[Kevin Curry]

Apparently, an enormous magma chamber (fed by a plume rising from deep within the earth) lies about 8000 meters beneath the surface of the park. In one sense that seems almost impossibly close to the surface. On the other hand, it represents approximately the same vertical distance as the summit of Mt McKinley from sea level. That's a lot of earth and stone. But what a pressure cooker! When and if it does break loose, it'll push that earth and stone skyward with almost unimaginable catastrophic force.

I don't believe there is an alternative to allowing nature to take its cataclysmic course. There would almost surely be precursor signs building to a major eruption. I suspect there would be a huge migration to the north and south. Mexican illegal aliens might even stop coming into the US for awhile.

There have been about 30 Pinatubo scale-eruptions at Yellowstone in the past 600 thousand years as well. Chances are much more likely we'd see one of those lesser blowups in our lifetimes.

[Paul C. Jesup]

There have been about 30 Pinatubo scale-eruptions at Yellowstone in the past 600 thousand years as well. Chances are much more likely we'd see one of those lesser blowups in our lifetimes.

When, where and how powerful was the Pinatubo eruption?