Book Review: Super Volcano – The Ticking Time Bomb Beneath Yellowstone National Park by Greg Breining
Established on March 1, 1972, Yellowstone National Park is the world’s 1st National Park. This 3,500 square mile wilderness lies in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. It’s famous for dramatic forest, majestic mountains, abundant wildlife, vast canyons, wild rivers, and of course, otherworldly geologic features like geysers and hot springs.
But underneath Yellowstone lies an active super volcano. Scientists actively monitor this super volcano. Research shows that eruptions occurred 2.1 million years ago, 1.3 million years ago, and 640,000 years ago. Historically, this means the Yellowstone super volcano erupts about every 600,000 years. Does this mean that we are overdue for the next big eruption?
In Super Volcano – The Ticking Time Bomb Beneath Yellowstone National Park Greg Breining shines the spotlight on the Yellowstone Super Volcano. The book aims to answer the questions: “What are the chances the volcano will reawaken and erupt again in an earth-shaking, caldera-forming explosion? And if it does, what will happen to the park? And to the people living around the park? And to the people living int he western United States? Or for that matter, to the rest of us?”
Through Breining’s in-depth research and expert interviews, he shines the spotlight on Yellowstone National Park, describes the geology of the park, explores super volcanoes, highlights known deadly volcanoes, and speculates on what might happen when the super volcano erupts. For someone who is unfamiliar with this ticking time bomb, Super Volcano is fascinating, informative, and somewhat alarming.
Read More Book Review On MountainJourney.com
Since “modern humans have never experienced the eruption of as super volcano firsthand,” it’s hard to paint an accurate picture of what might actually happen in a worst case scenario situation. Breining writes that “The park itself will be destroyed, the forest leveled, and every living thing within vaporized, incinerated, blown to bits, buried in welded ash and mud, or asphyxiated by carbon dioxide.” It’s a total doomsday scenario.
But the impact of the super volcano doesn’t end there. Experts think that “a billion-plus people” would die globally. While the book is speculative, all of the predictions are backed up by expert opinions and the scary thing is that “scientists say another eruption is all but inevitable. But the chance of it happening anytime soon is a long shot.”
If you work, live, or play in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, it’s important to be aware of your surroundings – especially the potentially threatening geologic activity that’s lurking below ground.
Super Volcano is a quick and easy read that’s also incredibly informative. Of course, if you’re a geology student this book might be a bit too simplistic. But for most people this book is worth reading.
We give Super Volcano by Greg Breining two thumbs up.
Buy Super Volcano by Greg Breining On Amazon.com
See Also:
