What is a supervolcano?

Question

Also, are they commonly found on Earth?

Answer 1

A supervolcano or super volcanic eruption is a volcanic eruption which is orders of magnitude greater than any volcano in historic times, sufficient to cause long-lasting change to weather, threaten the extinction of species, and cover huge areas with lava and ash.

The term was originally used in the BBC popular science program, Horizon, in 2000 to refer to these types of eruption.That programme introduced the subject to the public.

Volcanologists and geologists do not refer to "super volcanoes" or "megacalderas" in their scientific work, but sometimes do in public presentations. However, they do describe eruptions that rate VEI 7 or 8 as "super eruptions".

Until 2003, supervolcano was not a technical term used in volcanology. 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.

Though there is no well-defined minimum explosive size for a "supervolcano", there are at least two types of volcanic eruption that have been identified as supervolcanoes: large igneous provinces and massive eruptions.

Answer 2

it's a huge volcano, under the whole of yellowstone park there's one that is y there r so many gayzers, if 1 would blow off half of US would turn to dust but that might happen in Mil of years

Answer 3

Volcanoes are the ones you see on TV...

SuperValcanoes are the ones you never get to see cause if u are able to see it you will most likely be dead.

Answer 4

or super volcanic eruption is a volcanic eruption which is orders of magnitude greater than any volcano in historic times. They aren't that common in the present.

Answer 5

A supervolcano or super volcanic eruption is a volcanic eruption which is orders of magnitude greater than any volcano in historic times, sufficient to cause long-lasting change to weather, threaten the extinction of species, and cover huge areas with lava and ash.

Answer 6

http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Sup...

hopefully that helps

Answer 7

The division is fairly arbitrary but is usually set at en eruption that has  >1000 km^3 of material ejected (VEI-8).

The recurrence interval is 10,000-100,000 years so in terms of geologic time, they are fairly common.