super eruption from this volcano in Wyoming (and parts of Montana and Utah) occurred about 631,000 years ago.

The eruption spewed 241 cubic miles of pulverized rock and ash into the atmosphere. And covered nearly one-half of the country in powdery residue.

Michael Poland, a head scientist at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, said this: “It’s an active volcano. It will erupt again.”

But other scientists studying this volcano say the underground system will probably give decades of warning before it blows. They say it’s unlikely to happen for thousands of years.

‘Zero Signs It Will Erupt’

On the opposite end, Forbes provides a completely different look at this. They say that the volcano under Yellowstone is only the 21st most potentially hazardous volcano in the United States.

In fact, it’s been ranked No. 21 by the United States Geological Survey’s National Volcanic Threat Assessment since 2005.

Mount Rainier in the state of Washington and Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano are bigger potentials to erupt, according to the assessment.

The Forbes article states that when it comes to Yellowstone, “there are zero signs that it will erupt in the near future.”

NASA Has a Plan to Save Us

No matter what source you believe, here’s what might be the most interesting part. If indeed the volcano under Yellowstone shows signs of erupting soon, NASA has a plan to stop it.

Heat inside a volcano is what causes it to erupt. The hotter it is, the more gases are produced. When the heat melts the magma, the area above the magma chamber rises.

Then, when the heat reaches a certain temperature, the volcano erupts and mass destruction follows. As we saw in Hawaii recently.

Logically, the way to stop this would be to cool the inside of the volcano. But how would that be possible within such a huge force of nature?

Cold Water Is the Answer

You could do it if you had enough cold water. But the expenses for the mass amounts of water and forcing it uphill to spill into the volcano would be astronomical.

NASA’s alternative idea is to drill into the sides of the volcano. Then pump water down under high pressure.

Theoretically, that would lower the volcano’s temperature slowly over time. The downside would be the estimated at $3.46 billion it would be to get that to happen.

On the other hand, they might manage to create a geothermal plant in the process. And that would generate electrical power that could offset that.

One Thing We Can Count On

So, what have we learned today? We’ve learned that the volcano under Yellowstone may or may not erupt eventually.

It could be tomorrow. Or it could be in thousands of years. Or it may never happen.

What are your thoughts? When do you think Yellowstone will erupt? Let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.