Yellowstone Super-Volcano

The super-volcano in Yellowstone National Park has been talked about many times throughout the years, but what exactly is it? The volcano erupted many years ago which people may not have known about. For example, the first major eruption was about 2.1 million years ago and ash covered 5,790 square miles of area (Fitzgerald, 2023). Then the most recent eruption was about 640,000 years ago and the eruption caused the ground to collapse which then revealed the caldera that can be seen on a map of the park today overall.

However, two main concerns currently for the super-volcano right now are hydrothermal explosions and earthquakes. Both of these are common for this particular area and are usually approached with caution if they happen. Hydrothermal explosions are geysers in Yellowstone that shoot up with hot water and rock which are more likely to injure or kill people in Yellowstone than wildlife encounters (Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, 2019). The earthquakes that happen in Yellowstone are usually weak ones that have a magnitude of 2.0 or below but happen quite often. Therefore, the chances of the Yellowstone super-volcano erupting are slim to none, but it is the worst-case scenario.

Yellowstone Magma System

About 16.5 million years ago the North American plate helped create a volcanic system along a mantle plume called the Snake River Plain (Huang et. al, 2015). This volcanic system that was created is a mixture of Basalt and Rhyolite which are two different types of volcanic rocks that are silica-based. The Yellowstone Volcanic Field is a hotspot due to a very high rate of earthquakes in this area that is located on the eastern portion of the Snake River Plain itself (2015). This area has multiple earthquakes due to the constant movement of the magma and the hydrothermal energy which causes the Yellowstone geysers to go off.

What Happens if The Yellowstone Volcano Erupts?

Even though the chances of Yellowstone having a major eruption again are low there are many things to be aware of that can affect our lives if it were to happen. Volcanic eruptions can become deadly no matter what. Whether it be due to the eruption itself, possible earthquakes that come with it, lava flows, ash, or tsunamis if the area is prone to them. Then if the eruptions are strong enough they can form more calderas. If the Yellowstone Super-Volcano were to erupt, one big issue is it could change the climate around the world. We are already dealing with global warming and the effects of climate change which volcanic eruptions can partially contribute to if they release Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere. The Carbon Dioxide that is from a volcano though can usually impact the Earth and Atmosphere less than Carbon Dioxide from burning fuels or emissions. However, volcanoes eject aerosols into the atmosphere. Sulfate aerosols can cool the atmosphere which could be beneficial to combat any global warming, but it can deplete the ozone layer as well. The ozone layer is needed to protect the Earth's surface from radiation from the sun. Another concern from a Yellowstone eruption is pyroclastic flows. Pyroclastic flows contain lava, pumice, ash, and volcanic gases which can move very fast going down a slope and can cause destruction to anything in its path. However, the areas that would be affected by the pyroclastic flows coming from the Yellowstone Super-Volcano would be Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming since they are closest to the volcano (USGS). Lastly, a much larger concern if the eruption happened would be volcanic ash itself. Volcanic ash can be hazardous on many levels due to what is in it chemically and can spread for thousands of miles. If we think back to what happened during the eruption in Pompeii then we know what could happen with the Yellowstone Super-Volcano. However, after scientists looked into the distribution of ash fall from this type of eruption within the United States using a model for transport and dispersion a different conclusion was drawn from it (Mastin et al., 2014). The scientists used the Ash3d model for simulated eruptions that would last either three days, one week, or one month. They found out that the umbrella ash cloud produced by the Yellowstone Super-Volcano could deposit ash in the Northern Rocky Mountains, Northern Midwest, East Coast, West Coast, and near the Gulf of Mexico. However, the largest ash cloud deposit would be in the Northern Rockies due to how close it is in proximity to Yellowstone (2014).

Volcano Monitoring Technology

I think to monitor the chances of a large eruption in Yellowstone there should be certain tools used for this. For example, scientists could look at the geophysical or geochemical signals for a volcanic eruption. Some of these signals could be plate tectonics, volcanic processes, hydrothermal processes like with the geysers, measuring volcanic gas levels, or looking at the time from other eruptions. In some countries like Iceland for example has a high amount of volcanic activity, scientists usually measure the volcanic gases to see if there is an imminent eruption at all. However, doing this can be difficult if you aren't wearing the right protective gear or know how to do it. Sometimes, earthquakes can also measure the chances of an eruption in a certain area as well. However, according to an article the issue surrounding trying to monitor a volcano is people aren't that familiar with how volcanoes work especially with how to determine a large or small eruption (Lowenstern et al., 2006). A better way to monitor volcanic activity is by using technology. One type of tool that scientists have found out they can use is a Semipermanent GPS. This type of GPS also known as SPGPS is an alternative for a type of surveying GPS that can help monitor ground deformation (Dzurisin et al., 2017). Since this GPS can be used for ground deformation that means it could be used to look at a volcano since a Caldera is a crater that is formed when the ground collapses due to a volcanic eruption. Using a Semipermanent GPS can overall help provide spatial and temporal data that could look at more data around tectonic or magmatic processes to determine hazards for an area where there is a volcano (2017).

How to Warn People of an Eruption

If there is an eruption that could happen at the Yellowstone Super-Volcano then there needs to be some type of warning system to evacuate and alert anyone. Recent warning systems didn't work that well, but in 2006 the USGS created a warning system that could potentially help (Fearnley et al., 2012). A research study was done for a standardized USGS Volcano Alert System (VALS). This study was done at a few sites that had potential volcanic activity with Yellowstone National Park being one of them. After the alert system was tested and researched scientists concluded that the system didn't help with the actual scientific needs of a volcanic area and it is difficult to use because it doesn't help identify the type of volcanic hazards might be (2012). This means that the VALS wasn't as effective as scientists had hoped. However, I think a proper alert system should help determine what volcanic hazards are there, when they will happen, and where.

In the end, the Yellowstone Super-Volcano isn't a full threat right now for a big eruption. However, if an eruption were to happen there should be good technology to detect it and then alert anyone in surrounding areas to evacuate. Geographic Information Technologies play a big part in a lot of things overall especially with volcanoes and the mapping of different eruptions or hotspots.

Citations

Dzurisin, D., Lisowski, M., & Wicks, C. W. (2017). Semipermanent GPS (SPGPS) as a volcano monitoring tool: Rationale, method, and applications. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 344, 40–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2017.03.007

Fearnley, C. J., McGuire, W. J., Davies, G., & Twigg, J. (2012). Standardisation of the USGS Volcano Alert Level System (VALS): analysis and ramifications. Bulletin of Volcanology, 74(9), 2023–2036. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-012-0645-6

Fitzgerald, E. (2023, February 6). Yellowstone Supervolcano revealed. Yellowstone Forever. https://www.yellowstone.org/yellowstone-supervolcano-revealed/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIspyssOT4ggMViFxHAR1h1AjFEAAYASAAEgKE0fD_BwE

Huang, H.-H., Lin, F.-C., Schmandt, B., Farrell, J., Smith, R. B., & Tsai, V. C. (2015). The Yellowstone magmatic system from the mantle plume to the upper crust. Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), 348(6236), 773–776. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaa5648

Lowenstern, J. B., Smith, R. B., & Hill, D. P. (2006). Monitoring super-volcanoes: geophysical and geochemical signals at Yellowstone and other large caldera systems. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences, 364(1845), 2055–2072. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2006.1813

Mastin, L. G., Van Eaton, A. R., & Lowenstern, J. B. (2014). Modeling ash fall distribution from a Yellowstone supereruption. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems : G3, 15(8), 3459–3475. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GC005469

USGS. (n.d.). What would happen if a “supervolcano” eruption occurred again at Yellowstone? What would happen if a “supervolcano” eruption occurred again at Yellowstone? | U.S. Geological Survey. https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-would-happen-if-a-supervolcano-eruption-occurred-again-yellowstone

Volcano Hazards Program. (n.d.). Volcanoes can affect climate. Volcanoes Can Affect Climate | U.S. Geological Survey. https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanoes-can-affect-climate#:~:text=Injected%20ash%20falls%20rapidly%20from,potential%20to%20promote%20global%20warming.

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. (2019, June 10). The real hazards of Yellowstone: U.S. geological survey. The Real Hazards of Yellowstone | U.S. Geological Survey. https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/news/real-hazards-yellowstone