Yellowstone supervolcano much bigger than thought. Should you worry?

According to a new study the hot molten rock beneath Yellowstone National Park is 2 ½ times larger than previously estimated, meaning the supervolcano has the potential to erupt with a force about 2,000 times the size of the Mount St. Helens.


Yellowstone has had three eruptions in the past 2.1 million years. If you look at its past history the supervolcano would seem to erupt about every 700,000 years. Give or take a few 10s of thousands of years. As the last eruption happened 640,000 years ago we are probably due for one in the next 50 or 60 thousand years. However with only three eruptions in the past 2.1 million years, basing any estimates of something possibly happening every 700,000 years or so is risky

Most experts do believe there will be another eruption, they just don't know when. However there are so many instruments and researchers monitoring the activity in Yellowstone that we would likely have at least a few weeks or possibly even years notice of a pending eruption. However some people point out that as Scientists have never witnessed the eruption of a supervolcano we don't really know if we would get any warning. It could just go off with a bang. 

So should you worry about Yellowstone? Probably not. But don't forget that Yellowstone is only one of many potential supervolcanoes in the world. Best to be prepared I always say.

Will Yellowstone erupt? Who can say.

Deadly human MERS virus infects camels

Can Camels give you MERS ?

Scientists have proved for the first time that the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) virus that has killed 71 people can also infect camels, strengthening suspicions the animals may be a source of the human outbreak.

Scientists say this is definitive proof that camels can be infected with MERS-CoV, but based on the current data they cannot conclude whether the humans were infected by the camels or vice versa.

Reports from China say 73-year-old woman died from a bird flu strain that has spread to people for 1st time

More Bird Flu In China

China's national disease centre confirmed the woman had been infected by the H10N8 bird flu strain. This is the first reported case of H10N8 in a human.

The World Health Organization Has called this Death “worrisome.”

 The department says the woman had severe pneumonia before dying Dec. 6. She also had direct contact with poultry.
 China's national disease centre says experts believe this is an isolated case and there's low risk of this strain infecting more people or spreading.