Environmental+Apocalypse

(I am only using portions of this article for the purposes of my reading class. The full article can be viewed at
http://www.spiritnow.com/article/2012/environmental_disasters_and_the_end_of_the_world_747)


 * Environmental Disasters and The End of the World **

 There is a lot of speculation that the end of the world could be caused by the warming of the earth. Studies that combine land and sea measurements have generally estimated that global temperatures have warmed up to between 0.5 – 1.0 F in the last century. About two-thirds of this warming took place between the turn of the century and 1940. Global temperatures declined slightly from the 1940’s through the 1970’s, but have risen more rapidly during the last 25 years than in the period before 1940.

 There has also been a lot of talk about super volcanoes, especially since the eruption of the Iceland volcano that is still surging ash into the air. A super volcano is the most destructive force on this planet. Only a few exist in the world and when they erupt, they do so with a force tens of thousands of times greater than other volcanic eruptions. They lie dormant for hundreds of thousands of years building up magma before finally they unleash their apocalyptic force. This type of force is capable of obliterating entire continents. They threaten the very survival of mankind.

 Not all super volcanoes have been found, but one of the largest is in Yellowstone Park, USA. Scientists searching for the underground roots of the volcano in the park could not see it because it was so huge. It was only when satellite images were taken did the scale of the caldera (underground magma) beneath this volcano become evident. In fact, the entire park, 85km by 45km, is one massive reservoir of magma. The idyll landscape of Yellowstone could soon explode with devastating consequences.

 Scientist have discovered that the ground in Yellowstone is 74cm higher than in was in 1923 - indicating a massive swelling underneath the park. The reservoir is filling with magma at an alarming rate. The volcano erupts with a near-clockwork cycle of every 600,000 years. The last eruption was more than 640,000 years ago - we are overdue for annihilation.

 Immediately before the eruption, there would be large earthquakes in the Yellowstone region. The ground would swell further with most of Yellowstone being uplifted. One earthquake would finally break the layer of rock that holds the magma in - and all the pressure the Earth can build up in 640,000 years would be unleashed in a cataclysmic event.

 The long-term effects would be even worse. The ash that would shoot into the atmosphere could block out light from the sun, making global temperatures plummet and the earth would plunge into an eternal winter. A large percentage of the world's plant life would be killed by the drop in temperature. Also, virtually the entire of the grain harvest of the Great Plains would disappear in hours, as it would be coated in ash. Similar effects around the world would cause massive food shortages. The Yellowstone super volcano eruption could truly be an extinction level event.

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