Biggest
Volcanic Eruption
YELLOWSTONE CALDERA
The
Ultimate in Volcanoes
Volcanoes have been around
on earth since the very beginning of earth's long, 4.5 billion year
history. When it comes to extremes in nature, there's not much else
that compares to the violent eruption of the blood and guts of the earth
that is a volcano. With enough destructive force to level mountains,
or build new ones, volcanoes are the undisputed champions of the extreme
forces of nature.
Volcanoes are rarely minor incidents
of geology in action. As destructive and powerful as even the smallest
volcanoes are, there have been even bigger, really gigantic eruptions
in earths past that have dwarfed even the most awesome volcanoes we've
seen during our brief history. Even small volcanoes can pack a seriously
destructive wallop, but they can't compare to the most awesome earth
force ever wielded by nature - the Extreme Volcanoes.
Forging New Earth
Earth's 'Crucibles of Creation' come
in a variety of flavors. Volcanic activity on planet earth takes on
many different forms, from cinder
cones spewing forth glowing hot cinders, to billowing clouds of hot
ash and gases being blown into the sky, to slowly oozing rivers of molten
lava rushing down the sides of great peaks. Though each eruption varies
they all share one thing in common; they are fueled by the superheated
magma beneath the earths crust. All volcanic activity has the dual role
of destruction and creation. Though many living things may die in the
drowning fires of a volcanic eruption, the magma fueling the volcano
is responsible for the building of new crust as newly emerging lava
cools into solid rock. Because of the extremely rich mineral content
of volcanic rock, as it breaks down through weathering it is some of
the most incredibly fertile soil on earth, giving a foothold for new
life to thrive.
Earth scientists have been studying
clues around the globe for the last 150 years to understand theways
in which volcanic forces are unleashed. The purest definition of a volcano
is that it is a vent in the earth's surface through which magma and
gases erupt, either slowly (by oozing) or explosively. The way in which
the magma makes its way to the surface and how it escapes once it breaks
through differs widely from one volcano to the next. After many years
of study and careful observation, scientists have identified several
main types of volcanoes.......
Cinder Cones -->
