3.1 Earthquake from Yellowstone Super Volcano

A moderate Magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck near the Yellowstone Super Volcano early today; the 137th earthquake in that region in 30 days! The quake struck at 12:35 AM eastern US time, at a VERY shallow depth of only 4.1 km (2.4 miles).

For those who may not be familiar, Yellowstone is not merely a volcano, it is a super-volcano. There are only fourteen super-volcanoes on the planet, and 13 of those are under oceans. Yellowstone is the ONLY super-volcano on the planet situated on dry land.

The comparison chart below is worth a thousand words. It shows the size of various volcanic eruptions, and truly conveys how utterly terrifying Yellowstone is. If it actually erupted, it would utterly destroy everything within five hundred miles. Nothing would survive; not buildings, not vehicles, not trees, plants, animals or humans. Everything within 500 miles would be destroyed within minutes! Within 3 days, two-thirds of the entire United States would be covered in layers of Volcanic ash of varying depths. Crops and livestock would be wiped out in most of the country. Water would be poisoned. The weather would be altered for 50 years or more.

Yellowstone Compared

In 1980, Mt. Saint Helens erupted in Washington state. Many of us remember that, it was staggeringly large. But Mt. Saint Helens is the equivalent of an ant compared to Yellowstone.

In the graphic below, the 1980 Mt. Saint Helens eruption is at the far right . . . . a tiny little pin dot. Yellowstone is the two spheres at the far LEFT. Put simply, Yellowstone would erupt TWO-THOUSAND TIMES LARGER than Mt. St. Helens!

According to the US Geological Survey, the Volcanic Ash from a Yellowstone Eruption would affect the areas shown on the map below:

The red-colored "Initial Kill Zone" is exactly that: Everyone and everything within that huge geographic area would be dead or destroyed.

The brownish colored "Hot Ash Zone" is where pretty-much everything would be set on fire from the hot volcanic ash raining down from the sky.

The Yellow-colored area would be hit with varying layers of ash. Some areas would be OK. Others would not. It literally depends upon which way the wind is blowing.

INCREASING QUAKE ACTIVITY

As mentioned earlier, today's quake is the 137th earthquake in that area within the last 30 days. Activity is increasing. Not only is the number of quakes increasing, the SIZE of the quakes are increasing.

While there is no way to accurately forecast a major eruption, scientists tell us that prior to anything really big taking place, there would be a "swarm" of earthquakes in and around the volcano. They believe we would have a few days warning; or that's what they HOPE we will have!

There is no need to panic and no need to evacuate. If that changes, authorities will convey appropriate information, so don't go off half-cocked over this report and start worrying.

Just be aware that this earthquake took place, and pay attention.

If you have to leave in a hurry, you'd better have a plan, an evacuation route and emergency supplies to keep you alive while you're on the move.

Don't panic. Plan.