A “catastrophic” eruption of supervolcanoes is more likely to occur that could severely affect Earth’s climate and turn it into a “volcanic winter” than previously thought, according to a new study.
Experts from Australian Curtin University studied Lake Toba in Indonesia, home of the Toba Caldera supervolcano, and found that supervolcanoes are active and dangerous thousands of years after a supereruption.
They found that between 5,000 and 13,000 years after the eruption, “magma continued to flow out of the caldera,” before “the hood of solidified excess magma was pushed upward like a giant turtle shell.” Curtin University associate professor Martin Danišík said in a statement.
The researchers examined the feldspar and zircon minerals left over from the eruption, which help them understand the timing of the event, as well as gases such as argon and helium that are trapped in volcanic rocks to reach the volcano. its conclusion.
A “catastrophic” eruption of supervolcanoes is more likely to occur that could tilt the Earth into a “volcanic winter” than previously thought.
Between 5,000 and 13,000 years after the eruption of the Toba caldera, magma continued to breathe
By doing so, it may have released up to six billion tons of sulfur dioxide and may have lowered the global temperature by 59 degrees Fahrenheit for years afterward, according to some researchers.
“The findings challenged existing knowledge and the study of eruptions, which usually involves searching for liquid magma under a volcano to assess future danger,” Danišík added.
Experts examined the feldspar and zircon left over from the eruption and gases such as argon and helium trapped in volcanic rocks
“Now we have to consider that eruptions can occur even if no liquid magma is found under a volcano; the concept of the ‘eruptive’ needs to be re-evaluated.”
On average, supervolcanoes erupt about once every 17,000 years.
The most recent volcanic eruption occurred under Lake Taupo in New Zealand about 22,600 years ago, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The Toba caldera erupted about 74,000 years ago and spilled at least 2,840 kilometers of rhyolite magma from a “warm” deposit several times that volume, ”according to the study.
The Toba boiler, located in Lake Toba in Indonesia (pictured), may have released 6 billion tons of sulfur dioxide and lowered the global temperature by 59 degrees for years after the eruption.
Danišík explained that the super eruptions are “one of the most catastrophic events in Earth’s history,” releasing thousands of cubic feet of magma almost instantly.
“They can affect the global climate to the point of overturning the Earth in a ‘volcanic winter’, which is an abnormally cold period that can lead to widespread famine and population disturbances.”
Experts examined the feldspar and zircon left over from the eruption and gases such as argon and helium trapped in volcanic rocks
Rapid cooling, such as what is believed to be associated with the eruption of the Toba boiler, is “consistent with the catastrophic eruption,” the authors wrote in the study.
“In contrast, age mismatch in post-boiler domes implies a more complex thermal history.”
The researchers examined the feldspar and zircon minerals left over from the eruption, which help them understand the timing of the event, as well as gases such as argon and helium that are trapped in volcanic rocks to understand how super volcanoes work and why they erupt. approximately once every 17,000 years.
“Using these geochronological data, statistical inference, and thermal modeling, we showed that magma continued to flow into the caldera, or deep depression created by the magma eruption, for 5,000 to 13,000 years after the supererruption, and then the shell of the solidified excess magma was pushed upwards like a giant tortoise shell, ”Danišík said.
Super volcanoes like the Toba caldera have erupted several times in its history, but understanding what happens between these eruptions, in the long dormant eruptions, can help scientists get a better idea of when they will erupt later, Danišík added.
“While a supereruption can have a regional and global impact and recovery can take decades or even centuries, our results show that the danger has not ended with the supereruption and that the threat of subsequent dangers exists for many thousands of years later, ”Danišík added.
The findings could have implications for the other 20 supervolcanoes on Earth, including the most studied, Yellowstone National Park (pictured)
The findings could have implications for the other 20 supervolcanoes on Earth, including the most studied, Yellowstone National Park.
“Learning when and how eruptive magma accumulates and in what state magma is before and after these eruptions is critical to understanding supervolcanoes,” Danišík said.
The research was published in the journal Nature – Earth and Environmental Sciences.