Supervolcano eruption Yellowstone – Sunday, October 12 2025
Ian Brockwell
March 19, 2007
Just in case you are wondering, this is not a prediction but an extract from the book “Global Warming – The Final Solution”. But with the increasing activity that has been monitored beneath the surface of Yellowstone just lately, who can say whether this supervolcano won’t erupt tomorrow, in 2025, or in another thousand years from now?
We all know that an eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano is probably overdue, and the last time it happened was more than 600,000 years ago. Unlike more usual volcanoes, VEI-8 eruptions (Volcanic Explosivity Index of 8), better known as supervolcanoes, are so powerful that they form circular calderas. Because of the emptied space in the magma chamber following an eruption, the land collapses downwards, rather than forming a mountain like normal volcanoes.
According to reports, the Teton Range of mountains just south of Yellowstone National Park, have become smaller. Researchers have discovered that Jackson Hole, a valley below the Teton, is rising, but the mountains are falling. This could be due to magma pushing against the north edge of Jackson Hole and forcing it against the mountains. Whether this will increase the pressure within the caldera enough to trigger an eruption in the future remains to be seen.
The Yellowstone supervolcano has seen a build up of magma many times before, between 1987 and 1995 the caldera floor sank more than 4 inches. This was followed by a five year period where the caldera rose about 3 inches. During the next three years the floor fell and rose by approximately 1 inch. But in 2004, the caldera floor rose at an “unprecedented” rate for a period of three years, rising almost 7 inches. Is this a sign that the supervolcano is about to blow or just the latest fluctuation in its long history?
The last VEI-8 eruption seen on our planet occurred at Lake Taupo (New Zealand) 26,500 years ago, but this was less than half the size of the Toba (Sumatra) eruption approximately 48,000 years earlier, an event that many believe almost wiped out the human race, causing a phenomenon known as the “Millennial Ice Age” that lasted a thousand years. However, the largest supervolcano was the La Garita Caldera (Colorado), just over 27 million years ago, almost twice as powerful as the Toba eruption.
If the Yellowstone supervolcano should erupt, the outcome depends very much on the volume of tephra ejected. An eruption equal to that produced 640,000 years ago would almost certainly kill millions, but mankind should survive, even though we would have to endure a much harsher climate.
We all know that an eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano is probably overdue, and the last time it happened was more than 600,000 years ago. Unlike more usual volcanoes, VEI-8 eruptions (Volcanic Explosivity Index of 8), better known as supervolcanoes, are so powerful that they form circular calderas. Because of the emptied space in the magma chamber following an eruption, the land collapses downwards, rather than forming a mountain like normal volcanoes.
According to reports, the Teton Range of mountains just south of Yellowstone National Park, have become smaller. Researchers have discovered that Jackson Hole, a valley below the Teton, is rising, but the mountains are falling. This could be due to magma pushing against the north edge of Jackson Hole and forcing it against the mountains. Whether this will increase the pressure within the caldera enough to trigger an eruption in the future remains to be seen.
The Yellowstone supervolcano has seen a build up of magma many times before, between 1987 and 1995 the caldera floor sank more than 4 inches. This was followed by a five year period where the caldera rose about 3 inches. During the next three years the floor fell and rose by approximately 1 inch. But in 2004, the caldera floor rose at an “unprecedented” rate for a period of three years, rising almost 7 inches. Is this a sign that the supervolcano is about to blow or just the latest fluctuation in its long history?
The last VEI-8 eruption seen on our planet occurred at Lake Taupo (New Zealand) 26,500 years ago, but this was less than half the size of the Toba (Sumatra) eruption approximately 48,000 years earlier, an event that many believe almost wiped out the human race, causing a phenomenon known as the “Millennial Ice Age” that lasted a thousand years. However, the largest supervolcano was the La Garita Caldera (Colorado), just over 27 million years ago, almost twice as powerful as the Toba eruption.
If the Yellowstone supervolcano should erupt, the outcome depends very much on the volume of tephra ejected. An eruption equal to that produced 640,000 years ago would almost certainly kill millions, but mankind should survive, even though we would have to endure a much harsher climate.
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