The popular tourist attraction of Yellowstone National Park has been partially closed following underground activity at a supervolcano that has resulted in roads literally melting into the ground. As luck would have it, the roads affected are in close proximity to Maddison Junction and Old Faithful, the two most popular spots in the park.
As per park spokesman Dan Hottle, the heat from the supervolcano turned gravel roads into a mess of porridge or oatmeal. Asphalt fared no better as it was described as turning into soup. In addition, hikers are warned to stay out of the affected areas. Authorities caution that although the ground may appear to be solid, it can quickly become like boiling water.
The affected roads are traversed annually by three million visitors and it is not known when they will be repaired. Nor it is known who will even attempt to work such a potentially hazardous work site. According to records from the US Geological Survey, the last time the supervolcano erupted was 64,000 years ago.
That said, it was only in 2013 that geologists determined that the supervolcano was 2.5 times larger than previously thought. No one believes the volcano is getting any larger, but then again the conventional wisdom got the size of the volcano wrong also.
Nor was anyone predicting this sort of activity. Yet, here it is. Nor is it clear what type of activity is leading to the ground layer above the volcano to boil away as it has been doing.