Maybe it would be a good idea to take a deep breath and relax. The reason I recommend that is I've learned that there really was a volcanic eruption in Iowa, but there's no need to worry.

I came across this article quite innocently. While doing my usual daily research, I saw a headline that read "An Old Volcanic Eruption in Iowa". I swallowed my gum, then decided to find out what this sensational headline was all about.

I'm not gonna claim that I have this all figured out, but I'll share what I learned. The article comes from an archive at Science Magazine. The story dates back to research published on March 10, 1893. Seriously, it's that old. It states that in the northwestern part of Iowa there are rock types like crystalline or "Sioux granite".  How did this type of rock become a part of Iowa? That's where the volcano theory comes in.

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The scientists at the time of this study theorized that this was either caused by a lava flow way back when flowing between the areas of the Earth in the Midwest with the path of least resistance. At the end of the day, they determined that there had to be some type of volcanic activity in what is now Iowa but they don't know why.

Yes, you read that right. Volcanic activity...IN IOWA. 

That led me to ask a more important question. Is there a volcano here now? Nope. I verified at Scholastic that there are no active volcanoes in the Midwest. Whew. There is quite a bit of volcanic rock in Missouri, but our main danger comes from tornadoes.

The only volcano that would be of concern to Iowa is the super-volcano at Yellowstone. We'd be on the receiving end of a lot of ash if that were to blow, but there's no chance of that happening. Oh, wait...

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