Supervolcano
Its Destructive Path!
What is a supervolcano?
A supervolcano is any volcano capable of producing a volcanic eruption with a volume greater than 1,000 km3 (240 cu mi). A supervolcano's blast is thousands of times larger than a normal volcanic eruption.
Dinasour Extinction
Latest findings by scientists from Columbia University have suggested that a set of gigantic volcanic eruptions may have been responsible for the extinction of half of earth's species 200 million years ago.It was due to the extinction of such creatures that dinosaurs evolved and dominated the planet for the next 135 million years, before they too were wiped out. The geological deposits of dinosaurs are dated at precisely 201,564,000 years ago, which is exactly the same time of a massive outpouring of lava.
Effects on Weather
Volcanic eruptions can alter the climate of the earth for both short and long periods of time. For example, average global temperatures dropped two degrees Fahrenheit for about two years after the eruption of Tambora in 1815, which caused crop failures and famine in Europe and North America due to the cold temperatures. A super volcano's influence on the weather would be much stronger.
Fear the ash, not the lava..
A super volcanic eruption would inject massive quantities of ash into the atmosphere, greatly reducing the solar heating of the Earth and potentially interrupting the global food supply for several years. The ash can also trigger rainfall causing mudslides known as lahars, severely disrupt air road and rail transport, contaminate water supplies, kill crops and other vegetation, and clog machinery such as air filters. Also, inhaling this volcanic ash forms like cement in a persons lungs, thus causing suffocation.
Yellowstone Supervolcano
The Yellowstone Supervolcano is located in Wyoming. The magma chamber is huge, reaching depths of 1 to 9 miles. With an average length of 55 miles and average width of 20 miles its potential as a ‘continent killer’ is obvious. The Yellowstone Supervolcano erupts once every 600,000 years, but it last erupted 640,000 years ago. This means that the volcano can erupt on any given day. Scientists predict an eruption by Yellowstone would cover over 1,000 miles in a 10-foot deep layer of ash.
FYI: Yellowstone's Super Volcano - Discovery Channel Podcast
Yellowstone Caldera : The Biggest Volcanic Eruption Ever Awaits Mankind
Yellowstone Supervolcano Ground Raises Ten Inches