Supervolcano wakes up: It will kill 90,000 people in an instant, followed by a "nuclear winter"

Scientists say that the magma is actively heating up in this area, unlike on the western side where it starts to cool and solidify.

In the event that this supervolcano erupts, scientists warn that a "nuclear winter" threatens, and that 90,000 people can instantly die.

Despite its "fiery reputation", it is unlikely that Yellowstone will erupt in another hundreds or thousands of years, writes "Business Today", as quoted by the Kurir.

"Any such eruption is expected to take place far into the future," said Ninfa Bennington, a volcano seismologist at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Four magma chambers

A groundbreaking study published in the journal "Nature" last January revealed that magma is not one giant reservoir.

Instead, it is housed in four separate chambers, some closer to eruption conditions than others. Using the magnetotelluric method, scientists detected hidden pockets of magma by measuring magnetic fields.

Unlike older studies of earthquake waves, this method provides a more precise view of Yellowstone's underground activity.

Near the Saur Creek dome, magma touches hot mantle rock, keeping it in a liquid state. Meanwhile, the magma beneath the western area lacks this heat source, so it is more likely to cool into solid rock.

Three super eruptions in the last 2.8 million years

The Yellowstone supervolcano has erupted three times in the last 2.8 million years. Those three huge eruptions smothered the surrounding landscape with ash.

The last "super eruption" occurred 640,000 years ago, when a caldera (type of crater) was also created.

The newly discovered volume of magma exceeds that of previous explosive events, but the conditions for an eruption have not yet been met, according to "Business Today".

Magma trapped in rocks like water in a sponge

Magma is placed like water in a sponge, trapped in the pores of the rocks. For an eruption, at least 40 percent of these pores must be filled with liquid magma. Current estimates put that percentage at only 20%, which is far from causing an explosive event.

Mantle heating could gradually increase magma mobility over tens of thousands of years. If pockets of magma in the northeast of the park remain in contact with these heat sources, conditions could shift toward an eruption in the distant future.

Scientists aren't sure if the magma will reach eruptive levels before its heat source dies out. Yellowstone's future depends on those deep, invisible interactions—the slow process of shaping the park's explosive potential.

What will happen in the event of an eruption?

Scientists have previously said the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano could blanket the United States in a "nuclear winter" as it could cover a vast area up to 1,000 miles from the national park with a thick layer of ash.

Moreover, the eruption could kill around 90,000 people almost instantly.

Fortunately, according to the findings, scientists have concluded that the supervolcano is unlikely to erupt in the near future.

Although the new findings do not change the level of risk from the volcano, scientists say they now have a more precise understanding of what is happening beneath the earth's crust.

"It's a bit like getting a new lens on an old camera. It's the same camera, but now you have better resolution. You see more clearly," geophysicist Michael Poland told The New York Times last year.

The famous physicist Michio Kaku warned a long time ago that, if the supervolcano in Yellowstone comes to life, and in an eruption of the eighth category, only 30 of the 50 American federal states could remain.

In "zone one", which is within a radius of 150 kilometers, around 70,000 people would die immediately. "Zone two", which begins after 150 km, would be covered with ten feet of volcanic ash at 450 degrees Celsius, he said.

"Only after the second zone, the chances of survival improve, but if there is an eruption, go east as fast as you can," Kaku said in 2019.

Outside of "zone six" is where people may be the safest in the US in the short term, but it all depends on the wind.

"Forget the image of a teddy bear representing Yellowstone. We're talking about a sleeping Godzilla here. If there is a category 8 eruption, the US will be literally destroyed," Kaku said.

Kaku explained that if the volcano became active, the roads would be "clogged" and there would be no way to walk over the volcanic ash.

The Yellowstone Supervolcano, located in northwestern Wyoming National Park, is one of the largest volcanoes in the world, and the area is constantly monitored by the US Geological Survey (USGS) and the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.