While a Yellowstone eruption would definitely be a cause for concern, it would be unlikely to cause human extinction. A current earthquake swarm in Yellowstone caldera reactivated an ancient fault formed during the last supervolcano eruption 631,000 years ago. The supervolcano, Yellowstone, was erupting. What Are the Chances of Surviving the Mammoth Yellowstone Eruption? If that doesn't put you at ease, rest assured that the USGS has calculated the yearly risk of an eruption and it's pretty low, coming in at 1 in 730,000 — or that aforementioned 0.00014 percent chance.. Since December 1, an earthquake swarm is hitting beneath the eastern part of Yellowstone … A powerful Yellowstone volcano eruption has the potential to wipe out the national park and plunge the US into a volcanic winter.. There may be a way to work out when Yellowstone supervolcano will next erupt, scientists have said. “It therefore seems that the Yellowstone hotspot has experienced a three-fold decrease in its capacity to produce super-eruption events,” says Knott. Advertisement This eruption was larger than the previous record-holder (the aforementioned Huckleberry Ridge Tuff) and … By Lee Crain. A smaller eruption that took place 174,000 years ago created the West Thumb area of Yellowstone Lake. Yellowstone National Park sits atop of an active volcanic hotspot responsible for at least three cataclysmic eruptions in the past. The USGS explains that we would likely be able to predict an eruption … “This is a very significant decline.” Data collected on the history of the supervolcano revealed that its major eruptions occurred once every 600,000 to 800,000 years. It's been a long while since it last exploded so it may be a threat sooner than we would like. The younger of the two, the Grey’s Landing super eruption, is now the largest recorded event of the entire Yellowstone volcanic province, erupting more than 2800 km 3 of volcanic material in a single event. Although it's not likely to erupt anytime soon, a full explosion would be bad news for nature enthusiasts and a slew of folks anywhere near the park [sources: USGS, Lemas]. The supervolcano beneath Yellowstone National Park has not erupted for around 70,000 years. The Yellowstone supervolcano is a massive source of granitic magma that rests miles under the park's surface. This was Yellowstone's largest eruption on record. If you live in the American West, the ever present (although rare) danger of the Yellowstone caldera exploding is simply a fact of life. Rests miles under the park 's surface ” says Knott during the last supervolcano eruption 631,000 years.! Explains that we would likely be able to predict an eruption … What Are the Chances of Surviving Mammoth... 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