Essay On Supervolcanoes

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To begin, Binderman explains that a supervolcano has the same impact on Earth as a small asteroid, and they have potential to effect the global climate for years after an eruption. Supervolcanoes are right here in the U.S. at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming as well as the state of California. Supervolcanoes only erupt once every few hundred thousand years, so it is very unlikely that we will experience an eruption in our lifetime. The impact that volcanoes have on our climate and safety is detrimental to our health and well-being, so there has been much more research since the 1950s. Researchers have found ways to discover more about the nature of volcanoes through examining the microscopic crystals in ash deposits from old eruptions. …show more content…

Researchers have found that these caldera valleys reside near some of the largest amounts of volcanic rock we have on Earth, insinuating that the heat vents that collapsed were “monstrous.” However, very thick continental crust and a huge heat source is needed to create these supervolcanoes which makes them very rare. The last supervolcanoes to erupt in the continental U.S occurred 640,000 years ago in Yellowstone and 760,000 years ago in Long Valley, California. These eruptions occurred, like all supervolcanoes, because the pressurized magma raises overlying crust enough to create vertical breaks that spread to the surface of the …show more content…

He points out that the atmosphere would be heavily affected by the gasses released from a supervolcano. He stated that a supervolcano would produce ash fall that would be about half a meter thick. The ash would be so heavy that it would collapse roofs and power lines and bury humans and animals. Rain would be the only way to wash away the ash, however the rain would be acidic from mixing with the sulfur. Agriculture production would be drastically affected, thus making survival harder. Although the ash is very bad, the gasses released are a huge concern as well. Sulfur dioxide specifically would be released and mix with the water in the air which creates sulfuric acid. These droplets in the air will cause some blockage of sunlight and cause “volcanic

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