Supervolcanoes may erupt easier than thought

I supposed that if there was a super volcano eruption we would have lots of warning but no, they can strike at any time. There are so many predictions/prophecies that involve fire at the end of the world, makes you wonder.

Researchers say a Supervolcano, like Lake Taupo, can erupt without being set-off by an earthquake or any other external trigger.

In a study published in Nature Geoscience a Swiss Team has found the sheer quantity of liquid magma inside the huge volcanoes is enough to start an eruption on its own.

tvnz.co.nz...

Super-eruptions that dwarf all historical volcanic episodes in erupted volume1 and environmental impact2 are abundant in the geological record. Such eruptions of silica-rich magmas form large calderas. The mechanisms that trigger these super-eruptions are elusive because the processes occurring in conventional volcanic systems cannot simply be scaled up to the much larger magma chambers beneath supervolcanoes. Over-pressurization of the magma reservoir, caused by magma recharge, is a common trigger for smaller eruptions3, but is insufficient to generate eruptions from large supervolcano magma chambers4. Magma buoyancy can potentially create sufficient overpressure4, but the efficiency of this trigger mechanism has not been tested. Here we use synchrotron measurements of X-ray absorption5 to determine the density of silica-rich magmas at pressures and temperatures of up to 3.6 GPa and 1,950 K, respectively. We combine our results with existing measurements of silica-rich magma density at ambient pressures6, 7 to show that magma buoyancy can generate an overpressure on the roof of a large supervolcano magma chamber that exceeds the critical overpressure of 10–40 MPa required to induce dyke propagation4, even when the magma is undersaturated in volatiles. We conclude that magma buoyancy alone is a viable mechanism to trigger a super-eruption, although magma recharge and mush rejuvenation8, volatile saturation9 or tectonic stress10 may have been important during specific eruptions.

www.nature.com...

Wonderful...

Tell the tourists at Yellowstone to tread very lightly, please...

There are so many predictions/prophecies that involve fire at the end of the world, makes you wonder.

True, but I think they include fire in their end of the world predictions because there are any number of things that can cause a fiery end. Volcanoes, meteors, nukes,etc.

This sure makes watching Yellowstone seem for nothing. I always felt there would be plenty of warning for a volcano eruption. I guess it just goes to show that anything can happen at any time.

Out of all the possibilities of humanities destruction, Supervolcanoes are by far the most terrifying, for me at least.

The global disintegration that one of those can cause is pretty scary, and the chances of surviving one is very slim, considering everything that an eruption from one of those would effect.

Thanks a lot for the horrible news!

It's saying there is a possibility but I doubt it - some rumbling, even if far beneath would take place. It wouldn't just be completely still - become supercharged instantaneously and pop. I can see how it might rumble a few hours before blowing (without swarms), but not a simultaneous shake and explode.

Yellowstone is scary to consider for an eruption but it vents. That's what makes that giant gentle IMO. If it stops steaming or breaks through more of the surface - or appears to be bending the earth upward (new vents) that would be a problem but I think we will get warning with that one. The others - they should be moitoring.

The part that caught my attention was magma becoming supercharged. I read some research awhile back that spoke of solar Maunders and Dalton's being associated with energizing silica. What else excites this element to the point that it would cause an eruption? If they have a way to measure that maybe they can predict these things. ?

reply to post by madmac5150


Either that or keep this information away from the sort of people who like to get destroyed at metal concerts. There would be nothing as likely to set off an eruption as a huge overpowered amp stack, and a few thousand metalheads trying to kick of a literally apocalyptic death metal mosh pit!

If any tourists are at Yellowstone when it erupts, at least they'd go out in the most spectacular way ever...

...and they would be the lucky ones.