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>>Yellowstone is about 500 miles, as the crow flies, from Ellensburg. I've read articles about Yellowstone's super volcano potential, spewing "a cloud of plant-killing ash would fan out and dump a layer 10ft deep up to 1,000 miles away". However, we wouldn't be downwind, so we'd most likely get nothing blown our way. I would also think that, being 500 miles away, earthquakes wouldn't be too bad either. We'd probably be ok ...
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>>You are, however, right next door to the 3rd most dangerous volcano in the US.
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>>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003592844_rainier28m.html
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>>You might be in luck though. Historically, mud flows have tended to go to the west.
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>>http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Imgs/Gif/Rainier/OFR95-642/rainier_mudflows.gif>
>Yeah, I was going to mention Rainier. I don't think we'd need to worry about mud flows, but we'd most likely get a lot of ash if it ever blows. I didn't live here when Mount St. Helens blew, but there was plenty of ash here in Ellensburg (and even more in Yakima). And we're closer to Rainier than St. Helens.
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>But, I'd say you are probably too close to Yellowstone.
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>~~Bonnie
Close enough that I am probably not going to care! Helena IS pretty seismically active. An earthquake in 1938 destroyed much of Helena. We pay as much for earthquake ins. as people in California.