California super volcano found with 240 CUBIC MILES of magma swirling underneath
A SUPER-VOLCANO in California which erupted with devastating results hundreds of thousands of years ago has a vast reservoir of semi-molten magma measuring a staggering 240 cubic MILES, a new study has suggested.
By CIARAN MCGRATH
Express.co.uk
Sat, Aug 11, 2018
The amount of magma in the Long Valley Caldera is so large it could support an eruption equivalent to the massive one which occurred 767,000 years ago, which released 140 cubic miles of material into the atmosphere.
By comparison, the 1980 Mount St Helens eruption resulted in the release of 0.29 cubic miles.
While the Long Valley Caldera is unlikely to blow anytime soon, the report, written by scientists from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the University of California, and the University of Rhode Island, said: “We can conclude the mid-crustal reservoir is still melt-rich.
“We estimate the reservoir currently contains enough melt to support another super eruption comparable in size to the caldera-forming eruption at 767 ka.”
The report, published by the Geological Society of America, stresses however that there is no need to start panicking, adding: “This volume and a relatively high melt fraction in no way ensures that the magma is eruptible.”
The team used cutting-edge techniques to inspect the volcano in great detail, enabling them to reach their stunning conclusions.
The Long Valley Caldera is one of the Earth’s largest calderas, measuring about 20 miles long, 11 miles wide and up to 3,000 feet (910 m) deep.
After four strong earthquakes shook the Long Valley area in 1980, USGS scientists also detected evidence of renewed volcanic unrest in the region.
They subsequently found that the central part of caldera was slowly rising.
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