Jul 14 2008
“Super Volcano” by Greg Breining
Super Volcano: The Ticking Time Bomb Beneath Yellowstone National Park by Greg Breining was an incredibly interesting book, considering the topic. Sometimes, when you get someone writing a nonfiction book about the history of a place or natural wonder of the world, it can get awfully dry and scholarly, bringing me to wonder how sleeping pills can flourish on the market when a book like that exists. 
Five pages and anybody would be out like a light.
But Super Volcano doesn’t fall into that trap. Instead, it was an interesting yet fairly scientific book on how volcanoes form, why Yellowstone is labeled a Super Volcano by the volcano experts, and what the chances are that an explosion will happen again (hint: bordering on 100%). He also talks about what has happened around the world when a large volcano has erupted in the past.
I only skimmed one portion, and it was only a couple of pages long: It was a summary of how each major volcano in the world was formed. I really didn’t care, so I skimmed. 
There were some eye-opening facts in the book, such as the fact that if Yellowstone let loose with another eruption of the magnitude that it is capable of, it would rate 1000% more powerful than St Helen’s eruption in 1980. (And not only is it capable of that kind of power, it has erupted with that much force twice in the past).
The bad news is, because of the climate change that such an eruption would cause, basically life on Earth as we know it would cease to exist. Think worldwide famines because there’s no sun to grow crops. Think half the United States covered under a layer of ash so thick that people have to shovel out their driveway to get to their car.
Yeah, that bad.
All I have to say is, I can only hope that it doesn’t happen in my lifetime, or the next.
Overall, I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. It was well written, it was based on scientific fact (lots of interviews done with scientists to provide the information in the book) and it was interesting. If you’re fascinated with volcanoes or Yellowstone like I am, make sure to pick this one up. It covers more than just Yellowstone, so don’t think it’s 256 pages of Yellowstone only, although that’s definitely the main focus of the book.
Hava
Photo Credit: eku125
