Yellowstone National Park is home to an active supervolcano that has erupted three times in Earths history, with the most recent eruption occurring 640,000 years ago. While the odds of another eruption, big or small, are very low, it is possible that a smaller event could occur in the future. Here are some potential consequences of a Yellowstone eruption:

• Ashfall: If the supervolcano were to have another massive eruption, it could spew ash for thousands of miles across the United States, damaging buildings, smothering crops, and affecting human health.

• Lava flows: The most likely explosive event to occur at Yellowstone is actually a hydrothermal explosion (a rock hurling geyser eruption) or a lava flow. Lava flows would destroy the Yellowstone National Park, but probably not much else.

• Infrastructure damage: The ash from an eruption could cause severe infrastructure damage, ruining farmland, and causing health problems for humans and animals, with the states immediately surrounding Yellowstone being the worst affected but with significant damage throughout the Midwest.

Its important to note that even if Yellowstone did erupt again, the worst-case scenario is unlikely to occur. While future eruptions are likely, they will most probably be limited to ongoing geysers, steam explosions, and small lava flows.