A new scientific study reveals that the Yellowstone supervolcano is much larger than previously estimated.
The new findings tell that the magma chamber is about 2.5 times bigger than previously thought, stretches over more than 90km (55 miles) and contains a volume of molten rock reaching up to 200-600 cubic km. This is astounding. Imagine a blow: It would be catastrophic!
The last major eruption, which occurred 640,000 years ago, sent ash across the whole of North America, affecting the planet’s climate. But it is unclear when the Yellowstone supervolcano will erupt again.
The findings are being presented at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting (AGU) in San Francisco. [BBC News]
[…] geysers, and hot springs. It is also the site of one of the worlds most destructive forces: A supervolcano. However, new reports are coming in the a borehole (B944) at Yellowstone Lake (where most […]
[…] Scientists had already known about a plume, which brings molten rock up from deep in the mantle to a region about 60 kilometers below the surface. Moreover, they had also imaged a shallow magma chamber about 10 kilometers below the surface, containing about 10,000 cubic kilometers of molten material. […]