RE - Supervolcanoes Flashcards
What is a supervolcano?
A mega colossal volcano with the potential to erupt catastrophically and with enormous power, 1000km of material
Where do supervolcamoes form?
At hotspots (really hot part over the mantle)
What are the characteristics of a supervolcano?
- Flat
- Cover a large area
- Have a caldera (normal volcanoes have a crater)
What is the first stage of a supervolcano erupting?
Rising magma cannot escape, and so a large bulge appears on the surface
What is the second stage of a supervolcano erupting?
Cracks appear in the surface and gas and ash erupt from the magma chamber
What is the third and final stage of a supervolcano erupting?
The magma chamber collapses, forming a depression called a caldera
What are the effects of the next supervolcanos predicted?
- It will erupt 1000cm3 of ash, rock and lava
- A thick cloud of super heated gas and ash will flow at high speed from the volcano killing, burning and burying everything
- Ash will shoot kilometres up into the air and block out daylight triggering a mini ice age
- Ash will settle everywhere burying fields and buildings
What is a caldera?
The depression of the supervolcano marking the collapsed magma chamber
What is geothermal energy?
Water that is heated beneath the ground, which comes to the surface in a variety of ways
What is a geyser?
A geothermal feature in which water erupts into the air under pressure
What is a hot spot?
A section of the earth’s crust where plumes of magma rise, weakening the crust. These are away from boundaries
What is the case study for supervolcanoes?
Yellowstone National Park in the USA
