Sanity
Posts: 22039
Joined: 6/14/2006
From: Nampa, Idaho USA
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Where the ash would go would all depend on the prevailing winds as well as the size of the volcanic eruptions(s). I went to Mt. St. Helens two years ago (which is still steaming, by the way) and while the devastation all around that mountain is awe inspiring, I found it curious the way the "cones" of ash dispersal adversely affected certain fairly distant areas because of the the jet streams, while certain other areas that were much closer to the mountain didn't get any ash fallout.
People were able to drive even in some of the worst conditions, there is footage available proving that. I'm sure it was very hard on their engine filtration systems, and of course people used dust masks, but they got by. Some of the worst carnage was caused by massive flooding when area rivers were inundated by glaciers which began avalanching off the mountain, carrying boulders and logs and ash with them, and creating natural dams which then burst and raged through the valleys below, all the way to the ocean...
Think about something like that happening in the Missouri and the Mississippi because of massive ash fallout!
Of course, if there were a massive enough eruption we might all die from global cooling, but smaller eruptions are a strong possibility too. Here in SW Idaho I would possibly be safe from any ash fallout in a less violent eruption, because the prevailing winds always blow the other way, East from Yellowstone.
In my profile photos there is one shot of me sitting on and surrounded by black lava rock, which was taken at a place called 'Craters Of The Moon National Monument' in Southern Idaho. At the visitors center there, they have a detailed history of the volcanic activity of this entire region, and they claim that the "hot spot" that is now under Yellowstone created "Craters Of The Moon" as the tectonic plate it sits on moved over it. In fact, there is lava field stretching all the way from about Sisters, Oregon all the way to Yellowstone...
If you ever get the chance, spend a few days there (at Craters Of The Moon). It's highly educational, and well worth your time!
quote:
ORIGINAL: slaveboyforyou
Unless you have an air tight home, a badass air filtration system, and an independent power source that you could maintain for a year or two......stockpiling food would be futile. Most of North America would be covered in a 1/4 inch in ash. It would make breathing a difficult thing to do. It would be enough to block out the sun, so no solar panels. Even if you did have a shelter like I described, you'd still run into the problem of surviving after you emerged. Most of the livestock, game, and plants in North America would be dead. It could very well cause another ice age too, so everyone in the Northern Hemisphere would have to adapt to that. Oh, and forget about escaping. Engines wouldn't be able to function with that much ash floating around. So nope, best just to have a few drinks with a big bottle of sleeping pills.
< Message edited by Sanity -- 12/30/2008 8:02:42 AM >
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Scientists watch unusual Yellowstone quake swarm - 
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It's going to go at some point, it has in the past. The issue now is that it's a so-called "super volcano" and it's going to do massive damage when it does. Some studies indicate it will change the global environment due to the amount of ash it's capable of putting in the air. There's not much to do except prepare the best possible ways for when it does. 
I tended to stock up in Idaho, doing a lot of canning and food storage, that's the way I was raised. I simply don't have the room here. And wood? Oh good grief, I'm in the city now, the city would lock me up for cutting their trees down! 
There's more reasons for food storage than just massive natural disasters. I've had times when my food storage has fed us (and others) during hard financial times. Or during bad weather when we couldn't get to the store. It's just practical and economical when you can do it. And since my house is in southern Idaho, if Yosemite goes, we won't be around for a year or more. 
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