25th October 2017

Reading log #6

Anton Cousins

Text title: Yellowstone supervolcano

Written by Robin Andrews

Text type: Internet article

Opening with the intimidating title, “Yellowstone Supervolcano Could Erupt A LOT Sooner Than We Thought”, The website IFL Science features the text written by Robin Andrews about the recent research on the Yellowstone volcano. They have found that the volcano only takes 10 years to ‘arm’ itself for an eruption, although it counters this threat with “That, believe it or not, is good news, but a little context is needed to explain why”.

The text is very informative, although there is an underlying theme of making good out of bad. In the beginning of the text, “Whether you like it or not, Yellowstone will erupt again – and right now, the odds of a cataclysmic blast taking place this year are around one-in-730,000. These are low odds, sure, but it’s more likely than you winning the lottery”. It goes on to reveal the immense damage resulting after the eruption, and how the magma spewing out would be equivalent to filling 14 grand canyons. Then to counter the depressing subject,“So why is all this good news? Well, a previous attempt to clarify how long it takes a supervolcano to “arm” itself came to the conclusion that it’s no more than a year. If this new study is more on the money, then it means we have 10 times longer to prepare ourselves if – and this is a big if – we know it’s coming”. With the recent findings, scientists are hoping that it’s true and there won’t be an eruption in 2018.

This is something the world should be aware of. Every person on earth will be affected in some way or another, especially from the ash clouds, which will impact the whole globe. This will be a change in the way life, countries will have to work together to endure through it. The threat of such a catastrophic event lures, but the way that it would affect the political, social and even cultural side of things. If it blows and the world goes into a panic, all countries are going to have to work together to overcome the impact dealt by the eruption. This will come with political tension and social opinions that will make it hard to cooperate in the pressure that will come. This could possibly affect the 1st world culture that we have today.

The text teaches us that the majority of the world choose to ignore the constant threat to live day by day in a false security. Although living in fear is not worth the torment, the fact that we are all so oblivious of the greater problems isn’t that surprising, As humans have evolved to focus on the immediate threat, rather than the greater picture. Global warming can be used as an example because only in the last 10 years or so have people caught on that there’s a problem, because society won’t want to believe that we’re in threat when he is no immediate effect on the world. This is just the same as the world won’t be worrying about the volcano until it erupts.

The article connects to my views because I think that everyone should be aware of what could affect our lives. When the risk of the world being stunted for life is present, the world has the right to know what we are all sitting around and waiting for. Even if it could cause panic or fear, the world should know. The fact that people have the right to hold back information that could affect the human kind as a species is outrageous.

The text is definitely worth the read, it brings to life the imminent threat we are all exposed to. Although the text is very informative it makes you think, “what would it be like to be a part of such a disaster?”. It has led me on to read similar articles as it becomes quite interesting. Although each article usually comes to the same conclusion that we really have no idea when it’s going to happen we just know that it is going to impact the way we live forever. “To be honest, though, previous estimates on various supervolcanoes have ranged from 10,000 years to no more than 12 months – so really, who knows at this point?”

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