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Researchers: Global Risk of Supervolcano Eruption Greater Than Previously Though

Posted by samzenpus on from the big-boom dept.

rbrandis writes "The eruption of a 'supervolcano' hundreds of times more powerful than conventional volcanoes – with the potential to wipe out civilization as we know it – is more likely than previously thought, a study has found. An analysis of the molten rock within the dormant supervolcano beneath Yellowstone National Park in the United States has revealed that an eruption is possible without any external trigger, scientists said."

2 of 325 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Extinction is good in this case because... by i+kan+reed · · Score: 5, Insightful

    NSA is on the east coast, Yellowbone will just kill the west coast, and starve the rest of the world a little.

  2. Re:Can eruptions like the be averted? by kellymcdonald78 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't think you realize the scale of the energy involved. When St. Helen's blew, it released ~24MT of energy and ~1 cubic km of ash. The last eruption of the Yellowstone caldaera (Lava Creek 640,000 years ago) released more than 1000 cubic km of ash. You're looking at having to dissapate 1000's of MT of energy somehow. Plus, one of the typical triggers to one of these eruptions is a smaller eruption or earthquake that drops the pressure of the magma chamber to the point where dissolved gases come out of solution, then it's like opening a bottle of soda that's been shaken.