Volcanoes are pretty cool. Everyone has seen volvanoes either up close or on TV. Often erupting and spewing molten rock and lava from the top of the volcano and causing pyroclastic flows - deadly walls of red hot gas, ash and molten rock flowing at speeds of more than 400mph. As long as you're far enough away from a volcanic eruption, you can marvel in its terrible, awesome beauty.
But supervolcanoes are an entirely different prospect - many thousands of times larger and more dangerous. A supervolcano is a volcano which can eject a mass of 1,000km3 - that's the equivalent of 240 cubic miles - of lava, molten rock, etc.
Most people know about the Yellowstone Caldera, which some people have estimated is now "overdue". It is 55km x 72km in area. But maybe fewer people know about the lake Toba Caldera, which is 100km x 30km in area. It's the site of the largest volcanic eruption on Earth in the last 25 million years. If it erupts - sorry, WHEN it erupts - it will shoot out an estimated 2,800km3 of rock, magma and lava. This will be sufficient to plunge the Earth into a nuclear winter for several years, reducing global temperatures to a mini ice age and wiping out several species - possibly including man.
Of course, we should have absolutely nothing to worry about whatsoever until and unless there is some volcanic activity monitored in the area.
One of the volcanoes in the vicinity of Toba has just started to erupt.
http://rt.com/news/266341-sinabung-volcano-eruption-indonesia/Exciting, huh?
Comments
Strange post.
There's numerous NEOs that could change trajectory or orbit at any point and come crashing into earth as well.
I enjoy all this stuff.
Christmas in chenobyl
I have just been to the hot bird upstairs flat giving it the "We're all gonna die because of Chizz's super volcano, so how about one last bunk up?" she told me to fuck off!
She'll regret it laying there in 6ft of volcanic soot and I'm the one who managed to bang one last one out in time, Ha!
Keep a stock of Baked Beans in the shed.
More chance of being hit by a rogue meteorite............ According to some 'experts'.