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Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Yellowstone is bigger

Well, I always thought that it was big, in an ill-defined sort of way.  But apparently it is even larger than that.

Yellowstone supervolcano 'even more colossal'
Rebecca Morrella, BBC News, 10 December 2013 (hat tip: NC)
The supervolcano that lies beneath Yellowstone National Park in the US is far larger than was previously thought, scientists report.
A study shows that the magma chamber is about 2.5 times bigger than earlier estimates suggested.
A team found the cavern stretches for more than 90km (55 miles) and contains 200-600 cubic km of molten rock.
I live somewhat downwind of a nuclear power plant, so I am not immune to locality based impending doom.
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4 comments:

  1. SpudDecember 19, 2013 at 5:39 AM

    Wonder if any thought has been given as to the chance it has grown since last estimate....

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  2. James M DakinDecember 19, 2013 at 3:29 PM

    I wonder if Gore Warming made it bigger?

    ReplyDelete
  3. russell1200December 19, 2013 at 7:04 PM

    Spud: A good point. I am presuming based on the wording that they are not using new/unique data points, just reassessing the known. In either case, the bang is bigger.

    ReplyDelete
  4. russell1200December 19, 2013 at 7:05 PM

    James: Hot air rises, so I don't think it would influence geological process, but it might have an influence on the ozone layer.

    ReplyDelete