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A NASA thought experiment called, Defending Human Civilisation From Supervolcanic Eruptions, stated that a supervolcano eruption was more likely to happen in the future than an asteroid hitting the earth, according to the Daily Star. It said: “Supervolcanic eruptions occur more frequently than a large asteroid or comet impacts that would have a similarly catastrophic effect to human civilization.” Jet Propulsion Laboratory researchers found that collisions from asteroids which are more than 2km in diameter occurred “half as often as supervolcanic eruptions”.
[...]Yellowstone Caldera[*] is classed as a supervolcano which erupted 60,000 years ago and again 60,000 years before that.
Although there is no guarantee, if the volcano follows the same pattern then it is now due for another eruption.
Researchers have found that if a supervolcano like Yellowstone did erupt, then a “volcanic winter” would ensue which could surpass the “amount of stored food worldwide”.
People living on another continent would not be spared from the aftermath of a supervolcanic eruption.
[*] Wikipedia entry on the Yellowstone Caldera (aka Supervolcano).
The referenced NASA document — Defending Human Civilization From Supervolcanic Eruptions (pdf) — is less sensational; here is the abstract from the paper:
Large volcanic eruptions greater or equal to a magnitude 8 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index (i.e., supervolcanic eruptions) eject >10 15 kg of ash and sulfate aerosols, sufficient to blanket sizeable fractions of continents and create a regional or global "volcanic winter." Such events could seriously reduce worldwide agricultural production for multiple years, causing mass famine. Supervolcanic eruptions occur more frequently than large asteroid or comet impacts that would have a similarly catastrophic effect to human civilization, especially now that many asteroid orbits have been mapped. We assess whether future supervolcanic eruptions could be dampened, delayed, or prevented by engineering solutions.
(Score: 3, Informative) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday April 10 2019, @01:51AM (5 children)
That's true. He's also never wrong even in the middle of shifting the goalposts which gets a bit wearing.
The funny thing is that I'm sure he has never traveled outside the awful mid-west state he lives in, where the height of sophistication is having a gun rack in your pickup truck.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday April 10 2019, @04:07AM (4 children)
He also complains when people assert things without providing evidence for the assertion. Of course, if people did that, then we're have less assertions.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday April 10 2019, @04:53AM (3 children)
Then he pretends the evidence didn't happen, rinses and repeats.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday April 10 2019, @06:05PM (2 children)
No pretending here. The evidence didn't happen.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday April 10 2019, @07:28PM (1 child)
Of course.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday April 10 2019, @07:39PM