The End Of The World Is Not Nigh

Jul 26 2010

I was just doing some research on Yellowstone National Park and the supervolcanic activity there:

Volcanic eruptions can’t be predicted, and scientists wonder when Yellowstone will blow again. According to LiveScience, the caldera last blew up about 600,000 years ago.

Projections suggest that such an eruption would be catastrophic to most of the United States, with half the country being “covered in ash up to 3 feet deep,” LiveScience says, adding, “But those same researchers say nothing suggests such an eruption is imminent. They point out, however, that Yellowstone seems to blow its top about every 600,000 years.”

Wait! We shouldn’t worry because Yellowstone blows only every 600,000 years, but the last time it blew was 600,000 years ago? Why should I not be crapping my pants right now?!

(So says the guy sitting on the San Andreas.)

Source.

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