Supervolcanoes!

• AIMS: To know about the characteristics of a Supervolcano eruption To understand the likely effects of an eruption

Supervolcano Characteristics • Emit at least 1,000km³ of material. This is BIG!• They don’t look like a traditional volcano, more a large

depression called a caldera, often marked by a rim of higher land around the edges.

Caldera Formation

Full magma chamber under pressure causes eruption

Magma chamber now partially emptied, pressure released

Volcano collapses into top of magma chamber

Large (60km) crater forms with a steep rim

Turn to p22 and copy the diagram down!

A caldera!

Mr Pinks in a small caldera!

Stupervolcano Case Study: Yellowstone Supervolcano p22

Greater London on the same scale

Yellowstone • Watch the video here (from 4.00) to see what Yellowstone and Old

Faithful look like.

Video Yellowstone video (10 mins) Make notes on the effects of a future eruption under the title

below as we watch the video.

Characteristics Effects

Some impacts …• Magma would be flung 50km up into the atmosphere• All life up to 1000KM away would be killed by falling ash, lava

flows and by the force of the explosion• 100KM³ of lava would pour out of the volcano • Ash in the atmosphere would block out the suns light and

trigger a freezing cold volcanic winter;• Crops wouldn’t grow and people would starve• Economies would collapse

Task • Produce an article for the Washington Post reporting on

• What a super volcano is• What the likely effects the Yellowstone super volcano would be

on the USA. Think about the social, economic, environmental and political.

Washing ton Pos t

Super volcano blows its lid!

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