Volcanoes

You can thank ancient volcanoes for the highest natural point in Missouri.

The USGS has applied machine learning to seismic activity under Yellowstone National Park and discovered 86,000 previously undetected earthquakes. There's a reason why this should be a concern even for Missouri.

If a self-proclaimed time traveler is correct, Missouri will have a very bad July this year as he says a super volcano will blanket the state in ash. The good news for Missouri is he's probably the worst time traveler in history. Literally.

There have been many movies that have depicted what it might be like if the super volcano under Yellowstone were to erupt. There is history to prove it has happened many times in the distant past including blasts that were so massive they blanketed Missouri with ash.

It's not breaking news that I didn't pay real close attention during geology classes in high school, but maybe I should. I've learned today that the world's largest lava flow might really extend into parts of Missouri? Who knew?

Let me state from the beginning that this will likely never happen in our lifetime. Maybe. It is believed the the supervolcano that exists under Yellowstone National Park will one day erupt. If that happens, it would be very bad news for Missouri and I'll explain why.

Most of Missouri is full of lush forests. One part isn't. It's a mountainous part of the state that was formed by a violent ancient tornado.

When I think of Missouri (and I do often actually), I think of a lot of things. Fishing, canoeing, Mark Twain and volcanoes. Oh, wait. I never think of Missouri and volcanoes, but apparently I should since I've now learned there were no less than 3 ancient volcanoes in the Show Me State.

One of my favorite comedians likes to joke about everyone talking about their love of hiking online. If you really do like to get out and really do hiking, you should know about Buford Mountain in Missouri. It's a rocky hike, but has a sweet view as a payoff at the end. Oh, and it's an old volcano.