The Yellowstone volcano has erupted three times in history – 2.1 million years ago, 1.2 million years ago and 640,000 years ago. Scientists have previously revealed that, should an earthquake occur, it could take less than two weeks before a catastrophic reaction event with the potential to wipe out a huge part of the US is triggered. However, even if locals manage to escape the initial blast, they could still be in danger for up to a month afterwards, it has been revealed.
Robert Smith, from the University of Utah, is in charge of the seismometers around Yellowstone National Park.
This technology is designed to detect any change in activity, and give anyone in the immediate area some valuable time to evacuate.
However, Mr Smith warned during the History Channel’s 2014 series “Deadly Volcanoes”, that the pyroclastic flows created following an eruption could continue for to up to a month.
He said: “What Yellowstone would create would be a massive volume of materials.
“This would go on for days, weeks, even a month, destroying all the surface and rocks in its path.”
The documentary went on to explain: “Most of the US would be covered in a thick ash deposit capable of collapsing buildings and suffocating people.
“This hurricane force of gas and ash would blast out.
“The towering column of choking ash would rise 25 miles into the atmosphere.
“This would block out sunlight across the planet – temperatures would drop, crops would fail and millions would die of starvation.”
The last eruption of Yellowstone produced around 2,500 times more volcanic material than the 1980 eruption of Mount St Helens.
This created an eruptive column so colossal that it covered around 60 per cent of the US in a thick layer of ash.
Should the same happen again, a mixture of ash, lava blebs, and superheated gas exceeding temperatures of 1,000C could move at speeds of up to 300mph.
They are predicted to spread more than 100 miles out from Yellowstone, burying states like Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Colorado in three feet of harmful volcanic ash.
If the pyroclastic flow hits anyone, they would possibly die within seconds as the air could heat up to around 300C.