What could this mean for Yellowstone?

[greeng13]

Toba is on Sumatra, and the 9.0 was just off shore

St Helens will not even look like a hiccup. Krakatoa will be the hiccup. Tambora, which prevented there from being a summer in 1815 from a VEI-7 eruption will seem like a minor nuisance

as an aside, I wonder if that eruption was what caused Noah's flood, as after that eruption, there is a large DNA bottleneck. Maybe the flood came from the obviously large tsunami that nobody has probably ever seen before that would have occurred with the super eruption, especially when the Caldera collapsed, not to mention the intense rainfall from all of the additional CCN in the atmosphere

Maybe that was the flood for Noah's Ark!

There's the Cumbre Vieja volcano located on La Palma, the Canary Islands which one side of the volcano is becoming detached from it. This was a source of discussion after the Indonesian tsunami as being a potential threat to the East Coast of the United States should she blow and that side falls into the ocean.

if i am not mistaken i do not even think it needs to "blow"...i think it just needs an earthquake of significant size/magnitude

[Stephanie]

I think you're right greeng13.

[brunota2003]

ok...if that doesnt give you an example of how bad it will be if she were to pull a worst case eruption, which according to the USGS is very unlikely as it will most likely be smaller, then nothing will until it happens...

[brunota2003]

here is another good graphic:

Eruptions of the Yellowstone volcanic system have included the two largest volcanic eruptions in North America in the past few million years; the third largest was at Long Valley in California and produced the Bishop ash bed. The biggest of the Yellowstone eruptions occurred 2.1 million years ago, depositing the Huckleberry Ridge ash bed. These eruptions left behind huge volcanic depressions called “calderas” and spread volcanic ash over large parts of North America (see map). If another large caldera-forming eruption were to occur at Yellowstone, its effects would be worldwide. Thick ash deposits would bury vast areas of the United States, and injection of huge volumes of volcanic gases into the atmosphere could drastically affect global climate. Fortunately, the Yellowstone volcanic system shows no signs that it is headed toward such an eruption in the near future. In fact, the probability of any such event occurring at Yellowstone within the next few thousand years is exceedingly low.

Is it scary yet? Also, check out the Long Valley Caldera...I have heard of it...have you?

[brunota2003]

As for the earthquake its self...this is one I would be worried about if it occured...

The Yellowstone National Park region produces about 2,000 earthquakes each year. Most of these quakes are too small to be felt, but they reflect the active nature of the region, one of the most seismically active areas in the United States.

The most powerful earthquake in Yellowstone’s recent history occurred in 1959. This quake was centered near Hebgen Lake, just west of the park, and had a magnitude (M) of 7.5. The Hebgen Lake earthquake killed 28 people-26 in a huge landslide triggered by the quake-and caused $11 million in damage (about $70 million in 2005 dollars). Numerous structures and roads in the region were severely damaged when hillsides collapsed, gaping cracks opened in the ground, and large blocks of rock were displaced.

The Hebgen Lake quake caused widespread changes in Yellowstone-roads were closed throughout the area, some geysers stopped erupting, and others were newly formed or came back to life after years of dormancy. Also, the Old Faithful Inn was strongly shaken-pipes broke, a chimney collapsed, and the inn had to be evacuated.

You can read everything here and more at this link: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2005/3024/