Scientists Think They Know When Huge ‘Supervolcano’ Will Erupt

The huge ‘supervolcano’ thought to lurk under Yellowstone park will blanket the USA in ash when it finally erupts.

The eruption will be so catastrophic it will change the world’s climate.

Now scientists believe they might have an insight into when it will hap
Study author Christy Till said,, ‘We find that the last time Yellowstone erupted after sitting dormant for a long time, the eruption was triggered within 10 months of new magma moving into the base of the volcano, while other times it erupted closer to the 10-year mark."
pen - or at least, the warning signs to look for before it does.

Researchers are 99.9% confident the volcano will not erupt this century - but when it does, they believe there will be a ‘warning period’ lasting between ten months and ten years.

During this time, new magma moves into the base of the volcano - something that scientists could, in theory, detect.

The finding might offer the world a warning about a deadly eruption - something which has not happened for 72,000 years.

‘How quickly can you reheat a cooled magma chamber and get it to erupt? Our results suggest an eruption at the beginning of Yellowstone's most recent volcanic cycle was triggered within 10 months after reheating of a mostly crystallised magma reservoir following a 220,000-year period of volcanic quiescence.

‘A similarly energetic reheating of Yellowstone's current sub-surface magma bodies could end approximately 70,000 years of volcanic repose and lead to a future eruption over similar timescales.’