The Yellowstone Volcano Theory That Would Change Everything
By S. FLANNAGAN
and TYLER MACDONALD
History - Science
The beautiful geysers and springs of Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park are the result of active subterranean volcanoes that last erupted 640,000 years ago. Some claim that these volcanoes are going to erupt again soon, creating a cataclysmic “volcanic winter” that will end humanity as we know it.
Further rumors state that the U.S. government is already making contingency plans for the eruption by offering the African National Congress $100 million to build future shelters for displaced Americans. In 2017, it was even reported that NASA was looking at ways to prevent the eruption by “cooling down” the volcanoes via water pumps.
However, actual experts confirm that the Yellowstone “supervolcano” (or more accurately, caldera complex) is unlikely to erupt anytime soon. It has only erupted thrice in over 2 million years, which isn’t enough to establish any “schedule,” and even when it does erupt, it’s more likely to be a lava flow confined to the immediate area.