Yellowstone Supervolcano Making Strange Rumblings

Fox News has an interesting article about the Supervolcano that exists under Yellowstone National Park. It continues to have significant activity which is raising concerns, however the Boffins don't think it will blow its' top anytime soon.

As I was reading the article some of the data that they have been tracking really jumped out at me.They measure the rate of rise or sink the floor of caldera experiences. Granted they only have 17 years of data but the data is still interesting nonetheless.

During 1987 until 1995 the floor sank 4.4 inches or an average of .55 inches per year for the time period.

I have not looked at all the specific data to see if the caldera flucuated between rising and sinking.

Then from 1995 until 2000 the northwest rim of the caldera rose approximiately 3 inches or an average of .6 inches per year for the time period.

From 2000 until 2003 the rim rose another 1.4 inches or an average of .46 inches per year for the time period. During this same time period the main floor of the caldera sank a little more than an inch.

Then the surprise. During 2004 to 2006 the main floor rose almost 7 inches or an average of 2.3 inches per year for the same time period. That is a 433% increase in movement activity as compared to the recorded data starting in 1987 averaged out.

Some of the data is in relation to the rim of the crater but having the main floor of the caldera changing with that much change would have me questioning - exactly what is going on here?

Sounds like a bulge is building and that eventually means a big eruption. History tells us this Supervolcano has had several massive eruptions in the past and it will happen again.

Now as compared to the Global Warming threat - I think this is a much more serious issue and definitely needs attention. This kind of disaster is in the category of an Asteroid killer and we need to get up to speed on how to deal with these real immediate life-changing scenarios.

This is something that is definitely going to happen and when it does happen we know for a fact what the consequences are. Global Warming for example is an important and serious topic but the changes will occur over years, probably hundreds, if not thousands but we will find ways to adapt and survive that situation.

A Supervolcano or Killer Asteroid could literally wipe out human existence in 6 months. Why isn't there more serious discussion or funding going into this? Take the asteroid scenario, NASA just announced they don't have the funds to deal with all the NEO (near earth objects) -are these topics less politically helpful?

Where is the alarmist support for this? When this blows - that's it for the good ole US of A!

Bottom line the politicians are behind Global Warming because they can effect change which garners additional global power and a lot of money.

I would suggest we need to wake up to many real threats that are definitively on our doorstep and not ones that are based on questionable science and an agenda of power mongering and profiteering!

(photo: AP)