• Question: Would we servive if the yellowstone volcano erupted and blocked the sun?

    Asked by to Edward, Ian, Mathew, Naomi, sakshisharda on 17 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Ian Stephenson

      Ian Stephenson answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      Big volcano eruptions do affect climate. Mount St Helens was recorded as having an effect around the world for almost a year or so. However the effects were pretty minimal.

      It’s unlikely that an eruption could be big enough to drop the global temperature by more than a degree or so even if were HUGE. We’ve almost certainly got the technology (by which I probably mean clothes, houses, blankets, central heating) to survive it.

      A meteorite impact on the other hand…

    • Photo: Naomi Osborne

      Naomi Osborne answered on 18 Jun 2014:

      Scientists think if Yellowstone did erupt, global temperature could potentially drop 10 degrees for up to 10 years and change our climate so that crops would fail and many could die from starvation – but not everyone, and it’s very unlikely to happen, especially during our lifetime.

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