Yellowstone Melts Down - Literally!

[FORD]

Parts of Yellowstone National Park closed after massive supervolcano beneath it melts roads
By Scott Kaufman
Monday, July 14, 2014 9:50 EDT



Tourists at Yellowstone National Park are being barred from areas of the park because the massive underground supervolcano beneath it is melting the asphalt roads.

“It basically turned the asphalt into soup. It turned the gravel road into oatmeal,” Yellowstone spokesman Dan Hottle said. In particular, Hottle said that the road between the park’s most popular attraction, Old Faithful, and Madison Junction has been dangerously compromised.

Park officials also asked tourists not to hike into the affected areas, as the danger of stepping through what appears to be solid soil into boiling-hot water was “high.”

“There are plenty of other great places to see thermal features in the park,” park spokesman Al Nash told The Weather Channel. “I wouldn’t risk personal injury to see these during this temporary closure.”

It is not known when the road, which services the three million people who visit the park every year, will be reopened.

The last time the supervolcano beneath Yellowstone actually erupted was 640,000 years ago, U.S. Geological Survey records show.

Late last year, geologists discovered that the supervolcano was more than twice as large as previously thought.

“We found it to be about two-and-a-half times larger than we thought,” the University of Utah’s James Farrell told National Geographic. “That’s not to say it’s getting any bigger,” he added, “just that our ability to see it is getting better.”

[Great Geyser at Yellowstone National Park via yellowstonenps on Flickr]

[Nitro Express]

Dude thats a loop road they built right over the geyser basin so people could get to where some of the big geysers are. It just so happens a hot spot is under the road. The geyser basin is dynamic and hot spots show up and disappear. This has to do with heat close to the surface not the stability of the whole caldera. It could be a few more thousand years before it blows. I doubt in my lifetime. If it goes a good chunk of the world's population will die.

Also it's not the main road from Old Faithful to Madison Junction. It's Firehole Lake Drive. I think the park service kind of fucked up. It's nice to park near the Grand Geyser but if it blows big, hot water falls on the cars and it eats the paint because it's acidic.

[FORD]

I wouldn't be at all surprised if all the idiotic fracking going on in neighboring states is speeding it up a little. It's pretty much an established fact that it's causing earthquakes in states where earthquakes didn't used to happen.

The fact that Jerry Brown would even consider allowing fracking for one second in Collieforneea is just goddamned INSANE. And that's not even counting the toxic chemicals involved, nor the amount of fresh water wasted in the process.

[Nitro Express]

There's earthquakes around Yellowstone all the time. The thing is because the ground is super heated it's more maliable. There have been some very large earthquakes just outside the park.

[Nitro Express]

California has a super volcano near Mammoth. Maybe they will go BOOM! first.

[FORD]

There's earthquakes around Yellowstone all the time. The thing is because the ground is super heated it's more maliable. There have been some very large earthquakes just outside the park.

Of course. It's a volcano! The reason why there's so many earthquakes on the West Coast (and the East Coast of the Asian countries that border the Pacific) is because of active volcanoes all around. And even when the mountains aren't actually blowing up, there's still some planetary "indigestion" going on down there.

[Nitro Express]

Yeah but the Yellowstone hot spot is not like the Cascade volcanoes. Where you have techtonic plate merging you get earthquakes and volcanoes. The Yellowstone hot spot is similar to the hot spot that is under the Hawaiian islands. It's a weak spot in the earth's mantle. Sure there is techtonic activity outside of the part but due to the super heated ground, it doesn't fissure like colder rock does. So the volcano actually prevents earthquakes.

I took a geology class on Yellowstone.

[Nitro Express]

If Yellowstone was going to blow it would be pushing up several meters. It would give plenty of warning. It's only pushing up a few inches and that is up in the Norris Geyser basin. They have monitors all over the park. It's not like it's going to go BOOM! with no warning. Melted asphalt in a road built directly over the Firehole Lake geyser basin has nothing to do with the integrity of the culdera as a whole.

Sorry. It anin't going to blow any time soon.

[Kristy]

So, no end of the world?


Bummer.

[Nitro Express]

So, no end of the world?


Bummer.

Nope. Most people will get to live long, boring, and meaningless lives.

[ELVIS]

I wouldn't be at all surprised if all the idiotic fracking going on in neighboring states is speeding it up a little. It's pretty much an established fact that it's causing earthquakes in states where earthquakes didn't used to happen.

An established fact ??

Shaddup with your dishonest bullshit...

[FORD]

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-...618-story.html

[Nitro Express]

Fracking is an anal lube enema for mother earth.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't be at all surprised if all the idiotic fracking going on in neighboring states is speeding it up a little. It's pretty much an established fact that it's causing earthquakes in states where earthquakes didn't used to happen.

The fact that Jerry Brown would even consider allowing fracking for one second in Collieforneea is just goddamned INSANE. And that's not even counting the toxic chemicals involved, nor the amount of fresh water wasted in the process.

I must say I was disappointed with your first post, but you came through with this one.

I knew you'd be able to tie this with man's destruction of Earth AND squeeze in a politician you don't like.

Between you, me & Higgins, this site has it all covered. We should start a revolution. We'll take over the banks first, raze the corporate headquarters around the world & then create a green, politically biased militia.

We'll create a new world order. Higgins will take over the banks, I'll own the corporations & you'll be president.

I'll give it less than a week before we're all corrupted & start fucking this world even harder than it's been fucked until now.

Cheers!

[ELVIS]

He's already corrupt...