INTRO

A volcanic eruption occurs when hot materials from the earth's interior are thrown out of
a volcano. Lava, rocks, dust, and gas compounds are some of these "ejecta".
Eruptions can come from side branches or from the top of the volcano. Some eruptions are
terrible explosions that throw out huge amounts of rock and volcanic ash and kill many people.
Some are quiet outflows of hot lava. Several more complex types of volcanic eruptions have been
described by volcanologists. These are often named after famous volcanoes where that type of
eruption has been seen. Some volcanoes may show only one type of eruption during a period of
activity, while others may show a range of types in a series.





The Yellowstone Caldera is a volcanic caldera and supervolcano in Yellowstone National Park in
the Western United States, sometimes referred to as the Yellowstone Supervolcano. The caldera
and most of the park are located in the northwest corner of Wyoming. The major features of the
caldera measure about 34 by 45 miles (55 by 72 km).[4]
The caldera formed during the last of three supereruptions over the past 2.1 million years: the
Huckleberry Ridge eruption 2.1 million years ago (which created the Island Park Caldera and
the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff); the Mesa Falls eruption 1.3 million years ago (which created
the Henry's Fork Caldera and the Mesa Falls Tuff); and the Lava Creek eruption approximately
630,000 years ago (which created the Yellowstone Caldera and the Lava Creek Tuff).
Yellowstone National Park is actually an active supervolcano? As you walk around
the park you may think: “I don’t see any volcanos?!” That’s because much of the
entire park is a volcano – and the bubbling geysers and hot springs are an indication of
the churning activity below the surface. The last time the Yellowstone supervolcano
erupted was 640,000+ years ago. The Yellowstone eruption area collapsed upon itself,
creating a sunken giant crater or caldera 1,500 square miles in area. The magmatic
heat powering that eruption (and two others, dating back 2.1 million years) still
powers the park’s famous geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, and mud pots.
Supervolcano is the volcanic field which produced the latest three supereruptions from the
Yellowstone hotspot; it also produced one additional smaller eruption, thereby creating the West
Thumb of Yellowstone Lake[10] 174,000 years ago. The three supereruptions occurred 2.1 million, 1.3
million, and approximately 630,000 years ago, forming the Island Park Caldera, the Henry's Fork
Caldera, and Yellowstone calderas, respectively.[11] The Island Park Caldera supereruption (2.1
million years ago), which produced the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff, was the largest, and produced 2,500
times as much ash as the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption. The next biggest supereruption formed
the Yellowstone Caldera (~ 630,000 years ago) and produced the Lava Creek Tuff. The Henry's
Fork Caldera (1.2 million years ago) produced the smaller Mesa Falls Tuff, but is the only caldera
from the Snake River Plain-Yellowstone hotspot that is plainly visible today.[12]