Supervolcano

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Supervolcano

A supervolcano or super volcanic eruption is a volcanic eruption which is substantially larger than any volcano in historic times (generally accepted to be greater than 1,000 cubic kilometers). Supervolcanoes occur when magma

Magma

Magma is molten Rock that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and may also exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and gas bubbles....
in the Earth

Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in diameter, mass and density. It is also referred to as the World and Wiktionary:Terra.Note that by International Astronomical Union convention, the term "Terra" is used for naming extensive land masses, rather...
rises into the crust

Crust (geology)

In geology, a crust is the outermost solid shell of a planet or moon, which is chemically distinct from the underlying mantle . Crusts of Earth , our Moon, Mercury , Venus, and Mars have been generated largely by igneous processes, and these crusts are richer in incompatible elements than their respective mantle s....
from a hotspot

Hotspot (geology)

In geology, a hotspot is a location on the Earth's surface that has experienced active volcano for a long period of time. J. Tuzo Wilson came up with the idea in 1963 that volcanic chains like the Hawaiian Islands result from the slow movement of a tectonic plate across a "fixed" hot spot deep beneath the surface of the planet....
but is unable to break through the crust. Pressure builds in a large and growing magma pool until the crust is unable to contain the pressure

Pressure

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Magma

Earth

Crust (geology)

Hotspot (geology)

Pressure

Pressure is the force per unit area applied to an object in a direction surface normal to the surface. Gauge pressure is the pressure relative to the local atmospheric or ambient pressure....
. Supervolcanoes are relatively new to science, they were previously unknown due to the fact they do not fit the stereotypical model of volcanoes.

Although there are only a handful of Supervolcanoes, super volcanic eruptions typically cause a long-lasting change to weather (such as the triggering of a small ice age

Ice age

The general term "ice age" or, more precisely, "glacial age" denotes a geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in an expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers....
) sufficient to threaten the extinction of species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
, and cover huge areas with lava

Lava

Lava is molten Rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption. When first expelled from a volcanic vent, it is a liquid at temperatures from 700 ?C to 1,200 ?C ....
and ash

Ash

Ash may refer to:...
.

Word origin

The term was originally used in the BBC popular science

Popular science

Popular science, sometimes called literature of science, is interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is broad-ranging, often written by scientists as well as journalists, and is presented in many formats, which can include books, televi...
programme Horizon in 2000 to refer to these types of eruptions. That programme introduced the subject of large scale eruptions to the general public.

Volcanologists and geologists do not refer to "super volcanoes" or "megacalderas" in their scientific work, but sometimes do in public presentations. However, they do describe eruptions that rate VEI

Volcanic Explosivity Index

Until 2003, supervolcano was not a technical term used in volcanology
Volcanology

Volcanology is the study of volcanoes, lava, magma, and related geology and geophysical phenomena. The term volcanology is derived from the Latin language word Vulcan , the Roman mythology of fire....
. The term megacaldera is sometimes used for caldera supervolcanoes, such as the Blake River Megacaldera Complex
Blake River Megacaldera Complex

The Blake River Megacaldera Complex, also called the Blake River Group, is a giant subaqueous caldera cluster or a nested caldera system that spans across the Ontario-Quebec border in Canada....
in the Abitibi greenstone belt
Abitibi greenstone belt

The Abitibi greenstone belt is a 2,800-2,600 million year old greenstone belt that spans across the Ontario-Quebec border in Canada. It is mostly made of volcanic rocks, but also includes ultramafic rocks, mafic intrusions, granitoid rocks, and early and middle Precambrian sediments....
of Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
and Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
.
Though there is no well-defined minimum explosive size for a "supervolcano," there are at least two types of volcanic eruption that have been identified as supervolcanoes: large igneous provinces and massive eruptions.
Supervolcanoes were seen on other planets via the Voyager program
Voyager program

The Voyager program is a series of U.S. unmanned space missions that consists of a pair of unmanned scientific Space probes, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2....
craft on the moons of Jupiter
Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the Solar system by size planet within the Solar System. It is two and a half times as massive as all of the other planets in our Solar System combined....
and Saturn
Saturn

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn, along with Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune, is classified as a gas giant....
. However, this kind of volcano on earth was not discovered until long after the Voyager had gone on to their interplanetary missions. The outer Solar System volcanoes were mostly cryovolcano
Cryovolcano

A cryovolcano is, literally, an icy volcano. Cryovolcanoes form on icy moons,and possibly on other low-temperature astronomical objects .Rather than lava, these volcanoes erupt volatiles such as water, ammonia or methane....
es, not magma
Magma

Magma is molten Rock that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and may also exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and gas bubbles....
volcanoes.

Large igneous provinces

Large igneous provinces (LIP) such as Iceland

Iceland

Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland , is an island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean between mainland Europe and Greenland....
, the Siberian Traps

Siberian Traps

File:Extent_of_Siberian_traps_german.pngThe Siberian Traps form a large igneous province in Siberia. The massive eruptive event spans the Permian-Triassic boundary, about 251 to 250 million years ago, and was essentially coincident with the Permian?Triassic extinction event in what was one of the largest known volcano events of the l...
, Deccan Traps

Deccan Traps

The Deccan Traps are a large igneous province located on the Deccan Plateau of west-central India and one of the largest volcanic features on Earth....
, and the Ontong Java Plateau

Ontong Java Plateau

The Ontong Java Plateau is a huge oceanic plateau located in the Pacific Ocean, lying north of the Solomon Islands. The plateau covers an area of approximately 2,000,000 km?, or roughly the size of Alaska, and it reaches a thickness of up to 30 km....
are extensive regions of basalt

Basalt

Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually gray to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet....
s on a continental scale resulting from flood basalt

Flood basalt

A flood basalt or trap basalt is the result of a giant volcanic eruption or series of eruptions that coats large stretches of land or the ocean floor with basalt lava....
eruptions. When created, these regions often occupy several thousand square kilometres and have volumes on the order of millions of cubic kilometres. In most cases, the lavas are normally laid down over several million years. They do release massive amounts of gases. The Réunion

Reunion

Reunion may refer to:...
hotspot

Hotspot (geology)

Deccan Traps

The Deccan Traps are a large igneous province located on the Deccan Plateau of west-central India and one of the largest volcanic features on Earth....
about 65 million years ago. Research continues into the effect of the outpourings and whether they impacted upon the extinction of the dinosaur

Dinosaur

Dinosaurs were the dominant vertebrate animals of Landform ecosystems for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic Period until the end of the Cretaceous Period , when most of them became extinct in the Cretaceous?Tertiary extinction event....
s at the end of the Cretaceous

Cretaceous

The Cretaceous , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide, is a geologic period from circa to million years ago . In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows on the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period....
.

Such outpourings are not explosive though fire fountains may occur. Many volcanologists consider that Iceland

Iceland

Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland , is an island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean between mainland Europe and Greenland....
may be a LIP that is currently being formed. The last major outpouring occurred in 1783–84 from the Laki fissure which is ~40 km long. An estimated 14 km³ of basaltic lava was poured out during the eruption.

The Ontong Java Plateau

Ontong Java Plateau

Manihiki Plateau

The Manihiki Plateau is an oceanic plateau in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The Manihiki Plateau was formed by volcanic activity 125 to 120 million years ago during the mid-Cretaceous period at a triple junction plate boundary called the Tongareva triple junction....
and Hikurangi Plateau

Hikurangi Plateau

Hikurangi Plateau is an Early Cretaceous basaltic oceanic plateau in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The portion of the plateau exposed on the seafloor has an area of 350,000 km2, and including the portions subducted portions beneath the...
s broke away.

Massive explosive eruptions

Eruptions with a Volcanic Explosivity Index

Volcanic Explosivity Index

The Volcanic Explosivity Index was devised by Christopher G. Newhall of the U.S. Geological Survey and Stephen Self at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1982 to provide a relative measure of the explosiveness of volcano eruptions....
of 8 (VEI-8) are colossal events that throw out at least 1,000 km³ Dense Rock Equivalent (DRE) of ejecta; VEI-7 events eject at least 100 km³ (DRE).

VEI-7 or 8 eruptions are so powerful that they often form circular caldera

Caldera

A caldera is a cauldron-like volcano feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption such as the one at Yellowstone National Park....
s rather than cone

Volcanic cone

Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcano formations in the world. They are built by fragments thrown up from a volcanic vent, piling up around the vent in the shape of a cone with a central crater....
s because the downward withdrawal of magma causes the overlying mass to collapse and fill the void magma chamber

Magma chamber

A magma chamber is a large underground pool of molten Rock lying under the surface of the earth's crust. The molten rock in such a chamber is under great pressure, and given enough time pressure can gradually fracture the rock around it creating outlets for the magma....
beneath.

One of the classic calderas is at Glen Coe

Glen Coe

Glen Coe is a glen in the Scottish Highlands of Scotland. It lies in the southern part of the Lochaber committee area of Highland Council, and was formerly part of the Counties of Scotland of Argyll....
in the Grampian Mountains of Scotland. First described by Clough et al (1909) its geology and volcanic succession has recently been re-analysed in the light of new discoveries. There is an accompanying 1:25000 solid geology map.

By way of comparison, the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption was at the lower end of VEI-5 with 1.2 km³, and both Mount Pinatubo

Mount Pinatubo

Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano located on the island of Luzon, at the intersection of the borders of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac, and Pampanga....
in 1991 and Krakatoa

Krakatoa

Krakatoa , also spelled Krakatao, is a Island#Oceanic islands in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. The name is used for the island group, the main island , and the volcano as a whole....
in 1883 were VEI-6 with 25 km³.

Known super eruptions

Estimates of the volume of ejected material are given in parentheses.

VEI

Volcanic Explosivity Index

Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo

Lake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. It has a perimeter of approximately 193 kilometres, a deepest point of 186 metres and a surface area of 616 square kilometres....
, North Island
North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. The island is 113,729 square km in area, making it the List of islands by area....
, New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
- Oruanui eruption
Oruanui eruption

The Oruanui eruption of New Zealand's Lake Taupo was the world's largest known eruption in the past 70,000 years, with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 8....
~26,500 years ago (~1,170 km³)
Lake Toba
Lake Toba

Lake Toba is a lake and supervolcano, 100 kilometres long and 30 kilometres wide, and 505 metres at its deepest point. Located in the middle of the northern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra with a surface elevation of about 900 m , the lake stretches from to ....
, Sumatra
Sumatra

Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the list of islands by area in the world ....
, Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
- ~75,000 years ago (~2,800 km³)
Whakamaru
Whakamaru

Whakamaru is a town in the central region of the North Island of New Zealand. The Maori words 'whaka' and 'maru' literally mean to give shelter to, or safeguard....
, North Island
North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. The island is 113,729 square km in area, making it the List of islands by area....
, New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
- Whakamaru Ignimbrite/Mount Curl Tephra ~254,000 years ago (1,200-2,000 km³)
Yellowstone Caldera
Yellowstone Caldera

The Yellowstone Caldera is the volcano caldera in Yellowstone National Park in the United States. The caldera is located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, in which the vast majority of the park is contained....
, Wyoming
Wyoming

The State of Wyoming is a sparsely populated U.S. state in the Northwestern United States of the United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountains, while the easternmost section of the state is a high altitude prairie region known as the High Plains ....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
- 640,000 years ago (1,000 km³)
Island Park Caldera
Island Park Caldera

What is commonly called the Island Park Caldera is actually two calderas, one nested inside the other. The older and much larger caldera is the Island Park Caldera with approximate dimensions of 58 miles by 40 miles ....
, Idaho
Idaho

The State of Idaho is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. The state's largest city and Capital is Boise, Idaho....
/Wyoming
Wyoming

The State of Wyoming is a sparsely populated U.S. state in the Northwestern United States of the United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountains, while the easternmost section of the state is a high altitude prairie region known as the High Plains ....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
- 2.1 million years ago(2,500 km³)
Kilgore Tuff, Idaho
Idaho

The State of Idaho is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. The state's largest city and Capital is Boise, Idaho....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
- 4.5 million years ago (1,800 km³)
Black Tail Creek, Idaho
Idaho

The State of Idaho is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. The state's largest city and Capital is Boise, Idaho....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
- 6.6 million years ago (1,500 km³)
La Garita Caldera
La Garita Caldera

La Garita Caldera is a large volcano caldera located in the San Juan volcanic field in the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado, United States, to the west of the town of La Garita, Colorado....
, Colorado
Colorado

The State of Colorado is a U.S. state located in the Mountain States of the United States of America. Colorado may also be considered to be a part of the Western United States and Southwestern United States regions of the United States....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
- Source of the truly enormous eruption of the Fish Canyon Tuff ~27.8 million years ago (~5,000 km³)

The Lake Toba eruption plunged the Earth into a volcanic winter

Volcanic winter

A volcanic winter is the reduction in temperature caused by volcanic ash and droplets of sulfuric acid obscuring the sun and lowering the albedo , during a large particularly explosive type of volcano....
, eradicating an estimated 60% of the human population (although humans managed to survive, even in the vicinity of the volcano), and was responsible for the formation of sulfuric acid in the atmosphere.

VEI-7 volcanic events, less colossal but still supermassive, have occurred in the geological past. The only ones in historic times are Tambora, in 1815, Lake Taupo (Hatepe), around 180 AD, and possibly Baekdu Mountain

Baekdu Mountain

Baekdu Mountain, also known locally as Changbai Mountain in China, is a volcanic mountain on the border between North Korea and China, located at ....
, around 979 AD.

Tambora
Mount Tambora

Mount Tambora is an active stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, on Sumbawa island, Indonesia. Sumbawa is flanked both to the north and south by oceanic crust, and Tambora was formed by the active subduction zones beneath it....
, West Nusa Tenggara
West Nusa Tenggara

West Nusa Tenggara is a provinces of Indonesia in south-central Indonesia. It covers the western portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, except for Bali....
, Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
- 1815 (160 km³)
Baekdu Mountain
Baekdu Mountain

Baekdu Mountain, also known locally as Changbai Mountain in China, is a volcanic mountain on the border between North Korea and China, located at ....
, China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
/North Korea
North Korea

North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula....
- ~969 AD (96±19 km³)
Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo

Lake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. It has a perimeter of approximately 193 kilometres, a deepest point of 186 metres and a surface area of 616 square kilometres....
, North Island
North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. The island is 113,729 square km in area, making it the List of islands by area....
, New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
- Hatepe eruption
Hatepe eruption

The Hatepe eruption around 180 CE was Lake Taupo's most recent major eruption, and New Zealand's largest eruption during the last 20,000 years....
~181 C.E. (120 km³)
Kikai Caldera
Kikai Caldera

is a massive mostly submerged caldera up to in diameter in the Osumi Islands of Kagoshima prefecture, Japan. It is the remains of the ancient eruption of a gigantic volcano....
, Ryukyu Islands
Ryukyu Islands

The Ryukyu Islands are part of the . From around 1800 on, they have spelled Luchu, Loo-choo, or Lewchew, from the Chinese Liuqiu. They consist of a chain of Islands of Japan in the western Pacific Ocean at the eastern limit of the East China Sea and stretch southwest from the island of Kyushu to the island of Taiwan....
, Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
- ~6,300 years ago (~ 4,300 BC) (150 km³)
Campi Flegrei
Campi Flegrei

Campi Flegrei, also known as the Phlegraean Fields , is a large wide caldera situated to the west of Naples, Italy declared regional park in 2003....
, Naples
Naples

Naples is a city in southern Italy, the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples. The city is known for its rich history, art, culture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,800 years old....
, Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
- ~12,000 years ago (~ 10,000 BC) (Could be as much as 300 km³)
Aira Caldera
Aira Caldera

Aira Caldera is a gigantic volcanic caldera in the south of the Kyushu, Japan. The caldera was created by a massive eruption, approximately 22,000 years ago....
, Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
, Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
- ~22,000 years ago (~ 20,000 BC) (~110 km³)
Reporoa caldera
Reporoa caldera

The Reporoa caldera is a 10 km by 15 km caldera in New Zealand's Taupo Volcanic Zone. It formed some 230,000 years ago, in a large eruption that deposited the approximately 100 km3 Kaingaroa Ignimbrites....
, New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
- 230,000 years ago (~100 km³)
Aso
Mount Aso

is the largest active volcano in Japan, and is among the largest in the world. It stands in Kumamoto Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu. Its peak is 1592 m above sea level....
, Kyushu
Kyushu

or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its Japanese Archipelago. Its alternate ancient names include Kyukoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima ....
, Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
- four large explosive eruptions between 300,000 to 80,000 years ago (last one > 600 km³)
Long Valley Caldera
Long Valley Caldera

For the town in New Jersey, see Long Valley, New JerseyLong Valley Caldera is a depression in eastern California that is adjacent to Mammoth Mountain....
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
- ~760,000 years ago (600 km³)
Valles Caldera, New Mexico
New Mexico

New Mexico is a U. S. State located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. Inhabited by Native Americans in the United States populations for many centuries, it has also has been part of the Spanish Empire viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
- ~1.12 million years ago (~600 km³)
Mangakino
Mangakino

Mangakino is a small town on the banks of the Waikato River in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located close to the hydroelectricity power station at Lake Maraetai, southeast of Hamilton, New Zealand....
, North Island
North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. The island is 113,729 square km in area, making it the List of islands by area....
, New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
- three eruptions from 0.97 to 1.23 million years ago (each > 300 km³)
Henry's Fork Caldera
Henry's Fork Caldera

The Henry's Fork Caldera is a caldera located an area known as Island Park that is in Idaho and west Yellowstone Park. It was one of the world's supervolcanos and is the source of the Mesa Falls Tuff....
, Idaho
Idaho

The State of Idaho is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. The state's largest city and Capital is Boise, Idaho....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
- 1.3 million years ago (280 km³)
Walcott Tuff, Idaho
Idaho

The State of Idaho is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. The state's largest city and Capital is Boise, Idaho....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
- 6.4 million years ago (750 km³)
Bennett Lake Volcanic Complex
Bennett Lake Volcanic Complex

The Bennett Lake Volcanic Complex is a huge 50 million year old Extinct volcano caldera complex that spans across the British Columbia-Yukon border in Canada....
, British Columbia
British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's Provinces and territories of Canada and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ....
/Yukon
Yukon

Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada three Territories of Canada. It was named after the Yukon River, Yukon meaning "Great River" in Gwich?in language....
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
- ~50 million years ago (850 km³)
Bruneau-Jarbidge, Idaho
Idaho

The State of Idaho is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. The state's largest city and Capital is Boise, Idaho....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
- ~10-12 million years ago (>250 km³) (responsible for the Ashfall Fossil Beds
Ashfall Fossil Beds

The Ashfall Fossil Beds of Antelope County, Nebraska in northeastern Nebraska are among the rare preservation sites called lagerst?tten, which preserve ecological "snapshots" from a brief moment in time, due to extraordinary local conditions that have preserved a range of fossilized organisms undisturbed....
~1,600 km to the east)

Media portrayal

A National Geographic documentary called Earth Shocks portrayed the destructive impact of the rapid eruption at Lake Toba

Lake Toba

Lake Toba is a lake and supervolcano, 100 kilometres long and 30 kilometres wide, and 505 metres at its deepest point. Located in the middle of the northern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra with a surface elevation of about 900 m , the lake stretches from to ....
approximately 75,000 years ago, which caused a phenomenon known as the Millennial Ice Age that lasted for ~1000 years and killed an estimated 60 to 75% of the human population of the time.

An eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano is one of the scenarios depicted in the docu-drama End Day
End Day

End Day is a 2005 in film docu-drama produced by the BBC and aired on the National Geographic Channel, on the TV series, National Geographic Channel Presents, that depicts various doomsday event scenarios....
, .

In 2005 a two-part television docudrama

Docudrama

A docudrama is a dramatization of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
entitled Supervolcano
Supervolcano (docudrama)

Supervolcano is a television docufiction film that was released by the BBC on April 10, 2005 on the Discovery Channel. It is centered on the speculated and potential eruption of the volcanic Yellowstone Caldera of Yellowstone National Park....
was shown on BBC, the Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel

The Discovery Channel is an United States satellite and cable TV channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications....
, and other television networks worldwide. It looked at the events that could take place if the Yellowstone supervolcano

Yellowstone Caldera

The Yellowstone Caldera is the volcano caldera in Yellowstone National Park in the United States. The caldera is located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, in which the vast majority of the park is contained....
erupted. It featured footage of volcano eruptions from around the world and computer-generated imagery

Computer-generated imagery

Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in films, television programs, Television commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media....
depicting the event. According to the program, such an eruption would have devastating effect across the globe

Globe

A globe is a three-dimensional scale Model of Earth or other spheroid celestial body such as a planet, star, or moon. It may also refer to a spherical representation of the celestial sphere, showing the apparent positions of the stars in the sky ...
and would cover virtually all of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
with at least 1 cm of volcanic ash

Volcanic ash

Volcanic ash consists of small tephra, which are bits of pulverized rock and glass created by volcano eruptions, less than in diameter. There are three mechanisms of volcanic ash formation: gas release under decompression causing magmatic eruptions; thermal contraction from chilling on contact with water causing phreatomagmatic eruptions...
, causing mass destruction in the nearby vicinity and killing plants and wildlife

Wildlife

Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals, and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
across the continent

Continent

A continent is one of several large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents ? they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia ....
. The dramatic elements in the program were followed by Supervolcano: The Truth About Yellowstone, a documentary about the evidence behind the movie

Film

Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the film industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects....
. The program had originally been scheduled to be transmitted in early 2005, but it was felt that this would be insensitive so soon after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The program and its accompanying documentaries were released on DVD region 2

DVD region code

DVD video discs may be encoded with a region code restricting the area of the world in which they can be played. Discs without region coding are called all region or region 0 discs....
simultaneously with its broadcast. Nova
NOVA (TV series)

Nova is a popular science television series from the United States produced by WGBH-TV Boston. It can be seen on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries....
featured an episode Mystery of the Megavolcano, examining such eruptions in the last 100,000 years.

In 2006 the Sci Fi Channel

Sci Fi Channel (United States)

Sci Fi Channel, often stylized SCI FI Channel, is an American cable television channel, launched on September 24, 1992, that specializes in science fiction, fantasy, horror film, and paranormal programming....
aired the documentary Countdown to Doomsday
Countdown to Doomsday (documentary)

Countdown to Doomsday is a 2006 Sci Fi Channel documentary television show about the Risks to civilization, humans and planet Earth. television host by Matt Lauer, the documentary features 10 different scenarios that could bring an end to all life on Earth with interviews by Al Gore, Michio Kaku, Daniel H....
which featured a segment called "Supervolcano".

In 2006 ABC News

ABC News

ABC News is a division of United States television and radio network American Broadcasting Company, owned by The Walt Disney Company. Its current president is David Westin....
aired the documentary Last Days on Earth
Last Days on Earth

The Last Days on Earth is a 20/20 science special which aired on American Broadcasting Company in August 2006 and has been aired on The History Channel....
which featured a segment called "Supervolcano".

In 2008 the Yellowstone supervolcano was featured in the BBC program 10 things you didn't know about Volcanoes, presented by Dr Iain Stewart, a volcanologist.

Supervolcano

Word origin

Large igneous provinces

Massive explosive eruptions

Known super eruptions

Media portrayal

See also

Sources

External links