A supervolcano is defined as a volcano that ejects more than a trillion tons of material when it erupts. Supervolcanoes can cover an entire continent in ash. A supervolcano explosion is about 30 times stronger than the strongest volcanic eruption in recent history, which occurred at Krakatoa.

 

The last time a supervolcano exploded was at Toba in Sumatra around 71,000 years ago. Ash blotted out the sun's rays, and humanity came close to extinction. Anthropologists estimate that only about 5,000 humans survived to reproduce in the aftermath of this event.

 

Another famous supervolcano is located directly underneath Yellowstone National Park, in the USA. The caldera is 40-50 kilometers (25-31 miles) long, about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) wide and about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) thick. It is so large as to be visible from space. The supervolcano explodes about once every 600,000 years. It last exploded more than 630,000 years ago.

 

A supervolcano sends hundreds to thousands of cubic kilometers of ash into the atmosphere, changing the climate for hundreds to thousands of years. When Yellowstone last exploded, a pack of fossilized rhinos was discovered 1000 km (621 miles) away from the blast zone. They choked to death underneath the heavy ash. A supervolcano is the most powerful known destructive force on the planet. Only asteroids or other cosmic events are potentially powerful enough to exceed their magnitude.

 

The difference between volcanoes and supervolcanoes is in the way the magma underneath each comes to the surface. In a normal volcano, a thin magma chamber leads to a towering cone, with a relatively thin layer of rock shielding the magma from the surface. When pressure underneath builds up sufficiently, the magma is shot upwards.

 

Related topics Supervolcano Supervolcanoes Supervolcanos Volcanic Activity Known Supervolcanoes Effects Of A Supervolcano Yellowstones

In a supervolcano, magma comes up close to the surface, but a large mass of rock prevents it from breaking free. This rock forms the top of a large depression called a caldera. Over hundreds of thousands of years, magma from beneath builds up in a huge lake of tremendous pressure immediately under the caldera. When this pressure reaches a critical threshold, it blasts the entire caldera sky-high, ejecting hundreds of cubic kilometers of molten lava.

 

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-supervolcano.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

We're screwed  :-(

 

 

  "When Yellowstone last exploded, a pack of fossilized rhinos was discovered 1000 km (621 miles) away from the blast zone."

 

    I didn't know we had scientists 630,000 years ago discovering packs of fossilized rhinos. And, I thought it took some time for packs of rhinos to fossilize. For that matter, I didn't know that fossilized rhinos even came in packs. At least they got they got their metric conversions right, though they converted a rounded 1000 km to a neat 621 miles.  :roll:

 

   

He simply means "From when Yellow Stone last exploded, a pack of fossilized rhinos were discovered..." It's a well known fact that Yellow Stone's Supervolcano is long overdue for another eruption.

Can't we drill into and insert a valve to relieve the pressure?  Scientists Im looking at you...

Can't we drill into and insert a valve to relieve the pressure? Scientists Im looking at you...

 

They couldn't even stop an oil spill. That would take some serious innovation considering the tremendous pressure.

What are Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck up to?

Can't we drill into and insert a valve to relieve the pressure?  Scientists Im looking at you...

 

LOL, imagine if we could.  Although there is amazing energy potential that could be captured if we could somehow expend the energy of the Caldera.  It would last thousands of years.

Looks like someone who was already depressed watched the Discovery Channel over the weekend, saw a program about Super Volcanoes, and got even more depressed. Try watching something happy, like Fox News. Er, never mind.

 

    I didn't know we had scientists 630,000 years ago discovering packs of fossilized rhinos.

   

 

They weren't fossilized 630,000 years ago, silly boy.

 

It doesn't take long for something to become fossilized. Take the Republican Party platform, for example.

 

OK, here comes the shitstorm!!...

And all this time I thought a supervolcano put the seat down when he was done.....

 

Honestly, I think David like to read/watch stuff and purposely scare the hell out of himself!  Or he is one paranoid dude! :laugh:

Honestly, I think David like to read/watch stuff and purposely scare the hell out of himself!  Or he is one paranoid dude! :laugh:

 

No, you would be talking about my brother lol He thinks the illuminati controls the weather patterns. Haiti, Katrina, BP Oil Spill - all their fault. He won't even talk about it sometimes, he'll write it down on a notepad and give you the information because he thinks they're listening.

Honestly, I think David like to read/watch stuff and purposely scare the hell out of himself!  Or he is one paranoid dude! :laugh:

 

No, you would be talking about my brother lol He thinks the illuminati controls the weather patterns. Haiti, Katrina, BP Oil Spill - all their fault. He won't even talk about it sometimes, he'll write it down on a notepad and give you the information because he thinks they're listening.

 

THAT'S CRAZY

Bush and Obama come from the same Illuminati blood lines!! They're 9th cousins 2 times removed! What are the odds? Is it a coincidence? You decide...

 

 

 

I remember when the IT guy came to my house and started talking about how Aliens gave us all this computer technology for microprocessors and stuff. Of all people to believe in THAT conspiracy! Hah!

This is interesting to me (the supervolcano, not the illuminati / masons so much). I remember when Mt. St. Helens blew open, it affected weather patterns for the next year .

 

Regarding the latter, I think I've mentioned before that I go to the schvitz on occassion with a bunch of guys who are masons. Unless Podiatrists have some sinister cabal bent on world domination that I'm not aware of, I'm thinking we're ok.