Merging magma can set off supervolcanoes in less than 10,000 years
Crystals help scientists reconstruct ancient eruption near Yellowstone National Park
BUBBLING A hot spot deep in Earth’s mantle helps fuel the geothermal activity at Yellowstone National Park, shown. The hot spot also nourished a supervolcano that erupted 4.5 million years ago in Idaho when magma reservoirs quickly merged together, a new study suggests.
U.S. Geological Survey/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)