Possible trigger for volcanic 'super-eruptions' discovered
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 - 12:30
in Earth & Climate
The "super-eruption" of a major volcanic system occurs about every 100,000 years and is considered one of the most catastrophic natural events on Earth, yet scientists have long been unsure about what triggers these violent explosions. A new model points to a combination of temperature influence and the geometrical configuration of the magma chamber as a potential cause for these super-eruptions.