Yellowstone Magma Chamber Larger Than Previously Believed

The Daily Mail reports:

A study measuring earthquake activity around the 3,468 sq mile national park revealed that the magma chamber was 2.5 times bigger than previous estimates.

Stretching 55 miles across and 30 miles wide, and reaching depths of up to 9 miles, any eruption from the super volcano would be catastrophic for the whole world.

'We’ve been working there for a long time, and we’ve always thought it would be bigger ... but this finding is astounding,' Professor Bob Smith, from the University of Utah, told the BBC. 

When the super volcano last erupted about 640,000 years ago a cloud of ash covered the whole of North America, affecting the climate.

But if the enlarged volcano were to erupt today, the consequences would be devastating for the whole world.


'All the material that is shot up into the atmosphere [during an eruption] would eventually circle the Earth and affect the climate,' Dr James Farrell, from the University of Utah, said.