Can A Supervolcano Eruption Really Wipe Humanity Off?

in #blog7 years ago

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Survival is something that has been hardwired into all living things in nature and therefore it is only natural for us to be anxious about any end of the world scenario that we might be in the danger of facing one day.

There are various ways that life on Earth could get wiped out and each seems scarier than the other. There is the possibility of an asteroid striking our planet, then there are epidemics, global warming, nuclear war and some others.

Supervolcano eruptions are another way that are quite often suggested as having the potential to wipe us all out as they are some of the deadliest and most violent events in nature.

But can a single supervolcano eruption at a single location in the world end all life across the whole world? It seemed pretty unlikely to me and so my research began.

What Are Supervolcanoes?

1.jpg Yellowstone Supervolcano

According to the USGS, a volcano that has the ability to erupt deposits greater than 1000 cubic kilometres is termed as a supervolcano. Supervolcanic eruptions occur when the magma in the mantle region of the Earth, rises to the crust but is unable to break through and therefore ends up creating huge amounts of pressure.

Overtime the pool of magma builds up and creates even more pressure and when the crust is no longer able to contain the pressure, there is a violent eruption of toxic gases, lava, ash and debris.

The damage that a supervolcano eruption will cause, depends on, whether it is a category 7 or category 8 eruption. Category 7 eruptions have a 10% chance of occurring every century and category 8 eruptions happen once in a million years. Keep in mind that there are 5-10 active supervolcanoes on the planet.

Although category 7 eruptions are a lot more deadly than your average volcanic eruption, it is the category 8 eruptions that have the most potential for damage. In fact, according to a Michio Kaku (a theoretical physicist), a category 8 eruption of the Yellowstone Supervolcano, would “tear the guts out of USA. Out of 50 states, only 30 states would survive from immediate impact.”

That just goes to show you the tremendous explosive scale of the event that would be nothing less than an apocalypse. But in case you are thinking you will be safe if you’re located far away from one of these supervolcanoes, think again.

Aftermath of a Supervolcanic Eruption

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The one thing that might be going in our favour is the fact that, unlike an earthquake, a volcanic eruption would give warnings weeks in advance which could help save millions of lives.

The eruption itself will be so powerful that it might trigger many earthquakes in the region and bursts of lava flow moving at speeds of hundreds of kilometres per hour, which could kill thousands to hundreds of thousands of people.

But the biggest killer would be the poisonous gases that will quickly spread across vast areas making air unbreathable for people and most would die due to suffocation. The ground would get covered by a 10cm layer of volcanic ash which would kill plants and trees leading to agricultural devastation.

Air travel would be impossible and water supplies would get clogged. Also, electricity transmission lines would fail and there would be chaos and panic everywhere. There would also be an immediate global climate change setting most of the world into a volcanic winter, with reduced global temperatures, and rains of sulphuric acid.

Also, with the way the global economy works today, any of the supervolcanic eruptions, especially the one in Yellowstone Park, would mean a global economic collapse plunging the entire world into a depression far worse than that of the 1930s.

So, people in the vicinity would die immediately, people who are somewhat away would suffocate, people further away would get affected by climate and shortage of food and the rest of the world would survive, but would be left in a worse situation.

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wow..the photos are awesome. but also very scary. your posts make me remember in the important lesson that must be thought by all humans. because inevitably, all of us will go through it. i like your post my friend. i always follow you.

Thank you. Yeah, these are really scary and the real life scenario would be 100 times scarier.

According to me its out for debate. If science can proof it then may be.

There isn't enough data for science to prove it.

Would not like to experience it.

haha, me neither!!

hy... i am fatama...... plzzz upvote me

Hey @sauravrungta. Nice post. A good point of view you have.

It is doubtful that one event will trigger the end. I tend to believe a chain of traumas will occur. I think of a financial collapse,grid malfunction, asteroid or New Merdridian fault line as possibilities. It gives the scientists and the survivalists some intellectual intercourse to ponder. I believe that the end of the world is not happening soon as other things will lead up to it. Thanks for the good read my friend.

Yeah, one event is simply not enough to wipe us all out. Sure, it will bring us to our knees but we won't all be dead. As you said, there would need to be a chain of traumas throughout the planet (which some scientists say could happen also) to truly bring the end of human civilisation.

is this in theory or it is real?? "Supervolcano"

Supervolcanos are real. There are about 10 in the world.

I think you summed it up well. As we advance as a society, it would seem to me the wisest thing to do would be research on preventing such catastrophic events. Any funding going to that?

Yeah, I have always wondered about that. We are already so technologically advanced and we keep getting more advanced every year. We should at least start looking into being able to prevent natural disasters. I heard that they were looking into geo-engineering to prevent hurricanes, so I think it is a start.

I think it would be wise, what more important task as a society is there?

wonderful and informative description, thank you for sharing @sauravrungta

No one can fight nature. Its your belief only.

Did you even read the post?? Your comment makes no sense.

Your topic makes no sense..... wastage of time reading your post.

😂😂😂😂😂 I still don't think you get it!! Just read the other comments buddy. If the topic made no sense, there wouldn't be any other intelligible comments here, which there are btw, if you hadn't noticed!

You are not getting my point dude.... I have other work too. I hardly bothers other comment.....