The northern Rocky Mountains would be coated in meters of ash, researchers detail

Aug 28, 2014 20:57 GMT  ·  By
Researchers say that a Yellowstone supereruption would coat North America in ash
   Researchers say that a Yellowstone supereruption would coat North America in ash

Researchers with the American Geophysical Union claim that, were the Yellowstone National Park to go through a supereruption in this day and age, this not-so-little fit would translate into ash being dumped all over North America.

Granted, cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami would only be coated in a few millimeters of ash. The northern Rocky Mountains, on the other hand, would be engulfed by a meters-thick blanket of volcanic material.

Simply put, it would be Pompeii all over again. Plus some fried-up electronic systems, shut down air travel, and pulverized cars and air conditioning units, to be more precise.

Writing in the journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, specialists with the American Geophysical Union detail that, as shown by recent investigations, Yellowstone's volcano is fueled by a massive reservoir of hot and molten rock.

The Yellowstone Caldera erupted in a fairly aggressive manner several times in the past, i.e. 2.1 million, 1.3 million and 640,000 years ago. Were it to erupt again, specialists estimated that it could cough out a whopping 1,000 cubic kilometers (240 cubic miles) of volcanic material.

This material would be ejected in the form of a cloud shaped like an umbrella, which would eventually expand in all directions and eventually engulf North America. Specifically, ash could be sent flying over distances of over 1,500 kilometers (932 miles).

Interestingly enough, scientists say that, due to the force of the initial blast, the cloud of volcanic material could travel faster than the speed of local winds for several days in a row. “In essence, the eruption makes its own winds,” says Larry Mastin.

The good news is that, at least for the time being, folks in North America don't have to worry about such a doomsday scenario. Thus, American Geophysical Union scientists wish to stress that a supereruption at Yellowstone is extremely unlikely.

In fact, they say that the only reason they started talking about a Yellowstone supereruption in the first place was that they wanted to test a new model for calculating ash distribution following volcanic eruptions. The model, dubbed Ash3D, can be used to determine how an eruption will affect one region or another.

The model also provides valuable information concerning previous massive eruptions at Yellowstone National Park and their aftermath. As geologist Larry Mastin puts it, “This helps explain the distribution from large Yellowstone eruptions of the past, where considerable amounts of ash reached the west coast.”

“These model developments have greatly enhanced our ability to anticipate possible effects from both large and small eruptions, wherever they occur,” study co-author Jacob Lowenstern further explains the need to carry out research projects of this kind.