The Yellowstone webcam makes me happy, and I don't know why. I've never visited Yellowstone. It's kind of soothing to have this going while I eat lunch at my desk and work through some of this college paperwork. Somewhere in Wyoming, intrepid tourists with umbrellas brave the day's scattered thunderstorms to visit a national park ...
Whoa! Boffo!
Then again, maybe I do know why I like this webcam.
Here's an interesting little fact that most tourists don't know: the ENTIRE Yellowstone park is the remnant of a very, very large volcanic caldera that blew up 2.3 million years ago in what geologists speculate may have been the single largest volcanic explosion in history. That's why there are so many active geisers is Yellowstone; the hot spot is still active, and, in fact, the lava caldera is slowly rising again. So I'd say that somewhere in the next few hundred thousand years I'd stay away from Yellowstone, Wyoming, the Western US and pretty much North America in general (provided the Saucer People will let us leave--they may want to keep us on our reservations)!
Now when I say a "large" explosion what do I mean? Maybe this will help:
A Comparison of Volcanic Strength Based On Estimated Atmospheric Emissions Expressed as Cubic Miles of Debris [Xcm])
Mt St. Helens (Washington State, 1981): .75 cm
Mt. Pinatubo (Phillipines, 1991): 2.5 cm
Krakatoa (Java Islands, 1888(?): 10-15 cm
Mt. Tamboora (South Pacific, 1815): 15-20 cm
Thera Island (Aegean Sea, 1630 BCE): 45-50 cm
Yellowstone Park (North America, 2 million BCE): 1500 cm
Now that's a LARGE explosion....
Posted by: Anthony | June 29, 2004 at 05:50 AM
I didn't know that, but I bet Yogi Bear includes volcano facts on his tour. Or was that Ranger Rick? (You killed me with the saucer people thing.)
Posted by: pam | June 29, 2004 at 06:07 AM
You've got to go. It's so cool!
Posted by: Hula Doula | June 29, 2004 at 06:39 PM