page_title: Supervolcano
hierarchical_section_title: Supervolcano
caption_attribution_description: English: Location of the Yellowstone Hotspot. Numbers indicate the time of the eruption, in millions of years ago.
context_page_description: A supervolcano is a large volcano that has had an eruption with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 8, the largest recorded value on the index. This means the volume of deposits for that eruption is greater than 1,000 cubic kilometers.
  Supervolcanoes occur when magma in the mantle rises into the crust but is unable to break through it and pressure builds in a large and growing magma pool until the crust is unable to contain the pressure. This can occur at hotspots or at subduction zones. Large-volume supervolcanic eruptions are also often associated with large igneous provinces, which can cover huge areas with lava and volcanic ash. These can cause long-lasting climate change and threaten species with extinction. The Oruanui eruption of New Zealand's Taupo Volcano was the world's most recent VEI-8 eruption.
context_section_description: A supervolcano is a large volcano that has had an eruption with a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 8, the largest recorded value on the index. This means the volume of deposits for that eruption is greater than 1,000 cubic kilometers (240 cubic miles).
  Supervolcanoes occur when magma in the mantle rises into the crust but is unable to break through it and pressure builds in a large and growing magma pool until the crust is unable to contain the pressure. This can occur at hotspots (for example, Yellowstone Caldera) or at subduction zones (for example, Toba). Large-volume supervolcanic eruptions are also often associated with large igneous provinces, which can cover huge areas with lava and volcanic ash. These can cause long-lasting climate change (such as the triggering of a small ice age) and threaten species with extinction. The Oruanui eruption of New Zealand's Taupo Volcano (about 26,500 years ago) was the world's most recent VEI-8 eruption.
caption: Location of Yellowstone hotspot over time (numbers indicate millions of years before the present).
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