Yellowstone Supervolcano topic of USU’s Science Unwrapped on March 30

LOGAN – The Yellowstone Supervolcano: It’s huge, it’s powerful, it’s mysterious and it’s right under our feet. Should we be worried? “Yes, the Yellowstone region is active and has the potential to cause widespread destruction,” says Jamie Farrell, geophysicist and doctoral candidate with the University of Utah’s Seismology and Active Tectonics Research Group. “But Hollywood’s depiction and the reality of what could happen are quite different. We need to sort through what we know and what we don’t know and how scientists are finding this information.” Farrell, a 2001 Utah State University graduate, is featured speaker for USU’s Science Unwrapped program Friday, March 30, on campus. He presents “Yellowstone Supervolcano: Myths and Realities” at 7 p.m. in the Emert Auditorium, Room 130, of the Eccles Science Learning Center. Hosted by USU’s College of Science, the free event is open to inquiring minds of all ages. Hands-on learning activities and refreshments follow Farrell’s talk. Guests are invited to bring their ‘mystery’ rocks and fossils for identification by USU geologists. The March 30th event is a continuation of Science Unwrapped’s spring 2012 series, “End of the World as We Know It: The Science Behind Apocalypses.” “Throughout history and today, humans have been fascinated by impending disasters and the threat of apocalyptic scenarios,” says Shane Larson, Science Unwrapped committee chair and assistant professor in USU’s Physics Department. “For our spring series, we’ve assembled an exciting slate of speakers to help us explore this topic from diverse disciplines and points of view.” For more information, call 435-797-3517, visit the www.usu.edu/science/unwrapped or view the ‘Science Unwrapped at USU’ page on Facebook.

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