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Yellowstone Supervolcano Eruptions Even Bigger Than Originally Thought (csmonitor.com)

schwit1 writes: A recent study published in the Geological Society of America Bulletin identifies an area of great volcanic activity along the Snake River Plain between Oregon and Yellowstone. While scientists have long known that the supervolcano now under Yellowstone left a trail of mega-eruptions across the Pacific Northwest, an international research team has found evidence of only 12 distinct eruptions, contradicting earlier theories that the eruptions were more numerous and less extreme. "The size and magnitude of this newly defined eruption is as large, if not larger, than better known eruptions at Yellowstone," said the study's lead author, Dr. Thomas Knott, in a University of Leicester press release, "and it is just the first in an emerging record of newly discovered super-eruptions during a period of intense magmatic activity between 8 and 12 million years ago."

104 comments

  1. Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If Yellowstone blows, everything else facing mankind is bullshit in comparison.

  2. Re: Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Considering what he did to his son, I don't need that type of BDSM love.

  3. intense magmatic activity by Black+Parrot · · Score: 3, Funny

    "The size and magnitude of this newly defined eruption is as large, if not larger, than better known eruptions at Yellowstone," said the study's lead author, Dr. Thomas Knott, in a University of Leicester press release, "and it is just the first in an emerging record of newly discovered super-eruptions during a period of intense magmatic activity between 8 and 12 million years ago."

    So he's a magmatician?

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
    1. Re:intense magmatic activity by dsmatthews9379 · · Score: 1

      Yes because if he said "intense mamatic activity" he'd be a pornographer.

    2. Re:intense magmatic activity by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Yes because if he said "intense mamatic activity" he'd be a pornographer.

      Man, there have been some big eruptions in that field!

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    3. Re:intense magmatic activity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ur spelz r bad. that would be "intense mammatic activity" which would make him a mammographer.

  4. Huh? by sims+2 · · Score: 1

    At the bottom of the page it says;

    "You have a message from the operator."

    Where can I check my messages?

    --
    Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
    1. Re:Huh? by istartedi · · Score: 1

      Just dial Zero. Mabel will help you. Oh, while you're on the line with her can you let her know Sookie busted out of the pen again? Third time this week.

      --
      For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
    2. Re:Huh? by sims+2 · · Score: 1

      Funnily enough now it says;

      "Support Mental Health. Or I'll kill you."

      --
      Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
  5. Oh Sure... by oddtodd · · Score: 1

    >> the study's lead author, Dr. Thomas Knott, in a University of Leicester

    Leicester leads the Premier League and suddenly their Uni profs are claiming 'super eruptions'.

    --
    I have plenty of common sense, I just choose to ignore it. -- Calvin
  6. Re: This will make the Republicans so happy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They are the lowest level of the food chain. Most every other sentient being is more dangerous.

  7. Re: This will make the Republicans so happy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We should turn around and go home.

  8. What do you mean big? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Based on this finding, it would be a Twinkie... thirty-five feet long, weighing approximately six hundred pounds.

  9. Re:This will make the Republicans so happy by EzInKy · · Score: 1

    And here I was thinking the Islamists would be happy. Guess there really isn't much difference between "end of the world is nigh" religious types after all.

    --
    Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
  10. Re: This will make the Republicans so happy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Republucans are alone on this.

  11. Re: This will make the Republicans so happy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's just how they be.

  12. Re:This will make the Republicans so happy by EzInKy · · Score: 2

    Not really. Most Republicans, like most Democrats, are rational. The ones fapping to this are those who believe that a being supreme would only care about those who worship supreme beings. Intelligence dictates critical thinking, and critical thinking dictates questioning supreme beings.

    --
    Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
  13. Interesting impacts of Yellowstone supervolcano by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Oh dear, this article is filled with mostly trolls. Can't we please mod these all to -1 (editors, I'm looking at you) and allow the adults to have a discussion?

    The Yellowstone area is fairly unique compared with its surroundings. It receives much harsher weather in the winter and far more snow, despite other areas being at similar altitude. The mountains generally prevent a lot of Pacific moisture from reaching Wyoming and Colorado. Much of the moisture is removed as clouds and precipitation as moist air ascents the mountains; this is called upslope flow. There's a rain shadow to the east of the mountains and the air becomes progressively drier as it crosses the mountains. Yellowstone is an exception because there aren't nearly as many mountains to the west to impede the moisture. Instead, the winds usually bring the moisture to Yellowstone along the Snake River Plain. The plain is a rift valley covered with sedimentary rocks atop igneous rocks, tracing the path of the Yellowstone hotspot for millions of years. The unique geology of the region has tremendous impacts on the weather patters of the area. Additionally, there's plenty of potential for geothermal energy under the Snake River Plain. Presumably if there have been fewer major eruptions in the distant past for this hotspot, it probably means there's a longer return period for a major eruption. While it's quite unlikely that such an eruption will happen anytime soon -- and monitoring magma and seismic activity in Yellowstone supports this -- it's good to better understand the risk and return period for a major eruption.

    1. Re:Interesting impacts of Yellowstone supervolcano by bytesex · · Score: 1

      Is it not possible to 'ease' Yellowstone a little bit, by harvesting its heat? It would be a double whammy: free energy and less risk of an eruption. (Remember - I said 'ease', not 'neutralize').

      --
      Religion is what happens when nature strikes and groupthink goes wrong.
    2. Re:Interesting impacts of Yellowstone supervolcano by khallow · · Score: 1

      Is it not possible to 'ease' Yellowstone a little bit, by harvesting its heat? It would be a double whammy: free energy and less risk of an eruption. (Remember - I said 'ease', not 'neutralize').

      Sure, but it'd be an epic engineering feat. I recall estimating that the gravitational potential energy from the hotspot could be dissipated in about a century by a terawatt of geothermal power dissipation (there's still the thermal energy as well). That probably would require evaporating every scrap of water that currently flows out of the Yellowstone area. Toss in additional rainfall from the huge increase in moisture content and I think you could make it happen.

    3. Re:Interesting impacts of Yellowstone supervolcano by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When you are dealing with hundreds if not over a thousand kilometres of magma in the largest eruptions, anything we could do would be like throwing an icecube into a hottub and hoping it would freeze over.

      We could try something, but the scale of the natural process is so huge it wouldn't matter.

    4. Re:Interesting impacts of Yellowstone supervolcano by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Someday engineering projects at those energy levels will be needed in order to colonize the space. Until then, volcanoes will be a convenient training ground for us.

    5. Re:Interesting impacts of Yellowstone supervolcano by khallow · · Score: 1

      When you are dealing with hundreds if not over a thousand kilometres of magma in the largest eruptions, anything we could do would be like throwing an icecube into a hottub and hoping it would freeze over.

      We can throw some huge ice cubes and we'll probably have plenty of lead time.

  14. Re:Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequali by EzInKy · · Score: 0

    Talk about tough love!! Believe I am or die!? Sounds very much like something a human would say.

    --
    Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
  15. Re:Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequali by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    They've been telling us this for so long now that even the conspiracy theorists have latched on to it. The bottom line is nothing sells like fear. Personally I think the threat is overblown and overstated.

  16. Doomsday Numbers by Howitzer86 · · Score: 1

    "All of our numbers were way off. With the new information, we have revised the likelihood of the next eruption occurring tomorrow, and..."

  17. Re:Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequali by kuzb · · Score: 3, Funny

    Well they do keep telling us we were made in His image, so....

    I think if this is true then God isn't actually in heaven. He's in his parent's basement eating a bag of cheetos and playing Xbox.

    --
    BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
  18. Ah. slashdot... by zephvark · · Score: 1

    "Yesterday's news... today!"

    Can we leave the random tidbits to a site like Reddit, that actually posts this stuff in a timely manner? Volcanoes aren't really Slashies material to begin with. Maybe we could run with an Atari 400 article instead. It's no less grossly outdated but, it might actually be fun.

    1. Re:Ah. slashdot... by HeadSoft · · Score: 1

      Nerds also includes those with interests in geology and other sciences. I'm a computer programmer, but I'm not here just for the computer news. There are better places for "just tech news."

  19. Re:Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequali by EzInKy · · Score: 2

    I can see that. The vast majority of people are much more rationale than the "God" that religionists portray.

    --
    Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
  20. That's what Liz Phair said by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    She did.

  21. Re: This will make the Republicans so happy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yellowstone could be a mausoleum. It could be the burial place of a more advanced civilization.

  22. We're all a gonna die then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    real soon, says some yokel from some foreign sounding place.

  23. Re: This will make the Republicans so happy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    At night when I'm in my room alone, I can still feel their kind spying on me.

  24. Re: This will make the Republicans so happy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because they get off on death.

  25. Tease by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    Too bad we can't tap that energy. We could get massive power and cool down the problem magma zit at the same time.

    1. Re:Tease by RockDoctor · · Score: 1
      Sounds like a nice idea.

      But unless you've got a large supply of unobtanium drill pipe, you won't be able to get within a kilometre of the magma itself. Highest temperature manageable with modern Real World (TM) drill pipe is around 300degC, and for magma you're up in the 550+degC (depending on chemistry) So you'd cool the rocks around the magma, making it more brittle and prone to fracture.

      I'd get your liability insurance sourced from somewhere the far side of Sirius. I doubt the terrestrial insurance market could handle the hit if you triggered a Yellowstone eruption.

      Geothermal is a perfectly good thing to try ; but it's ameleorating effect on even small volcanoes is going to be trivial as well as ... fraught.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
  26. Re: This will make the Republicans so happy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Exactly. Religious people are so stupid.

  27. Re: Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequal by mattcoz · · Score: 1

    The threat is real, it will blow again. The whole "we're overdue" stuff is BS though, that's not how geology works.

  28. Re: Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Syntysts say oil is made from dinosaurs that died millions of years ago. But the world is only 5000 years old so oil was made by God for us to burn. It would be anti-Christian to suggest that burning oil as fast as we can is wrong.

  29. Holy shit by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

    It is amazing it has moved so much and yet we survived in the past 6,000 years!

    I wonder if helped caused Noah's flood with all the moisture coming out and turned several people into sulfur salts at the dead sea as described by the book of genesis!

    1. Re:Holy shit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    2. Re:Holy shit by Z00L00K · · Score: 1

      Considering that the last eruption was a long time ago - long before Homo Sapiens had appeared it's unlikely that it's the source of such stories. There have been other major events later that are more likely to have ended up in the legends. Like a break-through between the Mediterranean and Black Sea causing a flooding of the plains that are now under the surface of the Black Sea.

      --
      If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
    3. Re:Holy shit by MtViewGuy · · Score: 1

      Actually, some archaeologists suggest that many of the human Great Flood myths may have come from a memory of 12,000 years ago, when the last great Ice Age ended and the melting massive glaciers inundated vast swaths of land often at very high speed, as evidenced by the sudden emptying of the prehistoric Lake Bonneville about that time as a possible ice dam melted, sending water down what is now the Snake River Canyon.

      But getting back on topic, there is a likely possibility that modern humans may have experienced the effects of a supervolcano eruption: the eruption of the gigantic volcano at what is now Lake Toba around 75,000 years ago. That eruption--which was around 100 times bigger than the 1815 Mount Tambora eruption in what is now Indonesia--may have caused such severe weather changes that the number of larger mammals may have dramatically dropped in number, though most scientists now say that the drop in the number of humans to around 10,000 after that eruption probably didn't happen.

  30. Re:Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequali by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Trump will be our savior. He will deliver us from the democrats and cleanse this nation from the SINNERS AND GODLESS.

    Let me guess... By triggering Yellowstone artificially?

  31. Re:Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequali by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Just the thought experiment of Yellowstone blowing puts humankind in perspective.

  32. Re:Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequali by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 1

    Maybe, but that'd be a reliable way to get rid of ISIS.

    --
    Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
  33. Re: Interesting impacts of Yellowstone supervolcan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    We can build a wall around Yellowstone and make the University of Leicester pay for it.

  34. Yellowstone Eruption = Great Filter Event? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    When the Yellowstone Supervolcano erupts next it could represent a "Great Filter" event for the (modern) human race - especially if we are still earth bound.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Filter

  35. Re:Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequali by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    God loves us so much he's willing to torture us for eternity with never ending fire. Sounds like he loves us just like an abusive father "loves" their child. Someone should call Child Protective Services on God since he's such a lover of his children.

  36. Re: Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequal by Archtech · · Score: 1

    The threat is real, it will blow again. The whole "we're overdue" stuff is BS though, that's not how geology works.

    OK, "the probability of an eruption is steadily rising as time goes by". That says the same thing in "scientific" language.

    --
    I am sure that there are many other solipsists out there.
  37. Re: Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My pants are on fire, it must be divine intervention and not that I was sitting on a lit barbecue.

  38. Re:Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequali by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...So, therefore let's do what we can to trigger it? Or is it, "it doesn't matter how much we pollute because Yellowstone is a much more potent risk although it has a lower probability to occur in our lifetime". a.k.a the "Steve did it too! "defense"?

  39. Re:Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequali by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    playing Xbox.

    So that was why Adam and Eve were really cast out of the Paradise. When they started wearing clothes, all those analog controllers God loved were obscured from sight and couldn't be easily nibbled.

  40. Re:Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequali by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You know, I was thinking it wouldn't be that bad. The 1815 Mount Tambora eruption in Indonesia was the biggest eruption in historical times and was ~160km^3 of eruption products. There were major climate disruptions for a few years with crop failures and other effects ("the year without a summer"). That's what a global-scale eruption looks like. Sure, the ash doesn't rain down on you in most parts of the world, but the climate effects do.

    One of the ignimbrite deposits documented in that paper from Idaho has a volume of ~1900km^3 and is in some places over 1000m thick. A single eruptive deposit. Wow. Even with adjustments for an ignimbrite being a bit lower density (takes it down to "only" 1870km^3) hat's a whole other level. The largest of the Yellowstone eruption deposits (~2 million years ago) is a similar scale.
    The Earth is harsh. Thankfully these sorts of events are rare.

  41. Re: Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I found that the Bible is FAR more interesting when read in original Greek and Hebrew. You learn fun things like:

    The word "Lucifer" never occurs at all (it's Latin, after all). The associated title "Morning Star" occurs only twice: once as part of a list of titles being applied to the king of Bablyon before his fall, and once by Jesus, who says "I am the Morning Star."

    The word "Trinity" never occurs at all (that is true of the English version too, though).

    The "holy spirit" is actually properly rendered "holy breath", and is never referred to as "he," but rather using a gender-neutral pronoun that means "it".

    Jesus never once said the word "hell." He did make several obviously allegorical references to the valley that Jerusalem used as the city dump, however.

    "Satan" is not a name, and is never used as a proper name. It means "obstacle" or "opposer," and occurs many times throughout the text in that context (and is properly translated, so English readers don't even know the word is there). In a few specific places, it is used as a title, literally "The Opposer" or "The Accuser", and is incorrectly transliterated to English without the article. Also, in all cases, the being isn't an enemy of God, but actually works exclusively and obediently under God's orders.

    I could go on....but basically, reading the Bible in its original language completely destroys the founding doctrines of Fundamentalist Christianity. Or rather, it makes it clear that none of those doctrines are Biblical.

  42. Yellowstone Triggered Ice Age by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The enormous ejectae in the form of gases and particulates from super volcanic activity such as Yellowstone,
    permeate the atmosphere for very long periods of time, and block solar radiation which in turn cools the Earth.

    Over the past 1 million years the Earth has witnessed several ice ages;
    the largest occurring 640,000 years ago.

    Yellowstone blew big time.. 640,000 years ago.

    640,000 years ago = Quaternary mass extinction event

    Cold Kills!

    1. Re:Yellowstone Triggered Ice Age by khallow · · Score: 1

      640,000 years ago = Quaternary mass extinction event

      There wasn't a significant mass extinction event then. In fact, there hasn't been a significant one during the entire known lifespan of the Yellowstone hotspot.

    2. Re:Yellowstone Triggered Ice Age by BranMan · · Score: 1

      640,000 years should be enough for anyone!

  43. Re:Megatord! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Sander's is the closest the U.S. has ever come to electing someone who isn't dedicated to funneling the labor of 99% into the coffers of the 1%.

    The problem is, socialism tries to accomplish that by destroying any way for that 99% to become part of the 1%. Making everyone (except the 1% - more on that) equal by punishing success doesn't work. Ask Venezuela. Ask Greece. Or Detroit. Hell ask the Soviet Union - oh wait, you can't. It failed so bad it's fucking gone.

    And socialism hardly does anything to get rid of the 1% - after all, who better to tell the 99% how to live than the "deserving" 1% - especially if the 1% is mostly sheltered whites with a few token brown people tossed in? Limousine liberals are hardly giving up their Manhattan condos or their CA homes to us unwashed masses.

  44. Re: Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequal by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

    That's OK.

    Turns out the whole concept of virgin birth was just a typo.

    --
    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  45. Re:Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequali by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

    God loves us so much he's willing to torture us for eternity with never ending fire. Sounds like he loves us just like an abusive father "loves" their child. Someone should call Child Protective Services on God since he's such a lover of his children.

    Men rarely (if ever) manage to dream up a God superior to themselves. Most Gods have the manners and morals of a spoiled child.
    [Robert Heinlein, "Notebooks of Lazarus Long," from Time Enough for Love (1973).]

    --
    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  46. Re:Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequali by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · · Score: 1

    We must BURN OIL to fulfill the holy WILL OF GOD. <-1 Troll>

    C'mon, you guys, that's some funny shit! Lighten up!

  47. Re:Megatord! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why not ask most of Europe - save the UK, which certainly haven't been known for it's economic wonders and lack of economical inequalities the last 100 years or so? And why drag in the USSR, it never was socialist to begin with.. oh wait. That *really* wouldn't suit your prejudices and agenda, would it..?

  48. Re:Megatord! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    you clearly are talking about communism. your word choice indicates your level of ignorance.

  49. Re: Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The word "Lucifer" never occurs at all (it's Latin, after all).

    As fascinating as your observation is, I'm sure there are many other examples of non-Hebrew and non-Greek words not being employed in the original Hebrew and Greek texts.

  50. Re: Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequal by sudon't · · Score: 1

    I could go on....but basically, reading the Bible in its original language completely destroys the founding doctrines of Fundamentalist Christianity. Or rather, it makes it clear that none of those doctrines are Biblical.

    Please. We're talking about religion here, where anything goes. Literally, anything. It's a topic on which people are willing to be completely credulous about imaginary stuff. You can't talk about translations or accretions to people who believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, nor do they care where their doctrine came from, nor how contradictory their theology is. Logic has no place here.

    --
    -- sudon't

    Air-ride Equipped

  51. Re: Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequal by mrchaotica · · Score: 1

    That's true, but the fact that the uncertainty in the measurement is much larger than its rate of change means that it isn't a very useful statement.

    --

    "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

  52. Re:Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequali by irrational_design · · Score: 1

    Not if, but when.

  53. Re:Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequali by doccus · · Score: 1

    But do I have to worry today? No? OK then.. back to what I was doing... :-)

  54. Re: Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequal by wyHunter · · Score: 1

    Rather like the probably of your death rises as you go through life - never mind there's always a 100% probability of death.

  55. Comment by WallyL · · Score: 1

    Even bigger than originally thought? Voting will now commence in the House on renaming it "The Yellowstone Super-supervolcano."

  56. Re:Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequali by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    DORITOS, please!

    Cheetos are more the purview of the GameBoy demographic.

  57. Re:Climate change, AI robots, ISIS, econ. inequali by wardrich86 · · Score: 1

    ISIS > ICE IS > ICE.

    With this breakthrough epiphany, we can further slow the eruption of Yellowstone by cooling its inner temperature down. How? Simple! Regular "Donations" of ISIS members, deposited through the top like a piggy bank.