Galt's Gulch

Supervolcano that caused largest eruption in European history stirring again

Posted by $ nickursis 7 years, 10 months ago to Science
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Ouch! It appears the Italians have their own version of Yellowstone...and it seems a lot more volatile...
SOURCE URL: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-italy-volcano-campi-flegrei-20161221-story.html

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  • Posted by $ blarman 7 years, 10 months ago
    7.5 miles wide (60 square miles) and they call it a supervolcano? Psshhh. ;) By comparison, Yellowstone is 1500 square miles in size. They should label it the Ultimate volcano.

    Seriously, though these things are pretty fascinating. Part of what makes the Naples one dangerous is its proximity to water, which when combined with rapidly rising and cooling magma leads to very violent explosions due to outgassing.
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    • Posted by Flootus5 7 years, 10 months ago
      Yeah, I am not sure this classifies as a supervolcano. They have volcano scales not unlike the Richter Scale that rates supervolcanoes as these incredibly destructive eruptions that severely impact the whole global climate. There hasn't been one of these supervolcanoes in human recorded history.

      Yellowstone last blew it's mass about 600,000 years ago, similar to the Long Valley caldera eruption that left the thick Bishop welded ash flow tuff in Eastern California. However humans have experienced these global catastrophes and have survived. Just barely. Current thinking based upon the emerging DNA analysis techniques estimates that a severe human genetic bottleneck occurred after the Mount Toba, Sumatra eruption about 73,000 years ago. Humans almost went extinct. They estimate that the total human global population may have been less than 10,000 individuals, mainly in Africa.

      Within the time span of the human population explosion and the development of "civilization", we have not experienced one of these. However, what has been experienced historically such as Tambora, Thera, Pompeii, Krakatoa, Mazama, etc, and their effects on climate and humans makes the prospect of a true supervolcano rather daunting.

      And with some of the population centers of today, this Italian caldera could be incredibly devastating.
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      • Posted by $ nickursis 7 years, 10 months ago
        Very true, I am not sure what the exact definition of a super volcano is, but i would assume the characteristics must include size and potential outflows as well as magma reservoir. But I also did see the articles, where they did a DNA model suggesting we did get to a very small number in the past, which also sort of raises the question then, how long ago and how did humans spread and "evolve" into distinct groups so fast> With reproduction only every 25-30 years, it would not seem that would be a viable position.
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        • Posted by Flootus5 7 years, 10 months ago
          I just recently read a very detailed synopsis of the spread of humans from the early Cro-Magnons to the Vikings. So, it doesn't include the explosion of human types across the globe in the last thousand years or so. But we know all about that.

          This work is very detailed and admirably distills the state of knowledge to the interested layman of the development of human cultures and migrations.

          It is by Jean Manco in a work called Ancestral Journeys "The Peopling of Europe from the first Venturers to the Vikings". An incredible tapestry of the ebb and flow of human groups across Africa, Europe and Asia. Integrating the study of languages, the archaeological records, the DNA of humans both modern and ancient; I am astounded at what multi-disciplinary science actually knows. And how rapidly it is evolving and refining. The first edition of this book was in 2013 and had to be updated in 2015.
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        • Posted by Dobrien 7 years, 10 months ago
          Hi Nickursis ,
          Volcanoes are rated on a scale. The Vei scale Volcanic Explosivity Index similar to the richter scale it increases ten fold each number It is based on material ejected.
          for Example a VEI 8 ejects 240 kilometers of material. VEI 7 , 24 kilometers VEI 6 , 2.4kilometers. And Mt. St.Helens was a VEI 5
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  • Posted by ScaryBlackRifle 7 years, 10 months ago
    So ... Italy or Montana? Anybody making book on which blows first?
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    • Posted by $ nickursis 7 years, 10 months ago
      Who knows? The problem is that there is still a lot no one knows about how these little babies work... Interesting thing about the Italy one is I watched a show and the Romans actually have a place where an Oracle supposedly lived, in there, with a downward path that goes 300' down, complete with gases and stinkies, and they would go down and speak to the oracle there. Any wonder she raved and ranted? Sulfur Dioxide cannot be too good for you....
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  • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 7 years, 10 months ago
    These are the things we can expect during a Grand Solar Minimum...looking back in history we see this has happened before and way before mankind used so called: "Fossil fuels" or left excess carbon in his foot prints.

    Hoping no lives lost if it erupts big time.
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    • Posted by Bethesda-gal 7 years, 10 months ago
      Is that ( GSM) a real thing ? From a quick search I found this http://www.express.co.uk/news/science...
      but wasn't sure how much stock to put into it.
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      • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 7 years, 10 months ago
        Absolutely...every 400 years...even NASA scientist...on odd days when the kakistocracy isn't watching will admit how much influence the Sun has on earth's climate.
        Western societies have abandon the natural cycles thinking they could linearize and concur them...fat chance.
        Look up the Maunder Minimum, dryer minimum etc...two great places to learn about these cycles is http://suspicious0bservers.org and adapt 2030 on youtube - David is incredible at what he does.
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      • Posted by $ nickursis 7 years, 10 months ago
        That is very intersting, and I am sure the global warming gang will find some way to coo-opt it to say that the increased CO2 will only buffer the effects, but afterwards we will all melt as we turn into Venus or something. Never underestimate the ability of cottage science to just manipulate information until it fits. Even Einstein got some things wrong...
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