Had to check my ash thickness. Tens of inches - not feet! Still - enough to wipe out existing crops, and more importantly the global cooling that would happen for many years afterwards.
I’m within a 500-mile radius, BTW, but would be looking forward to the soil improvement here.
;-)
I’ve worked in some very hazardous environments before and tolerate smoke from forest fires often here. Window filters, goggles, masks, etc., for exceptionally bad times.
Another plus: we usually get a winter ice buildup that’s pretty deep. Ice dunes. Volcanism in the northern hemisphere is more likely during winter. An ash fall would melt the ice and stay in the soil afterwards. Soil is now hard packed, sterile and a little too much on the alkaline side. We need ash here.