--- title: Yellowstone 'Super Eruption' Could Blanket Continental U.S. in Ash description: Supposing Yellowstone erupted into a massive, ash-spewing volcano, how far might the plume travel across the continental United States? From coast to coast, blanketing every city in ash, according to an unsettling new study. canonical: https://time.com/3258704/yellowstone-eruption/ author: Dan Kedmey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-09-02T20:33:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:00:46.240Z article:section: Science og:title: Yellowstone 'Super Eruption' Could Blanket Continental U.S. in Ash og:description: Supposing Yellowstone erupted into a massive, ash-spewing volcano, how far might the plume travel across the continental United States? From coast to coast, blanketing every city in ash, according to an unsettling new study. og:url: https://time.com/3258704/yellowstone-eruption/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta743f37102152bbc/6986a1b2d0b6f2949f305e9a/89168332.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3582 og:image:height: 2015 og:image:alt: USA, Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park (UNESCO World Heritage List, 1976). Region of geysers, Castle Geyser og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Yellowstone 'Super Eruption' Could Blanket Continental U.S. in Ash twitter:description: Supposing Yellowstone erupted into a massive, ash-spewing volcano, how far might the plume travel across the continental United States? From coast to coast, blanketing every city in ash, according to an unsettling new study. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta743f37102152bbc/6986a1b2d0b6f2949f305e9a/89168332.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Yellowstone 'Super Eruption' Could Blanket U.S. in Ash, Study Finds > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Future Proof: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Future Proof is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Making sense of the climate and energy economy. Future Proof examines the forces transforming energy and climate, and what those changes mean for business, technology, policy and the global economy. Senior correspondent Justin Worland goes beyond traditional climate coverage to connect the energy transition to the bigger decisions reshaping companies, markets and society. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=a7d7d37b-9bee-4ca8-a6f0-50b565092354&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Friday (1x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 40,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 34.2% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 2.1% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Justin Worland, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Senior leaders shaping the climate transition. An engaged audience of executives and decision-makers spanning operating companies, finance, policy, consulting, communications and media. ### TIME Future Proof: key statements * Future Proof is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Future Proof is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=a7d7d37b-9bee-4ca8-a6f0-50b565092354&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/subscribe?i=a7d7d37b-9bee-4ca8-a6f0-50b565092354&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's climate and energy newsletter? Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. It reaches 40,000 subscribers with a 34.2% open rate and a 2.1% click rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Study: Global Warming Hiatus Result Of Volcanic Activity [Watch (HLS stream): Study: Global Warming Hiatus Result Of Volcanic Activity](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Xn3wASQB.m3u8) (1:07)  _Published 2014-02-25. A new study suggests volcanic activity could be part of the reason why we haven’t seen global warming keep pace with previous predictions._  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Sep 2, 2014 8:33 PM UTC  Yellowstone National Park (UNESCO World Heritage List, 1976). Region of geysers, Castle Geyser Yellowstone National Park (UNESCO World Heritage List, 1976). Region of geysers, Castle Geyser C.DANI and I.JESKE—De Agostini/Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Sep 2, 2014 8:33 PM UTC If Yellowstone erupted into a massive, ash-spewing volcano, how far might the plume travel across the continental United States? From coast to coast, blanketing every city in ash, [according](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014GC005469/full) to an unsettling new study. Geophysicists developed a computer model of a Yellowstone “super eruption” that would spew 330 cubic kilometers of volcanic ash into the sky. The resulting ash cloud, depending on wind conditions, would blanket the continental United States in ash deposits of varying thickness, according to the study, published late August in the journal _Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems_. New York and Washington D.C., would get a light dusting of ash measuring roughly one-tenth of an inch, while San Francisco and Seattle would get a heaping 2 inches. Billings, Montana, meanwhile, would have to dig out from a 70-inch pile up. If the findings sound far-flung, so to speak, researchers point out that Yellowstone’s last massive eruption spewed ash over tens of thousands of square kilometers. Deposits from that eruption have been traced as far afield as Canada and the Gulf of Mexico. Fortunately, the last time Yellowstone erupted on that scale was some 2 million years ago and counting. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3258704/yellowstone-eruption/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3258704/yellowstone-eruption/"},"headline":"Yellowstone 'Super Eruption' Could Blanket U.S. in Ash, Study Finds","datePublished":"2014-09-02T20:33:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:00:46.240Z","description":"An eruption could blanket the east coast in a few millimeters and bury the Rocky mountains in several meters of ash","url":"https://time.com/3258704/yellowstone-eruption/","keywords":["Volcano","eruption","Natural Disasters","lava"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta743f37102152bbc/6986a1b2d0b6f2949f305e9a/89168332.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dan Kedmey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta743f37102152bbc/6986a1b2d0b6f2949f305e9a/89168332.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"USA, Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park (UNESCO World Heritage List, 1976). Region of geysers, Castle Geyser","caption":"USA, Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park (UNESCO World Heritage List, 1976). Region of geysers, Castle Geyser","creditText":"C.DANI and I.JESKE—De Agostini/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3258704/yellowstone-eruption/","name":"Yellowstone 'Super Eruption' Could Blanket U.S. in Ash, Study Finds"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Study: Global Warming Hiatus Result Of Volcanic Activity","description":"A new study suggests volcanic activity could be part of the reason why we haven’t seen global warming keep pace with previous predictions.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Xn3wASQB/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-02-25T19:22:14.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Xn3wASQB.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3258704/yellowstone-eruption/","duration":"PT1M7S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3258704/yellowstone-eruption/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```