Super-volcanoes, such as the caldera at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, pose a bigger danger to human life than earthquakes or asteroids, and are essentially a ticking time bomb that are likely to go off anytime in the next 80 years, the U.K.
Express reports.
Earth is experiencing a "volcano season" of increased activity, according to scientists.
A giant eruption at Yellowstone, Mt. Vesuvius in Italy or Popocatépetl in Mexico would not only kill millions, but also would affect global weather and harm food production, according to the Express.
Yellowstone, though not a traditional mountainous volcano is as dangerous as the others. The "caldera" is the remains of a previous eruption and a new event could wipe out the western United States, according to
Curiosity Aroused.
A major eruption at any of the volcanoes could do more damage than human activity and global warming could do in more than 1,000 years, according to the
European Science Foundation's report "Extreme Geo-hazards: Reducing the Disaster Risk and Increasing Resilience."
Further, there are not contingency plans for a major volcanic eruption as there are for hurricanes and earthquakes since they occur far less often.
"Although in the last few decades earthquakes have been the main cause of fatalities and damage, the main global risk is large volcanic eruptions that are less frequent but far more impactful than the largest earthquakes," reads the report.
"Due to their far-reaching effects on climate, food security, transportation, and supply chains, these events have the potential to trigger global disaster and catastrophe," the report reads.
"The cost of response and the ability to respond to these events is beyond the financial and political capabilities of any individual country."