Supervolcanoes
When all the material is ejected from a magma chamber during a massive volcanic eruption, the mountain above the emptied chamber may collapse. This collapse produces a large, bowl-shaped volcanic depression called a caldera.
A well-known example is Crater Lake in Oregon, which was once a towering volcano called Mount Mazama. After a massive eruption, the mountain collapsed, forming a caldera that eventually filled with water, creating the deep blue lake we see today.
Calderas are sometimes associated with supervolcanoes, which eject over 1,000 cubic kilometers of material in a single eruption.
The Yellowstone Caldera in Wyoming is an example of a supervolcano. Most of Yellowstone National Park lies within this caldera.
These super-eruptions can have devastating effects on life on Earth. Ash thrown into the atmosphere can block sunlight for months, cause a drop in the temperature, reduce photosynthesis, and may lead to mass extinctions.
When all the material is ejected from a magma chamber during a massive volcanic eruption, the mountain above the emptied chamber may collapse. This collapse produces a large, bowl-shaped volcanic depression called a caldera.
A well-known example is Crater Lake in Oregon, which was once a towering volcano called Mount Mazama. After a massive eruption, the mountain collapsed, forming a caldera that eventually filled with water, creating the deep blue lake we see today.
Calderas are sometimes associated with supervolcanoes, which eject over 1,000 cubic kilometers of material in a single eruption.
The Yellowstone Caldera in Wyoming is an example of a supervolcano. Most of Yellowstone National Park lies within this caldera.
These super-eruptions can have devastating effects on life on Earth. Ash thrown into the atmosphere can block sunlight for months, cause a drop in the temperature, reduce photosynthesis, and may lead to mass extinctions.
View the full transcript and gain access to JoVE Core videos