Editing Supervolcano

{{Short description|Volcano that has had an eruption with a volcanic explosivity index (VEI) of 8}}
{{other uses|Supervolcano (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
[[File:Supervolcano World Map.png|thumb|upright=1.5|World map of known VEI 7 and VEI 8 volcanoes
{{legend|#ED1C24|VEI 8 (supervolcanoes)}}
{{legend|#FF7E00|VEI 7}}]]

A '''supervolcano''' is a [[volcano]] that has had an [[volcanic eruption|eruption]] with a [[volcanic explosivity index]] (VEI) of 8,<ref>{{cite journal |author=de Silva, Shanaka|title=Arc magmatism, calderas, and supervolcanos|journal=Geology|year=2008|volume=36|issue=8 |pages=671 |doi=10.1130/focus082008.1 |bibcode=2008Geo....36..671D|doi-access=free}}</ref> the largest recorded value on the index. This means the volume of deposits for such an eruption is greater than {{convert|1,000|km3|mi3|abbr=off|sp=us}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone/yellowstone_sub_page_49.html |title=Questions About Supervolcanoes |publisher=[[USGS]] Yellowstone Volcano Observatory |work=Volcanic Hazards Program |date=2015-08-21 |access-date=2017-08-22 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703184836/https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone/yellowstone_sub_page_49.html |archive-date=3 July 2017 }}</ref>

[[File:HotspotsSRP update2013.JPG|thumb|Location of Yellowstone hotspot over time. Numbers indicate millions of years before the present.]]
[[File:Toba overview.jpg|thumb|Satellite image of [[Lake Toba]], the site of a VEI 8 eruption c. 75,000 years ago]]
[[File:Long Valley Caldera cross section.gif|thumb|right|Cross-section through [[Long Valley Caldera]]]]

Supervolcanoes occur when [[magma]] in the [[Mantle (geology)|mantle]] rises into the [[Crust (geology)|crust]] but is unable to break through it. Pressure builds in a large and growing magma pool until the crust is unable to contain the pressure and ruptures. This can occur at [[Hotspot (geology)|hotspots]] (for example, [[Yellowstone Caldera]]) or at [[subduction]] zones (for example, [[Lake Toba|Toba]]).<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Wotzlaw|first1=Jörn-Frederik|last2=Bindeman|first2=Ilya N.|last3=Watts|first3=Kathryn E.|last4=Schmitt|first4=Axel K.|last5=Caricchi|first5=Luca|last6=Schaltegger|first6=Urs|date=September 2014|title=Linking rapid magma reservoir assembly and eruption trigger mechanisms at evolved Yellowstone-type supervolcanoes|url=https://doi.org/10.1130/G35979.1|journal=Geology|volume=42|issue=9|pages=807–810|doi=10.1130/g35979.1|bibcode=2014Geo....42..807W|issn=1943-2682}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Budd|first1=David A.|last2=Troll|first2=Valentin R.|last3=Deegan|first3=Frances M.|last4=Jolis|first4=Ester M.|last5=Smith|first5=Victoria C.|last6=Whitehouse|first6=Martin J.|last7=Harris|first7=Chris|last8=Freda|first8=Carmela|last9=Hilton|first9=David R.|last10=Halldórsson|first10=Sæmundur A.|last11=Bindeman|first11=Ilya N.|date=2017-01-25|title=Magma reservoir dynamics at Toba caldera, Indonesia, recorded by oxygen isotope zoning in quartz|journal=Scientific Reports|language=en|volume=7|issue=1|pages=40624|doi=10.1038/srep40624|issn=2045-2322|pmc=5264179|pmid=28120860|bibcode=2017NatSR...740624B}}</ref>

Large-volume supervolcanic eruptions are also often associated with [[large igneous province]]s, which can cover huge areas with lava and [[volcanic ash]]. These can cause long-lasting [[Climate variability and change|climate change]] (such as the [[Volcanic winter|triggering of a small ice age]]) and [[Extinction event|threaten species with extinction]]. The [[Oruanui eruption]] of New Zealand's [[Taupō Volcano]] (about 25,600 years ago) was the world's most recent VEI-8 eruption.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1016/S0377-0273(01)00239-6| title = The 26.5ka Oruanui eruption, New Zealand: An introduction and overview| journal = Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research| volume = 112| issue = 1–4| pages = 133–174| year = 2001| last1 = Wilson | first1 = C. J. N. | author-link1 = Colin J. N. Wilson| bibcode = 2001JVGR..112..133W}}</ref>

== Terminology ==
The term "supervolcano" was first used in a volcanic context in 1949.<ref>[http://oed.com/view/Entry/311217 ''supervolcano, n.''] Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, online version June 2012. Retrieved on 2012-08-17.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Byers Jr. |first=F. M. |date= May 1949 |title=Review of ''The Ancient Volcanoes of Oregon'', by H. Williams |url= https://www.jstor.org/stable/30058772 |url-access=subscription |journal=The Journal of Geology |volume=57 |issue=3 |pages=325 |doi=10.1086/625620 |jstor=30058772 }}</ref>
{{NoteTag|The term was first used in ''Conquering the World'', a 1925 travelogue by Helen Bridgeman, referring to an Indian Ocean sunset in Indonesia as an upside down "super-volcano".<ref name=Klemetti>{{cite magazine |title=The rise of a supervolcano |first=Erik |last=Klemetti |date=4 October 2013 |url= https://www.wired.com/2013/10/the-rise-of-supervolcano/ |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |access-date=29 November 2023}}</ref>}} Its origins lie in an early 20th-century scientific debate about the geological history and features of the [[Three Sisters (Oregon)|Three Sisters]] volcanic region of [[Oregon]] in the United States. In 1925, Edwin T. Hodge suggested that a very large volcano, which he named [[Mount Multnomah]], had existed in that region.<ref group=note>Subsequent research proved that each peak of the Three Sisters was formed independently, and that Mount Multnomah never existed.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}</ref> He believed that several [[Summit (topography)|peaks]] in the Three Sisters area were remnants of Mount Multnomah after it had been largely destroyed by violent volcanic explosions, similarly to [[Mount Mazama]].<ref>Harris, Stephen (1988). ''Fire Mountains of the West: The Cascade and Mono Lake Volcanoes''. Missoula, Mountain Press.</ref> In his 1948 book ''The Ancient Volcanoes of Oregon'', volcanologist [[Howel Williams]] ignored the possible existence of Mount Multnomah, but in 1949 another volcanologist, F. M. Byers Jr., reviewed the book, and in the review, Byers refers to Mount Multnomah as a "supervolcano".<ref>[http://oed.com/view/Entry/311217 ''supervolcano, n.''] Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, online version June 2012. Retrieved on 2012-08-17.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Byers Jr. |first=F. M. |date= May 1949 |title=Review of ''The Ancient Volcanoes of Oregon'', by H. Williams |url= https://www.jstor.org/stable/30058772 |url-access=subscription |journal=The Journal of Geology |volume=57 |issue=3 |pages=325 |doi=10.1086/625620 |jstor=30058772 }}</ref>

More than fifty years after Byers' review was published, the term ''supervolcano'' was popularised by the [[BBC]] popular science television program ''[[Horizon (BBC TV series)|Horizon]]'' in 2000, referring to eruptions that produce extremely large amounts of [[ejecta]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Supervolcanoes |date=3 February 2000 |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/1999/supervolcanoes.shtml |work=bbc.co.uk |publisher=BBC |access-date=30 November 2023}}</ref><ref>[http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Yellowstone/description_yellowstone.html USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204061306/http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Yellowstone/description_yellowstone.html |date=4 February 2012 }}. Vulcan.wr.usgs.gov. Retrieved on 2011-11-18.</ref>

The term ''megacaldera'' is sometimes used for [[caldera]] supervolcanoes, such as the [[Blake River Megacaldera Complex]] in the [[Abitibi greenstone belt]] of [[Ontario]] and [[Quebec]], Canada.<ref>{{Cite journal|url= https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301926808001897|title=An Archean megacaldera complex: The Blake River Group, Abitibi greenstone belt |last1=Pearson|first1=V.|last2=Daigneault|first2=R. |date=January 2009|journal=Precambrian Research |volume=168 |issue=1–2 |pages=66–82 |doi=10.1016/j.precamres.2008.03.009|bibcode=2009PreR..168...66P }}</ref>

Though there is no well-defined minimum explosive size for a "supervolcano", there are at least two types of volcanic eruptions that have been identified as supervolcanoes: [[large igneous province]]s and massive eruptions.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|url= https://eprints.qut.edu.au/40259/1/c40259.pdf|title=The largest volcanic eruptions on Earth |last=Bryan |first=S.E. |date=2010 |journal=Earth-Science Reviews |volume=102 |issue=3–4 |pages=207–229 |doi=10.1016/j.earscirev.2010.07.001 |bibcode=2010ESRv..102..207B }}</ref>

== Large igneous provinces ==
[[File:Flood Basalt Map.jpg|thumb|Map of large flood basalt igneous provinces worldwide|400 px]]
{{Main|Large igneous province}}

Large igneous provinces, such as [[Geology of Iceland|Iceland]], the [[Siberian Traps]], [[Deccan Traps]], and the [[Ontong Java Plateau]], are extensive regions of [[basalt]]s on a continental scale resulting from [[flood basalt]] eruptions. When created, these regions often occupy several thousand square kilometres and have volumes on the order of millions of cubic kilometers. In most cases, the lavas are normally laid down over several million years. They release large amounts of gases.

The [[Réunion hotspot]] produced the Deccan Traps about 66&nbsp;million years ago, coincident with the [[Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event]]. The scientific consensus is that [[Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event|an asteroid impact]] was the cause of the extinction event, but the volcanic activity may have caused environmental stresses on extant species up to the [[Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary]].<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Deccan volcanism, the Chicxulub impact, and the end-Cretaceous mass extinction: Coincidence? Cause and effect?|last = Keller|first = G|date = 2014|journal = Geological Society of America Special Papers|volume = 505|pages = 57–89|doi = 10.1130/2014.2505(03)|isbn = 9780813725055}}</ref> Some scientists have hypothesised that the  volcanism around the Deccan Traps could have been intensified by the Chicxulub impact, which would have been close to the [[antipodal point]] of the Traps at that time.<ref>Richards, M.A., ''et al.'' "[https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/127/11-12/1507/126064/Triggering-of-the-largest-Deccan-eruptions-by-the?redirectedFrom=fulltext Triggering of the largest Deccan eruptions by the Chicxulub impact]," GSA Bulletin (2015) 127 (11-12): 1507–1520. Retrieved 4 March 2025.</ref>

Additionally, the largest flood basalt event (the Siberian Traps) occurred around 250&nbsp;million years ago and was coincident with the largest mass extinction in history, the [[Permian–Triassic extinction event]], although it is unknown whether it was solely responsible for the extinction event.

Such outpourings are not explosive, though [[lava fountain]]s may occur. Many volcanologists consider [[Iceland]] to be a large igneous province that is currently being formed. The last major outpouring occurred in 1783–84 from the [[Laki fissure]], which is approximately {{convert|40|km|mi|abbr=on}} long. An estimated {{convert|14|km3|cumi|abbr=on}} of basaltic lava was poured out during the eruption (VEI 4).

The Ontong Java Plateau has an area of about {{convert|2000000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, and the province was at least 50% larger before the [[Manihiki Plateau|Manihiki]] and [[Hikurangi Plateau]]s broke away.

== Massive explosive eruptions ==
{{see also|List of largest volcanic eruptions}}

Volcanic eruptions are classified using the [[volcanic explosivity index]]. It is a [[logarithmic scale]], and an increase of one in VEI number is equivalent to a tenfold increase in volume of erupted material. VEI 7 or VEI 8 eruptions are so powerful that they often form circular calderas rather than [[volcanic cone|cones]] because the downward withdrawal of magma causes the overlying rock mass to collapse into the empty [[magma chamber]] beneath it.

{{anchor|Known supereruptions}} <!--- please always create an anchor for the previous section title when renaming so incoming section links keep working -->

=== Known super eruptions ===
Based on incomplete statistics, at least 60 VEI 8 eruptions have been identified.<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{Cite journal|title = The size and frequency of the largest explosive eruptions on Earth|last = BG|first = Mason|date = 2004|journal = Bull Volcanol|volume = 66|issue = 8|pages = 735–748|doi = 10.1007/s00445-004-0355-9|bibcode = 2004BVol...66..735M|s2cid = 129680497}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" style="whitespace:no-wrap"
|+ Well-known VEI 8 eruptions
!Name
!Zone
!Location
!class=unsortable|Notes
!Years ago (approx.)
!Ejecta bulk volume (approx.)
!class=unsortable|Reference
|-
| [[Toba catastrophe theory|Youngest Toba eruption]]
| [[Lake Toba|Toba Caldera]], [[North Sumatra]]
| [[Sumatra]], Indonesia
| Produced 439–631 million tons of [[sulfuric acid]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 75,000
| style="text-align:right;"|  {{sort|7,600|2,000–13,200&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>}}
|<ref name=sci>{{cite journal|journal= Science|doi=10.1126/science.1141564 |year=2007|title= Middle Paleolithic Assemblages from the Indian Subcontinent Before and After the Toba Super-Eruption|last1= Petraglia|first1= M.|last2= Korisettar|first2= R.|last3= Boivin|first3= N.|last4= Clarkson|first4= C.|last5= Ditchfield|first5= P.|last6= Jones|first6= S.|last7= Koshy|first7= J.|last8= Lahr|first8= M. M.|last9= Oppenheimer|first9= C.|last10=Pyle |first10=D. |last11=Roberts |first11=R. |last12=Schwenninger |first12=J.-L. |last13=Arnold |first13=L. |last14=White |first14=K. |volume= 317|issue= 5834|pages= 114–116|pmid= 17615356|bibcode = 2007Sci...317..114P |s2cid=20380351 |display-authors=8 |url=https://ro.uow.edu.au/era/2117 }}</ref><ref name="Knight, M.D. 1986, p. 10,355">{{cite journal|author=Knight, M.D., Walker, G.P.L., Ellwood, B.B., and Diehl, J.F.|year=1986|title= Stratigraphy, paleomagnetism, and magnetic fabric of the Toba Tuffs: Constraints on their sources and eruptive styles|journal= Journal of Geophysical Research|volume= 91|issue=B10|pages= 10355–10382|doi=10.1029/JB091iB10p10355|bibcode=1986JGR....9110355K}}</ref><ref name="Ninkovich, D. 1978, pp. 286–298">{{cite journal|author=Ninkovich, D., Sparks, R.S.J., and Ledbetter, M.T.|year= 1978|title= The exceptional magnitude and intensity of the Toba eruption, Sumatra: An example of using deep-sea tephra layers as a geological tool|bibcode=1978BVol...41..286N|doi=10.1007/BF02597228|journal= Bulletin Volcanologique|volume= 41|pages=286–298|issue=3|s2cid= 128626019}}</ref><ref name="geo.mtu.edu">{{cite journal|author1=Rose, W.I.|author2=Chesner, C.A.|name-list-style=amp|year=1987|url=http://www.geo.mtu.edu/~raman/papers/RoseTobaFallGeology.pdf|title=Dispersal of ash in the great Toba eruption, 75 ka|journal=Geology|volume=15|pages=913–917|doi=10.1130/0091-7613(1987)15<913:DOAITG>2.0.CO;2|issue=10|issn=0091-7613|bibcode=1987Geo....15..913R|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617032134/http://www.geo.mtu.edu/~raman/papers/RoseTobaFallGeology.pdf|archive-date=17 June 2010}}</ref><ref name="Williams, M.A.J. 1982, pp. 139–162">{{cite journal|author1=Williams, M.A.J. |author2=Royce, K. |name-list-style=amp |year= 1982|doi=10.1016/0031-0182(82)90001-3|title=Quaternary geology of the middle son valley, North Central India: Implications for prehistoric archaeology|journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology|volume=38|issue=3–4|page=139 |bibcode=1982PPP....38..139W }}</ref><ref name="Costa">{{cite journal |doi=10.3389/feart.2014.00016 |author1=Antonio Costa |author2=Victoria C. Smith |author3=Giovanni Macedonio |author4=Naomi E. Matthews |date=2014 |title=The magnitude and impact of the Youngest Toba Tuff super-eruption |journal=Frontiers in Earth Science |volume=2 |page=16 |bibcode=2014FrEaS...2...16C |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lin |first1=Jiamei |last2=Abbott |first2=Peter M. |last3=Sigl |first3=Michael |last4=Steffensen |first4=Jørgen P. |last5=Mulvaney |first5=Robert |last6=Severi |first6=Mirko |last7=Svensson |first7=Anders |date=2023 |title=Bipolar ice-core records constrain possible dates and global radiative forcing following the ~74 ka Toba eruption |journal=Quaternary Science Reviews |language=en |volume=312 |pages=108162 |doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.108162|bibcode=2023QSRv..31208162L |doi-access=free }}</ref>
|-
| [[Flat Landing Brook Formation]]
| Tetagouche Group
| [[New Brunswick]], Canada
| Possibly the largest known supereruption. Existence as a single eruption is controversial, and it could have been a multiple 2,000+ km<sup>3</sup> event that spanned less than a million years
| style="text-align:right;" | 466,000,000
| style="text-align:right;" | {{sort|7,000|2,000–12,000&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>}}
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dnr-mrn.gnb.ca/Lexicon/Lexicon/Lexicon_View.aspx?UnitId=137|title=Lexique du substrat rocheux|website=dnr-mrn.gnb.ca|access-date=2019-12-22}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mineralogicalassociation.ca/doc/StJohns2012_GAC-MAC_Abstracts.pdf |title=A mid-Darriwilian super volcano in northern New Brunswick, rapid climate change and the start of the great Ordovician biodiversification event |pages=118–119 |access-date=2023-11-11 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191212184601/http://www.mineralogicalassociation.ca/doc/StJohns2012_GAC-MAC_Abstracts.pdf |archive-date=2019-12-12 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[Wah Wah Springs Caldera]]
| Indian Peak–Caliente Caldera Complex
| [[Utah]], United States
| The largest of the Indian Peak-Caliente Caldera Complex eruptions, preserved as the Wah Wah Springs Tuff; includes pyroclastic flows more than {{Convert|500|m|ft|sp=us}} thick
| style="text-align:right;" | 30,600,000
| style="text-align:right;" | {{sort|5,700|5,500–5,900&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>}}
|<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Tingey|first1=David G. |last2=Hart|first2=Garret L. |last3=Gromme |first3=Sherman |last4=Deino |first4=Alan L. |last5=Christiansen |first5=Eric H. |last6=Best|first6=Myron G. |date=2013-08-01|title=The 36–18 Ma Indian Peak–Caliente ignimbrite field and calderas, southeastern Great Basin, USA: Multicyclic super-eruptions |journal=Geosphere |language=en |volume=9|issue=4|pages=864–950 |doi=10.1130/GES00902.1 |bibcode=2013Geosp...9..864B |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="geology.com">{{Cite web |last=King |first=Hobart M. |title = Volcanic Explosivity Index: Measuring the size of an eruption |url=https://geology.com/stories/13/volcanic-explosivity-index/ |website=Geology.com}}</ref>
|-
| [[La Garita Caldera]]
| [[San Juan volcanic field]]
| [[Colorado]], United States
| [[Fish Canyon Tuff|Fish Canyon eruption]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 27,800,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 5,000&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>
|<ref>{{cite web|title=La Garita Caldera |url=http://staff.aist.go.jp/s-takarada/CEV/newsletter/lagarita.html |last=Ort |first=Michael |publisher=[[Northern Arizona University]] |date=22 September 1997 |access-date=5 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519165154/http://staff.aist.go.jp/s-takarada/CEV/newsletter/lagarita.html |archive-date=19 May 2011 }}</ref><ref name="Lipman">{{cite journal |last=Lipman |first=Peter W. |title=Geologic Map of the Central San Juan Caldera Cluster, Southwestern Colorado |series=USGS Investigations Series I-2799 |url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/i2799/ |date=2007-11-02 |access-date=6 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100831221119/http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/i2799/ |archive-date=31 August 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|Grey's Landing Supereruption
|[[Yellowstone hotspot]]
|United States
|Deposited the Grey's Landing Ignimbrite
| style="text-align:right;"| 8,720,000
| style="text-align:right;"| 2,800&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>
|<ref name="New">{{cite journal |last1=Knott |first1=Thomas |last2=Branney |first2=M. |last3=Reichow |first3=Marc |last4=Finn |first4=David |last5=Tapster |first5=Simon |last6=Coe |first6=Robert |title=Discovery of two new super-eruptions from the Yellowstone hotspot track (USA): Is the Yellowstone hotspot waning? |journal=Geology |date=June 2020 |volume=48 |issue=9 |pages=934–938 |doi=10.1130/G47384.1 |bibcode=2020Geo....48..934K |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341810855 |access-date=21 June 2022|doi-access=free }}</ref>
|-
|[[La Pacana]]
|[[Andean Volcanic Belt#Central Volcanic Zone|Andes Central Volcanic Zone]]
|Chile
|Responsible for the Antana Ignimbrite
|style="text-align:right;"|4,000,000
|style="text-align:right;"|2,500&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>
|<ref name="Lindsay2001">{{Cite journal|last=Lindsay|first=J. M.|date=2001-03-01|title=Magmatic Evolution of the La Pacana Caldera System, Central Andes, Chile: Compositional Variation of Two Cogenetic, Large-Volume Felsic Ignimbrites|journal=Journal of Petrology|volume=42|issue=3|pages=459–486|doi=10.1093/petrology/42.3.459|issn=0022-3530|bibcode=2001JPet...42..459L|doi-access=free}}</ref>
|-
| [[Huckleberry Ridge Tuff|Huckleberry Ridge eruption]]
| [[Yellowstone hotspot]]
|[[Idaho]], United States
| Huckleberry Ridge Tuff; consisted of three distinct eruptions separated by years to decades
| style="text-align:right;" | 2,100,000
| style="text-align:right;" |{{sort|2,475|2,450–2,500&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>}}
| <ref name="largeeruptions" /><ref name="usgs.gov">{{Cite web |title=What is a supervolcano? What is a supereruption? |date= July 2024 |url= https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-a-supervolcano-what-a-supereruption |publisher=USGS}}</ref>
|-
| [[Whakamaru Caldera]]
| [[Taupō Volcanic Zone]]
| [[North Island]], New Zealand
| Whakamaru Ignimbrite/Mount Curl Tephra
| style="text-align:right;"|  340,000
| style="text-align:right;"|  2,000&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>
| <ref>{{Cite journal|last=Froggatt |first=P. C. |author2=Nelson, C. S. |author3=Carter, L. |author4=Griggs, G. |author5= Black, K. P.  |date=13 February 1986|title=An exceptionally large late Quaternary eruption from New Zealand |journal=Nature |volume=319 |pages=578–582 |doi=10.1038/319578a0 |quote=The minimum total volume of tephra is 1,200 km<sup>3</sup> but probably nearer 2,000 km<sup>3</sup>, ... |issue=6054|bibcode = 1986Natur.319..578F |s2cid=4332421 }}</ref>
|-
|[[Yellowstone hotspot#Heise volcanic field|Heise Volcanic Field]]
| [[Yellowstone hotspot]]
| [[Idaho]], United States
| Kilgore Tuff
| style="text-align:right;"|  4,500,000
| style="text-align:right;"|  1,800&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>
| <ref name="Morgan">{{cite journal|doi=10.1130/B25519.1 |author1=Lisa A. Morgan  |author2=William C. McIntosh |s2cid=53648675 |name-list-style=amp |title=Timing and development of the Heise volcanic field, Snake River Plain, Idaho, western USA|journal=GSA Bulletin|year=2005|volume=117|issue=3–4|pages=288–306|bibcode = 2005GSAB..117..288M }}</ref>
|-
| McMullen Supereruption
| [[Yellowstone hotspot]]
|Southern [[Idaho]], United States
| McMullen Ignimbrite
| style="text-align:right;" | 8,990,000
| style="text-align:right;" |1,700&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>
| <ref name="New"/>
|-
|[[Yellowstone hotspot#Heise volcanic field|Heise Volcanic Field]]
| [[Yellowstone hotspot]]
| [[Idaho]], United States
| Blacktail <!-- Creek -->Tuff
| style="text-align:right;"|  6,000,000
| style="text-align:right;"|  1,500&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>
| <ref name="Morgan" />
|-
| [[Cerro Guacha]]
| [[Altiplano–Puna volcanic complex]]
| [[Sur Lípez Province|Sur Lípez]], Bolivia
| Guacha ignimbrite, two smaller eruptions identified
| style="text-align:right;"|  5,700,000
| style="text-align:right;"|  1,300&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>
| <ref>{{cite journal|last1=Salisbury|first1=M. J.|last2=Jicha|first2=B. R.|last3=de Silva|first3=S. L.|last4=Singer|first4=B. S.|last5=Jimenez|first5=N. C.|last6=Ort|first6=M. H.|title=40Ar/39Ar chronostratigraphy of Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex ignimbrites reveals the development of a major magmatic province|journal=Geological Society of America Bulletin|date=21 December 2010|volume=123|issue=5–6|pages=821–840|doi=10.1130/B30280.1|bibcode=2011GSAB..123..821S|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|-
| [[Mangakino caldera complex|Mangakino Caldera]]
| [[Taupō Volcanic Zone]]
| [[North Island]], New Zealand
| Kidnappers eruption
| style="text-align:right;"|  1,080,000
| style="text-align:right;"|  1,200&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>
| <ref>[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012AGUFM.V31C2797C Rejuvenation and Repeated Eruption of a 1.0 Ma Supervolcanic System at Mangakino Caldera, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand] American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2012, abstract #V31C-2797. Retrieved 10 September 2017.</ref>
|-
| [[Oruanui eruption]]
| [[Taupō Volcanic Zone]]
| [[North Island]], New Zealand
| [[Taupō Volcano]] ([[Lake Taupō]])
| style="text-align:right;"|  26,500
| style="text-align:right;"|  1,170&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>
|<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Wilson|first=C. J. N|date=2001-12-01|title=The 26.5ka Oruanui eruption, New Zealand: an introduction and overview|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377027301002396|journal=Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research|language=en|volume=112|issue=1|pages=133–174|doi=10.1016/S0377-0273(01)00239-6|bibcode=2001JVGR..112..133W|issn=0377-0273}}</ref>
|-
| [[Galán]]
| [[Andean Volcanic Belt#Central Volcanic Zone|Andes Central Volcanic Zone]]
| [[Catamarca Province|Catamarca]], Argentina
|Consisted of three distinct eruptions, separated by 30-40 thousand years
| style="text-align:right;"|  2,500,000
| style="text-align:right;"|  1,050&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>
|<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Kay|first1=Suzanne Mahlburg|last2=Coira|first2=Beatriz|last3=Wörner|first3=Gerhard|last4=Kay|first4=Robert W.|last5=Singer|first5=Bradley S.|date=2011-12-01|title=Geochemical, isotopic and single crystal 40Ar/39Ar age constraints on the evolution of the Cerro Galán ignimbrites|journal=Bulletin of Volcanology|language=en|volume=73|issue=10|pages=1487–1511|doi=10.1007/s00445-010-0410-7|bibcode=2011BVol...73.1487K|issn=1432-0819|doi-access=free|hdl=11336/196181|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
|-
| [[Lava Creek Tuff|Lava Creek eruption]]
| [[Yellowstone hotspot]]
| [[Idaho]], [[Montana]], and [[Wyoming]], United States
| [[Lava Creek Tuff]]; consisted of two distinct eruptions separated by years
| style="text-align:right;"|  640,000
| style="text-align:right;"|  1,000&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>
| <ref name="largeeruptions">[http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/largeeruptions.cfm Large Holocene Eruptions]. ''Global Volcanism Program''. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213010407/http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/largeeruptions.cfm |date=13 February 2010 }}. Volcano.si.edu. Retrieved on 2011-11-18.</ref><ref name="usgs.gov"/><ref name="geology.com"/>
|}

== Media portrayal ==
* ''[[Nova (American TV program)|Nova]]'' featured an episode "Mystery of the Megavolcano" in September 2006 examining such eruptions in the last 100,000 years.<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/megavolcano/ "Mystery of the Megavolcano"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170617030500/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/megavolcano/ |date=17 June 2017 }}. Pbs.org. Accessed on 2017-10-12.</ref>
* ''[[Supervolcano (film)|Supervolcano]]'' is the title of a British-Canadian television disaster film, first released in 2005. It tells a fictional story of a supereruption at Yellowstone.
* In the 2009 disaster film ''[[2012 (film)|2012]]'', a supereruption of Yellowstone is one of the events that contributes to a global cataclysm.
* The 2025 political thriller [[Paradise (2025 TV series)|''Paradise'']] takes place after an eruption of a fictional [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] supervolcano and subsequent [[megatsunami]], causing the [[Federal government of the United States|United States federal government]] and other prominent individuals to relocate to an underground city in [[Colorado]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-26 |title='Paradise' Solves Some Mysteries (and Sets More Up) In Episode 7 |url=https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a63936913/paradise-episode-7-twists-explained/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=Men's Health |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Gallery==

<gallery widths="200" heights="200">
File:Taupo.Volcanic.Zone.North.Island.NZ.JPG|Volcano, lake, and caldera locations in the Taupō Volcanic Zone
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Volcanoes}}
* {{annotated link|Global catastrophic risk}}
* {{annotated link|Timeline of volcanism on Earth}}
* {{annotated link|Toba catastrophe theory}}
* {{annotated link|Volcanic winter}}

== Notes ==
{{NoteFoot}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite journal| author = Mason, Ben G. |author2=Pyle, David M. |author3=Oppenheimer, Clive| year = 2004|title = The size and frequency of the largest explosive eruptions on Earth | journal = Bulletin of Volcanology | volume = 66 | issue = 8 | pages = 735–748 | doi = 10.1007/s00445-004-0355-9 | bibcode=2004BVol...66..735M|s2cid=129680497 }}
* {{Cite book| author=Oppenheimer, C.|title=Eruptions that shook the world|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-64112-8|year=2011|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qW1UNwhuhnUC&q=Eruptions+that+shook+the+world}}
* {{Cite journal|doi=10.5194/acp-6-35-2006 |last=Timmreck |first=C.|author2=Graf, H.-F.  |year=2006 |title=The initial dispersal and radiative forcing of a Northern Hemisphere mid-latitude super volcano: a model study |journal=Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=35–49|bibcode=2006ACP.....6...35T |doi-access=free |hdl=11858/00-001M-0000-0011-FD24-C |hdl-access=free }}

== External links ==
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/1999/supervolcanoes.shtml Overview and Transcript of the original BBC program]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140805044437/http://www.solcomhouse.com/yellowstone.htm Yellowstone Supervolcano and Map of Supervolcanoes Around The World]
* [https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2005/3024/ USGS Fact Sheet – Steam Explosions, Earthquakes, and Volcanic Eruptions – What's in Yellowstone's Future?]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071016204122/http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&colID=1&articleID=0006E0BF-BB43-146C-BB4383414B7F0000 Scientific American's The Secrets of Supervolcanoes]
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25598050 Supervolcano eruption mystery solved], BBC Science, 6 January 2014

{{Volcanoes}}
{{Doomsday}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Volcanology]]
[[Category:Geological hazards]]
[[Category:Supervolcanoes| ]]
[[Category:Volcanic landforms]]
[[Category:Doomsday scenarios]]
[[Category:Future problems]]
[[Category:Lists of volcanic eruptions]]