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the world's largest active volcano in Hawaii roaring back to life.
Underneath your feet is a supervolcano.
It's like sitting on top of a sleeping giant.
It can literally tear the guts out of the United States of America.
Volcanic eruptions are a force of nature that have shaped our planet for millions of years.
They're displays of Earth's power,
but they also bring with them death, destruction, and economic havoc.
The consequences of a volcanic eruption are far-reaching,
with extremely hot lava engulfing communities, devastating crops, and wreaking havoc.
In addition, the volcanic ash produced during eruptions
can lead to respiratory difficulties and disrupt air transportation.
But what happens when the largest and most powerful volcanoes on Earth
begin to wake up from their slumber?
Can humanity survive the cataclysmic events that could unfold?
Let's find out.
Mauna Loa
One of the most prominent giants in the world of volcanoes is Mauna Loa,
situated on the Big Island of Hawaii.
It's not only the world's largest active volcano,
but also an imposing presence,
rising gradually to a height of 13,681 feet.
What's more, its enormous undersea flanks
extend an astonishing 3 miles below sea level on the ocean floor.
Mauna Loa is a geological colossus
that spans half of the island of Hawaii
and accounts for nearly 85% of the total landmass of all other Hawaiian islands combined.
For the people who call Hawaii's Big Island home,
living in the shadow of Mauna Loa is a daily reality.
The volcano has a long history of eruptions,
and its awakening has garnered significant media attention.
Scientists estimate that the chances of Mauna Loa erupting again
are around 100%, with potentially catastrophic effects.
While Hawaii has other active volcanoes like Kilauea and Mauna Kea,
only Kalauea and Luihi have been erupting constantly for decades.
Mauna Loa, however, is seen as a major threat due to its sheer size and destructive potential.
In a grim comparison, Mauna Loa could accomplish in just 20 minutes
what it would take a day for Kalauea to do.
Historical accounts reveal the devastating impact of Mauna Loa's eruptions.
In 1881, when Mauna Loa came perilously close to destroying the city of Hilo,
over 35,000 people were living there.
In 1926, the fishing community of Hoapalua was entirely wiped out
by a fast-moving torrent of lava standing 50 feet high.
In 1950, homes in Pahuʻiʻu were consumed by lava,
forcing residents to flee for their lives.
More recently, 18 years ago, scientists faced a nerve-wracking situation,
as an earthquake swarm deep beneath Mauna Loa indicated
that new lava was flowing into its magma chamber.
However, before the molten rock could reach the surface,
half of the mountain shifted southward, making room for new lava,
and the eruption never occurred.
Yet, the fact remains that the chamber still holds an excess of magma,
raising concerns about the potential for a more massive eruption in the future.
Mauna Loa has erupted 39 times since 1832,
averaging an eruption approximately every six years.
The last eruption occurred in 1984,
and geologists estimate that it's inevitable that it will erupt again.
One of the deadliest aspects of this uncertainty
is that researchers cannot predict where the next eruption will happen,
making it challenging to plan for both timing and hazard zones.
During Mauna Loa eruptions,
massive and fast-moving lava flows are common,
causing significant damage to the island's east and west flanks.
The unpredictability of these eruptions only adds to the danger,
leaving residents and authorities in a constant state of alert.
Yellowstone Supervolcano
While Mauna Loa poses a substantial threat to the Hawaiian Islands,
there is another geological behemoth
that could unleash unprecedented devastation on a global scale,
the Yellowstone Supervolcano.
This colossal volcanic system has erupted three times in the past 2.1 million years,
with the most recent eruption occurring approximately 640,000 years ago.
The sheer power of a Yellowstone supereruption is difficult to fathom.
The first warning signs would be increasingly powerful earthquakes,
indicating that magma beneath Yellowstone is racing toward the surface.
Once the magma erupts, it would release the Earth's deadly core into the atmosphere.
Within a 40-mile radius around Yellowstone,
everything would be engulfed in lava,
a terrifying spectacle that could last for days.
But the impact wouldn't stop there.
If a Yellowstone supereruption were to occur,
large regions of Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah
would be buried under three feet of volcanic ash.
Even the coasts, where the majority of Americans reside, would not be spared.
The eruption could decimate crops, pollute pastureland,
and destroy power cables and electrical transformers,
rendering the entire grid inoperable.
This scenario is not limited to the United States.
It has global implications.
Computer simulations suggest that the aerosols emitted by a summer supereruption
could spread across the globe,
causing temperatures to plummet due to the poisonous cloud-blocking sunlight.
Such a sudden drop in temperature could persist for several days,
affecting agriculture and rainfall patterns worldwide.
Tropical rainforests may wither,
leading to further ecological disruptions.
Existential Threat
Supereruptions are not isolated events.
They can occur on a global scale.
In addition to Yellowstone and Mauna Loa,
scientists have discovered evidence
of at least 47 similar eruptions throughout Earth's history.
The most recent of these was Lake Taupo in New Zealand,
which erupted 26,000 years ago.
While asteroid impacts often steal the limelight,
experts in existential risk agree that supereruptions
represent the most significant threat to human survival.
This brings us to a chilling question.
What would happen if all of the world's supereruptions were to occur simultaneously?
There are approximately 12 supervolcanoes on Earth,
each at least seven times the size of Mount Tambora,
which produced the largest recorded eruption in 1815.
The potential for destruction and loss of life in such an event is staggering.
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Surviving the Unthinkable
If one were to survive the initial onslaught of a supervolcano eruption,
the challenges would continue in the form of a second wave of calamity.
In the aftermath of a supereruption,
billions of tons of volcanic ash, hazardous gases, volcanic glass,
and rocks would be released into the atmosphere.
This thick ash cloud, which moves at the speed of a fighter aircraft,
would make proximity or inhalation extremely dangerous.
Buildings would crumble and water sources would be contaminated,
making survival on the ground nearly impossible.
Cities located near supervolcanoes would be obliterated in an instant.
Even attempts to escape via air travel would likely be futile,
as ash clouds have been known to disrupt aviation.
The consequences of such an eruption would be felt for years to come.
A global volcanic winter could result from the ash lingering in the atmosphere,
blocking sunlight and causing temperatures to plummet.
The difference could be as much as 15 degrees Celsius
– 27 degrees Fahrenheit – within six months.
To put it into perspective,
this is akin to the difference between a sweltering July day in Rio de Janeiro
and the harsh winter of Anchorage, Alaska.
Beyond the immediate dangers of volcanic ash in a volcanic winter,
supervolcanoes also release poisonous gases into the atmosphere.
Sulfur dioxide is one such gas, which, when combined with water vapor,
forms sulfuric acid in the upper atmosphere.
This acid rain can have dire consequences.
An example of the devastation caused by sulfuric acid rain
can be seen in the eruption of the Laki volcano in Iceland in 1783.
The resulting acid rain damaged agriculture
and led to the deaths of half of Iceland's livestock.
In the ensuing famine,
a quarter of Iceland's population perished the following year.
Now, imagine this scenario unfolding on a global scale
due to multiple supervolcano eruptions.
Acid rain would fall across the world,
contaminating water sources, damaging crops,
imposing severe health risks to both humans and animals.
The long-term effects of this acid rain
would further compound the challenges posed by supervolcano eruptions.
Collapse of Civilization
In the face of multiple supervolcano eruptions,
civilization as we know it would be severely tested.
The destruction of infrastructure,
contamination of water supplies,
and disruption of agriculture
would lead to widespread societal collapse.
The global economy would crumble
and the basic necessities of life,
such as food and clean water,
would become scarce commodities.
Furthermore, the devastation caused by supervolcanoes
would be exacerbated by the ensuing chaos,
including civil unrest and mass migration
as people struggle to survive in increasingly inhospitable environments.
The collapse of power grids and communication networks
would further isolate communities,
making it difficult to coordinate relief efforts.
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