While the country concentrates on keeping warm this winter, Yellowstone National Park holds another concern of different temperatures.

Yellowstone National Park holds the only supervolcano not under sea level, and it could erupt at any time. CNN tells us that according to Geophysicist Bob Smith who heads the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory at the University of Utah, it is more than a supervolcano– because the area is more of “a zone of concentrated and active volcanism.”

This supervolcano is suddenly a popular topic in the news now because its last three eruptions were spanned approximately 800,000 years apart. According to schedule, this means that its time for Earth to experience another eruption soon.

While there is no way to tell the exact ramifications of a supervolcanic eruption, they have been the cause of mass extinctions and extreme changes to climate due to high amounts of ash blocking the sunlight. Earthquakes from resulting smaller eruptions, however, are almost a sure guarantee at least on the western side of the United States.

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory provides a recently upgraded monthly update of the volcano alert levels. The site also lists other volcanic hazards throughout the park that appear at higher frequencies such as small hydrothermal explosions, earthquakes and lava flows. Check that frequently if it provides any comfort, and remember that it takes 10 years or more for magma buildup to reach a point of eruption.

Image via Youtube