Supervolcanos can be classified in many ways. One of the most common ways to classify one is to measure the volume of eruptable magma it can eject in the case of an eruption. The amount required is 1000km3 . For some comparison, Olympic sized swimming pools hold 2,500m3 , so that's 400,000 Olympic sized swimming pools worth of volcanic material ejected, sometimes, 50km into the atmosphere. Some supervolcanos have magma chambers which hold much more then that e.g. Yellowstone it holds about 25,000km3. Volcanic ash is rock, it's abrasive,pervasive, destructive, shorts out electricity and clogs machinery. 1mm is enough to close down an airport.
Differences between a normal volcano and a Supervolcano.
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Key words:
Caldera - The Large volcanic crater that is left after a massive volcanic eruption, leading to the collapse of the mouth of the volcano. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilico-volcanoconiosis - A lung disease caused by volcanic ash. The Ash combines with moisture in your lungs and forms a cement mixture, this will stop you breathing. Mantle - a expanse of magma 1800 miles thick between the Earths Crust and Core. Magma - hot fluid or semi-fluid material below or within the earth's crust from which lava and other igneous rock is formed on cooling. Igninbrite - a deposit of pyroclastic flow. It is a hot dense mix of gases and volcanic material flowing away from a volcano, driven by it having a greater density then the surrounding atmosphere. Fumeroles - openings in the Earth where hot gas comes from below the crust. VEI - stands for Volcanic Explosivity Index |