WEBVTT - What Would Happen If Yellowstone's Supervolcano Erupted?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Bogabam. Here A Yellowstone isn't just an American treasure.

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<v Speaker 1>It's the world's oldest national park. Established in eighteen seventy two,

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<v Speaker 1>Yellowstone stretches across three thousand, four hundred and seventy two

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<v Speaker 1>square miles that's eight thousand, nine and eighty seven square

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<v Speaker 1>kilometers in three states. The park welcomes around three million

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<v Speaker 1>visitors a year, who flocked to the area to take

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<v Speaker 1>in a stunning natural landscape that includes the Old Faithful

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<v Speaker 1>Geyser and a plethora of hiking trails, mountain peaks, and

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<v Speaker 1>hot springs. And that's not even to mention the variety

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<v Speaker 1>of wildlife that calls the park home, including grizzly bears, moose, elk, beavers,

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<v Speaker 1>and bighorn sheep. Below the surface of this outdoor paradise

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<v Speaker 1>lurks another natural wonder, however, one that has the potential

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<v Speaker 1>to wipe the park off the map. The Yellowstone Supervolcano

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<v Speaker 1>is a massive source of granitic magma that rests miles

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<v Speaker 1>under the park's surface. Although it's not likely to erupt

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<v Speaker 1>anytime soon, a full explosion would be bad news for

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<v Speaker 1>nature enthusiasts and a slew of folks anywhere near the park.

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<v Speaker 1>If the Yellowstone supervolcano were to erupt, it would happen

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<v Speaker 1>like this. The heat rising from deep within the planet's

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<v Speaker 1>core would begin to melt the molten rock just below

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<v Speaker 1>the ground surface. That would create a mixture of magma, rocks, vapor,

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<v Speaker 1>carbon dioxide, and other gases. As the mix amast and

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<v Speaker 1>rose over the course of thousands of years, the pressure

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<v Speaker 1>would eventually push the ground up into a dome shape

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<v Speaker 1>and create cracks along the edges. As that pressure was

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<v Speaker 1>released through the cracks, the dissolved gases would explode, emptying

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<v Speaker 1>the magma across the park. The eruption could be expected

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<v Speaker 1>to kill as many as ninety thou people immediately and

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<v Speaker 1>spread a ten foot that's three meter layer of molten

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<v Speaker 1>ash as far as a thousand miles from the park.

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<v Speaker 1>That's about six kilometers and far enough to cover from

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<v Speaker 1>the California coast all the way to Dallas, Texas and Minneapolis, Minnesota,

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<v Speaker 1>and north to Edmonton, Canada. Rescuers would probably have a

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<v Speaker 1>tough time getting in there. The ash would block off

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<v Speaker 1>all points of entry from the ground and The spread

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<v Speaker 1>of ash and gases into the atmosphere would stop most

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<v Speaker 1>air travel, just as it did when a much smaller

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<v Speaker 1>volcano erupted in Iceland. Equally frightening would be the winter

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<v Speaker 1>that some experts say could blanket the United States and

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<v Speaker 1>other parts of the world. If Yellowstone were to blow,

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<v Speaker 1>Sulfur gases released from the volcano would spring into the

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<v Speaker 1>atmosphere and mix with the planet's water vapor. The haze

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<v Speaker 1>of gas that could drape various areas wouldn't just in

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<v Speaker 1>the sunlight. It would also cool temperatures. Falling temperatures and

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<v Speaker 1>a dimmed sun would do a number on our food supply,

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<v Speaker 1>decimating crops and throwing the whole food chain out of whack.

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<v Speaker 1>After all, if sun dependent plants and microorganisms can't grow,

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<v Speaker 1>then larger organisms can't eat them. In fact, that's what

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<v Speaker 1>many climate scientists believe happened in five C after a

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<v Speaker 1>supervolcano erupted in what's now Java. The good news is

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<v Speaker 1>that an eruption of this scale isn't likely in any

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<v Speaker 1>of our lifetimes. Yellowstone last erupted about sixty thousand years ago,

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<v Speaker 1>and the U S Geological Survey says that the probability

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<v Speaker 1>that it'll blow its top again is about zero point

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<v Speaker 1>zero zero zero one each year. Today's episode is based

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<v Speaker 1>on the article what of the Yellowstone Supervolcano erupted? On

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<v Speaker 1>how Stuff Work stock Com, written by John Donovan. Brain

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<v Speaker 1>how stuff Works dot Com and is produced by Tyler Clang.

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