Supervolcanoes & Volcanic Winter
Describe calderas such as Yellowstone and Toba as supervolcanoes capable of erupting thousands of cubic kilometres of ash; explain how sulphur dioxide aerosols in the stratosphere scatter sunlight and cause volcanic winter; discuss the Toba catastrophe theory and how giant eruptions have interacted with ice ages; contrast supervolcano eruptions with ordinary eruptions in scale and climate impact
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“Has your child heard of a supervolcano? Can they describe how a single enormous eruption could cool the entire planet for years — what gets into the atmosphere and why does it block warmth?”
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- Activity. Describe calderas such as Yellowstone and Toba as supervolcanoes capable of erupting thousands of cubic kilometres of ash; explain how sulphur dioxide aerosols in the stratosphere scatter sunlight and cause volcanic winter; discuss the Toba catastrophe theory and how giant eruptions have interacted with ice ages; contrast supervolcano eruptions with ordinary eruptions in scale and climate impact
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Has your child heard of a supervolcano? Can they describe how a single enormous eruption could cool the entire planet for years — what gets into the atmosphere and why does it block warmth?
Describe calderas such as Yellowstone and Toba as supervolcanoes capable of erupting thousands of cubic kilometres of ash; explain how sulphur dioxide aerosols in the stratosphere scatter sunlight and cause volcanic winter; discuss the Toba catastrophe theory and how giant eruptions have interacted with ice ages; contrast supervolcano eruptions with ordinary eruptions in scale and climate impact
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“Has your child heard of a supervolcano? Can they describe how a single enormous eruption could cool the entire planet for years — what gets into the atmosphere and why does it block warmth?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Volcanoes & Earthquakes
- Age range
- Ages 12–13