The Internet’s conspiracy and nature blogs are all abuzz about the “imminent” eruption of Yellowstone National Park, known for actually sitting above one the largest volcanoes in the world. Reading the blogs and watching the Youtube videos will have you convinced that Yellowstone is going to blow any minute.
Videos of bison seemingly fleeing Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming have sparked concerns among some bloggers that recent seismic activity could trigger the eruption of the park’s so-named supervolcano.
On March 30, Yellowstone was struck by the most powerful earthquake it has experienced since 1980 – a 4.8 magnitude quake that did no damage, but that some believe could be connected to various animal movements.
Multiple videos of such animal movements have been posted online recently, one of which shows a herd of buffalo allegedly leaving the park and “running for their lives.” Although people behind the discussion acknowledge there’s no way to predict when the park’s massive volcano could erupt, they believe the reaction of the Yellowstone’s animals could signal some kind of alert.
Others believe a government conspiracy exists that is under-reporting earthquakes and findings in the area of the park.
Another video uploaded to YouTube, this time by self-described “survivalist” and “search-and-rescue expert” Tom Lupshu, claims, “Biologists aren’t sure if there’s been a stunning decline in the herd or if other factors have skewed the tally.” Lupshu also said that helium releases in the area are 1,000 times above normal levels, and accused the US Geological Survey of not reporting small quakes occurring near the volcano.
“Herds of bison running for their lives on the public roadways and they were not being chased or rounded up, the bison were running down the mountain slopes onto roadways running right past a filming crew,” he added. “They detect something vast and deadly. The Yellowstone Supervolcano is the only thing there that would fit the bill.”
The supervolcano – which was found last year to be 2.5 times larger than previously thought – has not erupted in over 640,000 years, leaving some to speculate that a blast is overdue. If and when it erupts again, the volcano could potentially spew ash over large swathes of North America and cause trouble around the entire planet.
“It would be a global event,” Jamie Farrell of the University of Utah told the Associated Press last year. “There would be a lot of destruction and a lot of impacts around the globe.”
Although Farrell said scientists don’t know enough to map out the next eruption’s likely arrival, he did say they’d know if magma was moving towards the Earth’s surface.
As for me, I’m having a hard time believing the government would want to deal with a catastrophe after the event, rather than beforehand, if they have knowledge of it. It’s much easier to control calm people than it is a couple of million pissed off people who would be in survival mode.
As for the running bison, maybe they just found its easier to travel a paved road. They are obviously smart animals. You’ll notice they stay to the right and obey all traffic laws.
Disclaimer: On January 4, 2016, the owner of WestEastonPA.com began serving on the West Easton Council following an election. Postings and all content found on this website are the opinions of Matthew A. Dees and may not necessarily represent the opinion of the governing body for The Borough of West Easton.
