Supervolcanoes Can Erupt More Often Than We Thought - But That Means Something Quite Specific

Supervolcanoes Can Erupt More Often Than We Thought - But That Means Something Quite Specific

SUMATRA, INDONESIA — Supervolcanoes stay active and dangerous even in the period after supereruptions, according to a new study in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.

The largest eruptions at these sites, known as supereruptions, are capable of causing mass death on a global scale, according to The Independent, but the new research centers on the idea of what happens after those largest eruptions, to help understand when catastrophe might strike in the future.

Feldspar and zircon mineral records from Mount Toba in Indonesia showed that magma had continued to ooze out within that supervolcano’s caldera for 5,000 to 13,000 years after its supereruption 74,000 years ago, according to the study’s lead author, cited by SciTechDaily.

This post-supereruption ‘oozing’ means that eruptions can occur even when no liquid magma is found underneath a volcano, which means the volcanoes still present hazards even after their largest eruptions, and also adds to our understanding of how supervolcanoes develop over time.