Supervolcanoes & Volcanic Winter
Describe calderas such as Yellowstone and Toba as supervolcanoes capable of erupting thousands of cubic kilometres of ash; explain how sulphur dioxide aerosols in the stratosphere scatter sunlight and cause volcanic winter; discuss the Toba catastrophe theory and how giant eruptions have interacted with ice ages; contrast supervolcano eruptions with ordinary eruptions in scale and climate impact
Typical age: 12–13 years
“Has your child heard of a supervolcano? Can they describe how a single enormous eruption could cool the entire planet for years — what gets into the atmosphere and why does it block warmth?”
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Needs first
- Hazard Assessment & EvacuationREQUIRED
Supervolcano scale and climate impacts inform probabilistic hazard assessment and evacuation planning
- Seismic Waves & Earth's InteriorREQUIRED
Understanding supervolcano magma chamber dynamics depends on seismic wave concepts and Earth's interior structure
- Monitoring VolcanoesREQUIRED
Supervolcano-scale events and climate impacts depends on volcano monitoring fundamentals
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