News

**•REC** · **•REC** 14877 User ID: 14877 04-30-2012 09:58 AM **Posts: 20,417**

The Yellowstone "super-volcano" is a little less super—but more active—than previously thought.

Researchers at Washington State University and the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre say the biggest Yellowstone eruption, which created the 2 million year old Huckleberry Ridge deposit, was actually two different eruptions at least 6,000 years apart.

Their results paint a new picture of a more active volcano than previously thought and can help recalibrate the likelihood of another big eruption in the future. Before the researchers split the one eruption into two, it was the fourth largest known to science.

"The Yellowstone volcano's previous behavior is the best guide of what it will do in the future," says Ben Ellis, co-author and post-doctoral researcher at Washington State University's School of the Environment. "This research suggests explosive volcanism from Yellowstone is more frequent than previously thought."

The new ages for each Huckleberry Ridge eruption reduce the volume of the first event to 2,200 cubic kilometers, roughly 12 percent less than previously thought. A second eruption of 290 cubic kilometers took place more than 6,000 years later.

That first eruption still deserves to be called "super," as it is one of the largest known to have occurred on Earth and darkened the skies with ash from southern California to the Mississippi River. By comparison, the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens produced 1 cubic kilometer of ash. The larger blast of Oregon's Mount Mazama 6,850 years ago produced 116 cubic kilometers of ash.

The study, funded by the National Science Foundation and published in the June issue of the Quaternary Geochronology, used high-precision argon isotope dating to make the new calculations. The radioactive decay rate from potassium 40 to argon 40 serves as a "rock clock" for dating samples and has a precision of .2 percent. Darren Mark, co-author and a post-doctoral research fellow at the SUERC, recently helped fine tune the technique and improve it by 1.2 percent—a small-sounding difference that can become huge across geologic time.

"Improved precision for greater temporal resolution is not just about adding another decimal place to a number, says Mark. "It's far more exciting. It's like getting a sharper lens on a camera. It allows us to see the world more clearly."

The project asks the question: Might super-eruptions actually be products of multiple, closely spaced eruptions through time? With improved temporal resolution, in times to come, maybe super-eruptions will be not quite so super.

http://m.phys.org/news/2012-04-yellowsto...ought.html

**tethys**

Translation - if Yellowstone shows some signs of activity don't panic.

The eruption of Mount Sinabung in 29 August 2010 is linked to the Toba supervolcano as it is only 25 miles in distance from it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Sinabung

**808hawk** · (This post was last modified: 04-30-2012 10:42 AM by 808hawk.)

mankind with its relatively large population compared to centuries gone by no doubt faces a huge volcanic event sometime in the future. there is no getting away from it millions will die at some point. will it happen in our lifetime, who knows.

its proper full on doom however. tick tock.

doomed

**Leroy Jenkins!**

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 92889 04-30-2012 01:15 PM

I've always argued this.....just because it's a massive volcano does not mean it will massively super erupt.... i think it wil be more of an ooze

**•REC** · **•REC** 14877 User ID: 14877 04-30-2012 04:01 PM **Posts: 20,417**

**Rager** lop guest User ID: 92874 04-30-2012 04:06 PM

LoP Guest Wrote:

I've always argued this.....just because it's a massive volcano does not mean it will massively super erupt.... i think it wil be more of an ooze

People always assume the worst, don't they?

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 50044 04-30-2012 04:36 PM

808hawk Wrote:

mankind with its relatively large population compared to centuries gone by no doubt faces a huge volcanic event sometime in the future. there is no getting away from it millions will die at some point. will it happen in our lifetime, who knows.

its proper full on doom however. tick tock.

yes at some point the species will have to deal with an impact, large eruption, record earthquake, super tsunami, and probably sun doom.

in our lifetime, nah.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 90747 04-30-2012 04:39 PM

The eventual large eruption will bring another worldwide 'year without a summer', so everybody needs to have at least a year of food on hand to feed their family.

Each large eruption is followed by massive starvation worldwide. Take that to heart, prep.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 93692 04-30-2012 04:50 PM

An illustration of just how big these events were. http://www.earthmountainview.com/yellows...olcano.jpg

**CooterBrown**

-- No big deal. Looks like it's only a Million-Year-Event ... "Over
the past 18 million years or so, this hotspot has generated a succession
of violent eruptions and less violent floods of basaltic lava. Together these
eruptions have helped create the eastern part of the Snake River Plain
from a once-mountainous region. At least a dozen of these eruptions
were so massive that they are classified as super eruptions."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_Caldera
.

**Leotard** lop guest User ID: 76478 04-30-2012 06:39 PM

cool story bro

**The Comedian**

tethys Wrote:

Translation - if Yellowstone shows some signs of activity don't panic.

The eruption of Mount Sinabung in 29 August 2010 is linked to the Toba supervolcano as it is only 25 miles in distance from it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Sinabung

I'd prefer to panic about both anyway, thank you.
Hiding

**The Comedian**

LoP Guest Wrote:

An illustration of just how big these events were. http://www.earthmountainview.com/yellows...olcano.jpg

Good graphic thanks.

So, do I read that correctly? Is there a dormant super caldera (Huckleberry Ridge) in Louisiana?

**RedShift**

Rager Wrote:

LoP Guest Wrote:
I've always argued this.....just because it's a massive volcano does not mean it will massively super erupt.... i think it wil be more of an ooze

People always assume the worst, don't they?

damn it bro

youre just barbrady'ing it up in here!

chuckle