Super-eruptions
Report of a Geological Society Working Group, comprising:
- Prof. Stephen Sparks FRS (Bristol University)
- Prof. Stephen Self (Open University)
- Dr David Pyle (Cambridge University)
- Dr Clive Oppenheimer (Cambridge University)
- Dr Hazel Rymer (Open University) and
- Dr John Grattan (University of Wales, Aberystwyth)
This publication is available via download only by clicking on the link below.
Reference: To refer to this publication please cite as follows: Sparks, S. & Self. S. et al., 2005: Super-eruptions: global effects and future threats: Report of a Geological Society of London Working Group.
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This document has been published on the website under the following headings:
Many large volcanoes on Earth are capable of explosive eruptions much bigger than any experienced by humanity over historic time. Such volcanoes may be termed super-volcanoes and their colossal eruptions super-eruptions. The occurrence of a super-eruption would have severe environmental effects and might threaten global civilisation. Events at the smaller scale end of the super-eruption size spectrum are quite common when compared to the frequency of other naturally occurring devastating phenomena such as asteroid impacts. The effects of a medium scale super-eruption would be similar to those predicted for the impact of a 1 km-diameter asteroid with the Earth, but even super-eruptions of this size are still 5-10 times more likely to occur within the next few thousand years than an impact.
Other links:
- Executive summary and recommendations
- Introduction
- Super-volcanoes and super-eruptions
- Examples: Tambora, Vesuvius, and Toba
- Frequency, locations and sizes of super-eruptions
- Hazardous effects of super-eruptions
- Comparisons; public perception and risk
- Forecasting and potential effects of the next super-eruption
- Mitigation
- Further reading
It’s not a question of “if” - it’s a question of when…
Many large volcanoes on Earth are capable of explosive eruptions much bigger than any experienced by humanity over historic time. Such volcanoes may be termed super-volcanoes and their colossal eruptions super-eruptions. The occurrence of a super-eruption would have severe environmental effects and might threaten global civilisation. Events at the smaller scale end of the super-eruption size spectrum are quite common when compared to the frequency of other naturally occurring devastating phenomena such as asteroid impacts. The effects of a medium scale super-eruption would be similar to those predicted for the impact of a 1 km-diameter asteroid with the Earth, but even super-eruptions of this size are still 5-10 times more likely to occur within the next few thousand years than an impact.
Other links:
- BBC's Horizon prog (2000) "Supervolcanoes"
- BBC's 2005 Drama documentary "Supervolcano"
- UK Government Office of Science & Technology Natural Hazards Working Group (to which this report has been submitted)
Many super-eruptions have come from volcanoes that are either hard to locate or not very well known. An example is the Valles Caldera in the Jemez Mountains, near to Santa Fe and Los Alamos, New Mexico. USA. The caldera is the circular feature (middle top left) in this false-colour (vegetation is red) Landsat satellite image (which shown an area about 170 kilometres across) of the region around North-Central New Mexico. The collapse caldera is 24 km in diameter and is the result of two explosive super-eruptions 1.6 and 1.1 million years ago, that is 500,000 years apart. A view of 250-m-thick deposits of the older of the two eruptions (all rocks in this photo) are shown in the photograph below. (Photo by S. Self.)
Continue to next section, Executive Summary and Recommendations