Super Volcano Research Paper

Of the volcanoes that are located in the United States there are two which are world renowned for their activity and their power to change the region surrounding them. The two volcanoes would be Mount Saint Helens and Mount Kilauea. In order to get a better understanding of these volcanoes we will be comparing and contrasting them as well as talking about how they were formed and when they last had an eruption.

Volcanoes can be found throughout the entire world and are formed when there is a rupture in the mantle of the Earth's crust. This effect allows the output of volcanic lava, ash, and various types of gases. These tectonic plate breaks are normal, the planet Earth is divided into 17 tectonic plates and consistently move against each other forming shifts from low to high intensity. It can cause displacement of earth or water.

In the future, scientists predict that Yellowstone will erupt very violently, leaving the United States covered in inches of ash. While scientists think this will not happen for another 1 to 2 million years it could happen at any minute (Cimons). While, Hawaii's future is already beginning to unravel with a new island forming called Loihi. This new island is forming to the south of the island of Hawaii 3,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. There is a large and fierce

Volcanoes are one of the most destructive, yet, most beautiful things on Earth. They can make a famous city choke in its own ashes in one day, like Pompeii. Or they can turn a once damaging mountain into a graceful and peaceful home for new life, like Mount St. Helen’s. All volcanoes are unique, and no two are the same. Some erupt differently than others, some look different than others, and all are located in different spots all over the world. I learned this while completing the project and the five volcanoes I researched are examples of my discoveries. The five volcanoes I researched were Mount Hood, Mount Mageik, Long Island, Mount Muria, and Las Pilas.

You may think that a supervolcano is far out of our reach and it could be thousands of years before one erupts and causes havoc all across the world, conversely it is not as far away as you may be thinking. A supervolcano refers to a volcano being able to spew more than two hundred and forty cubic miles of magma. Volcanoes causing this much destruction are not uncommon and there have been five volcanoes to erupt and wipe out massive amounts of life. Five may not seem like a massive number, but what came about during these eruptions and after the fact is what makes the event a terrifying reality. Around two hundred and forty eight million years ago the Permian-Triassic extinction destroyed ninety to ninety five percent of all species on Earth due to a massive volcano, other instances include The Laki Volcano in 1783 and

Another physical factor is snow; if a volcano is snow capped, like Eyjafjallajokull, then the lahars and flash floods become a greater hazard. The flooding in Iceland in 2010 caused 700 people to be evacuated. Without the snow then lahars and floods may not be a problem at all.

Imagine a single event that can kill 57 people and 7000 deer and elk. Snap trees like a toothpick, and turn the sky grey for 15 days. Now, stop imagining, Mount St. Helens, in the Cascade Range of southwestern Washington State, erupted. On May 18th,1980. According to (Campbell 371), “At least $1 billion in economic damage was reported”. The eruption of Mount St. Helens took many lives, and devastated America. Mount St. Helens destroyed more than 230 square miles of ancient forest.

On May 18th, 1980 one of the worst volcanic eruptions occurred in the United States. Triggered by an earthquake, Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington State at 8:39am. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it was "the deadliest and most economically destructive event in the history of the United States." There were many effects from this terrible, natural event. People, animals, and the environment were all effected.

Mauna Loa is considered a “shield volcano” meaning its eruption are as violent as they could be, however because of its enormous size, it will still be a reckoning, like journalist James Cave says, “Of the five active volcanoes in Hawaii, only the Kilauea and Loihi volcanoes have been quietly erupting consistently for decades. But Mauna Loa is seen as the big threat there. What Kilauea erupts in one day, Mauna Loa has erupted in 20 minutes, as it did in 1984. It came way too close to destroying Hilo, where more than 35,000 people lived at the

After more then 40,000 years of activity, one would expect that people would no longer live in the surrounding shadow of Mt. St. Helens. But regardless, many towns and cities sit inside of a zone that would face destruction if a large eruption took place. In 1980 Mt. St. Helens erupted and caused the loss of many lives and the destruction of thousands of miles of land and property. Following the eruption, the volcano has stayed extremely active. In 2004 it erupted again, building a new lava dome and sending ash and steam into the atmosphere. Since then, seismologists and volcanologists have recently discovered pockets of magma rising and that another eruption may occur soon. Even though the people of Washington know that an eruption could cause widespread devastation they continue with their lives, doing little to prepare for the potential disaster.

It is minimal realized that lying underneath one of The United States biggest and most beautiful National Parks - Yellowstone Park - is one of the biggest "super volcanoes" on the planet. Every year, a huge number of guests come to respect the hot springs and fountains of Yellowstone, the Nation's first national park. Few are mindful that these miracles are powered by hotness from a vast repository of incompletely liquid rock (magma), simply a couple of miles underneath their feet. As this magma-which drives one of the world's biggest volcanic frameworks climbs, it pushes up the Earth's hull underneath the Yellowstone Plateau.

The third eruption happened about 640,000 years ago, and spewed 240 cubic miles of material. This third eruption created the third and largest of Yellowstone’s calderas, Yellowstone Caldera, which is 30 by 45 miles in size. The pyroclastic lava flows from this eruption formed the north wall of the caldera and are visible from the south-facing cliffs east of Madison. (Solcomhouse) This third eruption is said to have vaporized an entire mountain range. Smaller eruptions have also helped to shape Today’s Yellowstone, such as one that occurred 174,000 years ago and created what is now the “West Thumb” of Yellowstone Lake. (National Park Service) Many sources say that a catastrophic eruption, such as those that have formed the three calderas at Yellowstone, is unlikely during the next several hundred years, but if one such eruption did occur it would devastate much of the United States and would have the potential to alter the global climate.

The Mexican volcano experienced its largest eruption in 1913, which lasted for 4 days, and formed a crater 300 meters in depth (http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/colima). Experts show concern that the volcano is exhibiting many of the

Ash plumes and steam rose into the bright blue sky as the underground earthquake shook the land and rattled windows all across the eighteen mile town. As the jet circled the island, in view of lovely beaches and emerald water, looming over this lush paradise was the screaming volcano. Volcanos erupt when the pressure inside of them becomes so great that the magma surges up and forces its way out. An exploding volcano can rip apart a mountain in just seconds, when the eruption is over, a landscape is changed forever. The united states is home to more volcanos than any other country except Indonesia, and Japan. The majority of these volcanoes are in Alaska. Until recently, there was no way to predict when a volcano would blow, although volcanoes give off many warning signs before they erupt. Including smaller earthquakes beneath the volcano, slight inflation, or swelling. The rising magma eventually causes the solid rock to break, sending earthquake signals. Most volcanoes give warning signs beginning weeks or months before they blow (Lindop).

On the 12th of June (Philippine Independence Day), millions of cubic yards of gas-charged magma reached the surface and resulted in the first major eruption which was then followed by a series of eruptions. It produced a 19 km long ash column and pyroclastic flows that extended up to four km from the summit to the river valleys. Later, a 15 minute eruption hurled ash straight up to the sky, reaching the heights of 24 km. The super heated air and the friction between