Yellowstone: A Super Volcano

If you have ever watched a horror movie with a volcano eruption that inevitably destroys the world, then you may have heard the term 'Super Volcano'. Super Volcano is a nickname given to Caldera volcanoes due to their great size.

Calderas are probably the least known, yet most destructive, volcanoes on our planet. Underneath the surface of the earth, beneath these volcanoes, there is a lake of magma, which heats the surface above. When the volcano eventually erupts, it blows up, and the aftermath creates a giant crater in the ground.

We all know Old Faithful, right? Have you ever wondered how the famous geyser was created? Yellowstone National Park wasn't built on a volcano unknowingly. In fact, the natural preserve thrives due to the magma churning beneath the surface. The range of mountains surrounding the volcano is actually the outer edges of it. So, if you have ever been to Yellowstone, you've stood on an actual volcano.

The magma chambers beneath Yellowstone's volcanoes are around five miles under the ground, if not deeper. These chambers fuel the spewing geysers, steam vents, mud pots, and hot springs that make Yellowstone a must see attraction.

Another interesting fact about Yellowstone is that the volcano has erupted in the past. If you remember reading about the destruction caused when Mount St. Helens erupted, then you should know how much destruction these eruptions can cause. The caldera volcano of Yellowstone once erupted 8,000 times the amount of ash and lava as Mount St. Helens, and that wasn't even its largest eruption!

Sources

Discovery Channel

Volcano Facts

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