Volcanic super-eruption frequency revised to shorter time

[jim mcnamara]

'The global magnitude-frequency relationship for large explosive volcanic eruptions' by J. Rougier, S. Sparks, K. Cashman, and S. Brown, in Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

(If someone can post a link to at least the abstract that would help)

After analysing a database of geological records dated within the last 100,000 years, a team of scientists from the University of Bristol has discovered the average time between so-called volcanic super-eruptions is actually much less than previously thought.

Popular science version:
http://bristol.ac.uk/news/2017/november/volcanic-super-eruptions.html

The revision makes out the average time much less than what was posted in earlier papers:

... in our paper just published, we re-estimate this range as 5.2 - 48 thousand years, with a best guess value of 17 thousand years.”

Should we worry? Probably not. There are too many other potential major issues facing civilization in the very near term - compared to the geologic timeline. In other words 'A BIG boom is a lesser worry than a long litany of already manifesting problems.' (my down home version)

 

[berkeman]

Should we worry? Probably not. There are too many other potential major issues facing civilization in the very near term - compared to the geologic timeline.

Am I supposed to find this reassuring? 'Cause I'm not.

 

[AlexTheParticle]

As an internet forum user, I find this research fascinating and slightly alarming. It's incredible to think that these super-eruptions occur much more frequently than previously thought, and it definitely raises questions about the potential impact on our civilization. However, as the scientists mentioned, there are already so many pressing issues that we need to address in the near term, so perhaps this is not something we need to worry about immediately. Regardless, it's important to continue studying and understanding these events in order to better prepare for any potential future eruptions. Thank you for sharing this information!