1 00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey brain Stuff, 2 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:12,760 Speaker 1: Lauren Bogabam. Here A Yellowstone isn't just an American treasure. 3 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:18,120 Speaker 1: It's the world's oldest national park. Established in eighteen seventy two, 4 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:22,120 Speaker 1: Yellowstone stretches across three thousand, four hundred and seventy two 5 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:25,480 Speaker 1: square miles that's eight thousand, nine and eighty seven square 6 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:29,920 Speaker 1: kilometers in three states. The park welcomes around three million 7 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:32,920 Speaker 1: visitors a year, who flocked to the area to take 8 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:36,640 Speaker 1: in a stunning natural landscape that includes the Old Faithful 9 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 1: Geyser and a plethora of hiking trails, mountain peaks, and 10 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: hot springs. And that's not even to mention the variety 11 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:48,800 Speaker 1: of wildlife that calls the park home, including grizzly bears, moose, elk, beavers, 12 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 1: and bighorn sheep. Below the surface of this outdoor paradise 13 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:59,320 Speaker 1: lurks another natural wonder, however, one that has the potential 14 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 1: to wipe the park off the map. The Yellowstone Supervolcano 15 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: is a massive source of granitic magma that rests miles 16 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:11,199 Speaker 1: under the park's surface. Although it's not likely to erupt 17 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 1: anytime soon, a full explosion would be bad news for 18 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: nature enthusiasts and a slew of folks anywhere near the park. 19 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:23,959 Speaker 1: If the Yellowstone supervolcano were to erupt, it would happen 20 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 1: like this. The heat rising from deep within the planet's 21 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 1: core would begin to melt the molten rock just below 22 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:35,880 Speaker 1: the ground surface. That would create a mixture of magma, rocks, vapor, 23 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:40,760 Speaker 1: carbon dioxide, and other gases. As the mix amast and 24 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: rose over the course of thousands of years, the pressure 25 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: would eventually push the ground up into a dome shape 26 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 1: and create cracks along the edges. As that pressure was 27 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: released through the cracks, the dissolved gases would explode, emptying 28 00:01:56,120 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 1: the magma across the park. The eruption could be expected 29 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 1: to kill as many as ninety thou people immediately and 30 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: spread a ten foot that's three meter layer of molten 31 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 1: ash as far as a thousand miles from the park. 32 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 1: That's about six kilometers and far enough to cover from 33 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 1: the California coast all the way to Dallas, Texas and Minneapolis, Minnesota, 34 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 1: and north to Edmonton, Canada. Rescuers would probably have a 35 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:26,560 Speaker 1: tough time getting in there. The ash would block off 36 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:29,400 Speaker 1: all points of entry from the ground and The spread 37 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:32,400 Speaker 1: of ash and gases into the atmosphere would stop most 38 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: air travel, just as it did when a much smaller 39 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 1: volcano erupted in Iceland. Equally frightening would be the winter 40 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:45,360 Speaker 1: that some experts say could blanket the United States and 41 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 1: other parts of the world. If Yellowstone were to blow, 42 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:52,520 Speaker 1: Sulfur gases released from the volcano would spring into the 43 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:56,880 Speaker 1: atmosphere and mix with the planet's water vapor. The haze 44 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:00,079 Speaker 1: of gas that could drape various areas wouldn't just in 45 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 1: the sunlight. It would also cool temperatures. Falling temperatures and 46 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 1: a dimmed sun would do a number on our food supply, 47 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:11,359 Speaker 1: decimating crops and throwing the whole food chain out of whack. 48 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 1: After all, if sun dependent plants and microorganisms can't grow, 49 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 1: then larger organisms can't eat them. In fact, that's what 50 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: many climate scientists believe happened in five C after a 51 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 1: supervolcano erupted in what's now Java. The good news is 52 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:34,119 Speaker 1: that an eruption of this scale isn't likely in any 53 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: of our lifetimes. Yellowstone last erupted about sixty thousand years ago, 54 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 1: and the U S Geological Survey says that the probability 55 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 1: that it'll blow its top again is about zero point 56 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: zero zero zero one each year. Today's episode is based 57 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: on the article what of the Yellowstone Supervolcano erupted? On 58 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 1: how Stuff Work stock Com, written by John Donovan. Brain 59 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: Stuff is production of by Heart Radio in partnership with 60 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:07,000 Speaker 1: how stuff Works dot Com and is produced by Tyler Clang. 61 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: Four more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the i heart 62 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:12,880 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 63 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: favorite shows.