Is it time to hide?

For many years, Yellowstone National Park has been one of the most visited locations in all of the United States. But underneath all that vast scenery and natural beauty lies a monstrously huge volcano, with a 45 mile wide caldera - so powerful that if it were to erupt...it would make most of North America uninhabitable.

It's a pretty chilling scenario, but most scientists had thought the supervolcano wasn't due for another eruption for another 10,000 to 30,000 years.

Or so they thought.

The NY Post says that recent studies indicate the magma chamber that feeds the volcano is about two and half times bigger than estimated, and can replenish at a much faster rate than scientists expected. Other observations have seen increased rising and falling near the surface at Yellowstone, though many scientists feel that's not an indicator of an imminent eruption.

So, what are we looking at here? Another five thousand years instead of thirty thousand before doomsday? Looks like we're okay for now, so there's no need to stockpile and ration everything just yet. 

The last time the supervolcano exploded was about 630,000 years ago. The explosion blew about 240 cubic miles of rock and ash into the atmosphere. Evidence suggests that the eruptions almost instantly wiped everything within about a thousand miles, as it covered the U.S (including areas that make up the modern day East Coast) in at least five to six inches of ash. It also plunged global temperatures, poisoned the air, and started wild fires that engulfed at least half the country.

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