Volcanoes are some of the most powerful forces on Earth, and right now, scientists are keeping a close eye on a few that could spell disaster. From supervolcanoes capable of global devastation to restless giants showing signs of eruption, these dangerous volcanoes are under constant surveillance. What makes them so unpredictable, and why are experts so concerned? Join us as we explore the most dangerous volcanoes that could erupt at any moment—and why we should be prepared! 🔥🌎 Animation is created by Bright Side.
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This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.
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FunTranscript
00:00These ominous rumbling sounds, the ground shaking under your feet, wait a minute, that's
00:06my tummy, or it might be Washington State's Mount Adams waking up.
00:11It's the largest volcano in the state by both area and volume, and it's recently
00:16started to show signs of life after staying silent for thousands of years.
00:22Scientists have noticed an alarming uptick in seismic activity around the mountain.
00:26And since the last eruption here happened between 3,800 and 7,600 years ago, humanity
00:32was still in the Stone Age at that time.
00:34This sudden chattiness has scientists, let's say, curious.
00:38The U.S. Geological Survey has hurriedly installed temporary seismic stations around Mount Adams
00:44to keep an eye on the situation.
00:46At the same time, they reassure the public there's no need to panic.
00:51Mount Adams doesn't reach the height of the better-known Mount Rainier, and still
00:55it covers a massive area, making it Washington's largest active volcano.
01:00Interestingly, records show that before September of this year, Mount Adams had experienced
01:05an average of just one small earthquake every 2-3 years since 1982.
01:11And then, the Cascades Volcano Observatory and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network
01:16detected a staggering six earthquakes in just one month, September.
01:21These quakes were all rather tiny, with magnitudes ranging between 0.9 and 2 on the Richter scale.
01:28It means they were so weak you wouldn't feel them at the surface.
01:32Plus, satellite imagery confirmed there was no ground deformation in the area.
01:37At the moment, the USGS keeps Mount Adams' alert level at green or normal, so we shouldn't
01:43worry about the ground opening and swallowing towns and cities.
01:47But the most recent seismic blips have encouraged the agency to install additional equipment
01:52for more precise monitoring.
01:55Such an expanded network will help scientists notice even the smallest earthquakes, which
01:59will help them understand what's happening under Mount Adams.
02:03This extra equipment might also shed light on whether this recent activity is a signal
02:08of future eruptions or just a random anomaly.
02:12If Mount Adams eventually erupted, it would likely produce slow-moving lava flows rather
02:18than explosive eruptions like Mount St. Helens.
02:21After all, past eruptions have only led to lava flows that travel just a few miles from
02:26the volcano.
02:27So, that's not what we'd need to worry about.
02:30A much more dangerous thing would be lahars.
02:32These are mudflows that can happen when volcanic ash, rock, and melted ice mix during eruptions.
02:39These have occurred near Mount Adams without even eruptions.
02:42Rock, weakened by hydrothermal processes at the volcano's summit, suddenly broke loose,
02:48creating fast-moving, destructive mudflows.
02:51Exactly for this reason, the USGS categorizes Mount Adams as a high-threat volcano.
02:57While it doesn't erupt frequently, it still poses serious risks to nearby settlements.
03:05Another volcano we should carefully watch is Kalda in Iceland.
03:09It's one of the country's most powerful and dangerous volcanoes.
03:12It last erupted over a century ago in 1918, but if it erupts again, it could be 10 times
03:19as powerful as another Icelandic volcano whose name I can't pronounce.
03:25That one erupted in 2010, completely disrupting air travel all over Europe.
03:30An eruption of Kalda could release large amounts of sulfur dioxide, which could form sulfate
03:35aerosols in the atmosphere.
03:37Such aerosols reflect sunlight, which could even cause temporary global cooling.
03:43This phenomenon often followed catastrophic volcanic eruptions in the past.
03:48Although eruptions are common in Iceland, Kalda's ash cloud would likely shoot higher
03:52into the sky and cover larger areas of Europe than that other one did.
03:57It would ground flights and negatively affect economies.
04:01If Kalda erupted, it would also harm agriculture, water supplies, and air quality.
04:07In 2014, scientists noted that a large eruption could even cause a tsunami that might travel
04:12along Iceland's south coast and out to sea.
04:15But the potential impact of such a tsunami is still unclear.
04:20Kalda tends to erupt on a regular schedule, every 40 to 80 years, which means that another
04:25eruption is statistically very likely soon.
04:29That's why Kalda remains under close scientific observation.
04:35The Canary Islands' Cumbre Vieja erupted recently in 2021, reminding people of its
04:41destructive potential.
04:43The lava flow from this eruption was devastating.
04:46It covered whole neighborhoods and flowed into the ocean, destroying more than 3,000
04:51homes.
04:52Thousands of people had to be evacuated.
04:54But the craziest thing?
04:56Even though the damage was significant, scientists believe it could've been far worse.
05:01A massive eruption of Cumbre Vieja could've caused the volcano's entire western flank
05:06to collapse into the Atlantic Ocean, triggering a mega-tsunami.
05:11This hypothetical tsunami could've potentially created waves hundreds or even thousands of
05:16feet high.
05:17They could've flooded coastlines around the Atlantic Basin, including parts of the
05:21US and Europe.
05:23Luckily, recent studies claim that a collapse of that scale is unlikely.
05:29Even though the chance of a mega-tsunami is low, scientists still think it's wise to
05:33prepare for possible eruptions because there's a chance of extensive damage.
05:38The lava flows that occur at this volcano tend to be extensive and dangerous to both
05:43human life and the infrastructure on the island.
05:49If you decide to travel to Ecuador, you should be wary of Cotopaxi, one of the most active
05:54volcanoes in this country.
05:56It's been rumbling with minor eruptions since 2022.
06:00While these eruptions have been relatively small, Cotopaxi's has a great potential for
06:05a major eruption.
06:07And it has scientists on high alert.
06:09If Cotopaxi erupted on a large scale, it could produce a massive ash cloud over 12 miles
06:15high, threatening the lives of around 200,000 people in the neighboring area.
06:21A serious danger is Cotopaxi's snow-capped summit.
06:24It would melt super rapidly in a major eruption.
06:28It could lead to destructive floods and landslides that would flow down the mountain and potentially
06:33reach populated areas.
06:35This combination of volcanic activity and glacial floods makes Cotopaxi a high-risk
06:41volcano.
06:42A powerful eruption could occur soon, or it could be years or even decades away.
06:47But monitoring efforts are in place to catch any warning signs.
06:54The next volcano we should watch out for is already infamous – Mount Vesuvius.
06:59Its catastrophic eruption in 79 CE destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
07:07Its last eruption occurred in 1944, but Vesuvius remains highly active and poses a great risk
07:13to nearby Naples, one of Italy's largest cities.
07:17A large eruption would threaten over 3 million people.
07:20Many of them live in the vicinity or even directly on the slopes of the volcano.
07:25If Vesuvius erupted, it would be an explosive event, with ash, rocks, and volcanic gas ejected
07:32at extremely high speeds.
07:34And even though such a destructive event isn't expected for a few hundred years, Vesuvius
07:39remains one of the world's most closely watched volcanoes.
07:43After all, it has a real potential to cause catastrophic damage in a densely populated
07:49area.
07:52Then we have Popocatépetl, often called El Popo.
07:55It's one of North America's tallest active volcanoes, which lies about 40 miles from
08:00Mexico City.
08:02Exactly this proximity to a metropolitan area with a population of 22 million people makes
08:08Popocatépetl especially hazardous.
08:11A large eruption could send a massive ash cloud over Mexico City, causing widespread
08:16disruptions.
08:18Ash could clog the city's drainage systems, contaminate water supplies, and even cause
08:22power outages by short-circuiting electrical systems.
08:26Plus, lahars could rush down the volcano, reaching nearby towns.
08:31Popocatépetl has been showing near-constant seismic activity since the early 2000s, and
08:37smaller eruptions are pretty common here.
08:40In early 2024, there were 13 recorded minor eruptions, which alarmed nearby towns.
08:46At the same time, volcanologists consider such eruptions normal for Popocatépetl.
08:53While talking about super-dangerous volcanoes, we can't skip Yellowstone National Park.
08:59It houses one of the world's largest supervolcanoes.
09:03Its last massive eruption occurred about 640,000 years ago.
09:07But if this monster were to erupt today, the impact would be much more devastating
09:12for the entire planet.
09:15States closest to Yellowstone, including Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, would be most affected,
09:21likely experiencing disastrous pyroclastic flows.
09:24These flows, which are made of a dangerous mix of lava, ash, and gases, can obliterate
09:30everything in their path.
09:32Large parts of the country would also be blanketed in volcanic ash, over 3 feet in some areas.
09:38On a global scale, an eruption at Yellowstone would send tons of ash and gases into the
09:43stratosphere, potentially blocking sunlight and causing global temperatures to drop for
09:49a few years.
09:50This would disrupt agriculture, collapse transportation systems, and create food shortages on a massive
09:56scale.
09:57Still, even though there's a popular myth that Yellowstone is overdue for an eruption,
10:03geologists clarify that this isn't true.
10:06Volcanoes don't follow precise timetables, and the activity at Yellowstone doesn't
10:11indicate an imminent eruption.
10:13So yeah, that's good news.
10:17The largest volcanic region on Earth is not in Africa or Japan, but under the ice of Antarctica.
10:24Scientists found 138 volcanoes in its western part, and if they decide to go wild, you'll
10:29surely notice it.
10:31They could melt huge amounts of ice that will move into the ocean, raise its level, and
10:35make our planet uninhabitable for humans.
10:39But before you pack your things to fly away to another planet, hear me out.
10:43Only two of the Antarctic volcanoes are officially classified as active now, and it would take
10:48a whole series of eruptions decade after decade to seriously impact the whole world.
10:56Mount Erebus, one of the two Antarctic volcanoes currently in action, proudly bears the title
11:01of the world's southernmost active one.
11:04It has been continuously erupting since at least 1972.
11:08It emits plumes of gas and steam and sometimes even spews out rocks.
11:12And scientists call it Strombolian eruptions.
11:16One of the coolest features is a lava lake in one of its summit craters, with molten
11:20material on the surface.
11:22Such lakes are rather rare because they need certain conditions to make sure the surface
11:26never freezes over.
11:28The second active volcano is Deception Island, a horseshoe-shaped landmass.
11:33It is the caldera of an active volcano that last erupted over 50 years ago.
11:39Scientists who monitor it say it shouldn't go wild any time soon.
11:44Antarctica also has plenty of fumaroles.
11:46Those are volcanic vents that release gases and vapors into the air.
11:50In the right conditions, they can spew out enough stuff to build fumarolic ice towers
11:55up to 10 feet tall.
11:58Scientists keep an eye on the Antarctic volcanoes with seismometers that detect when the Earth
12:03starts trembling from volcanic activity.
12:06Sometimes they also use more complicated tech.
12:09But it's all really challenging because of how far away this polar region is and how
12:13tricky it is to get there.
12:15That's why no one can predict when one of the continent's volcanoes that are now sleeping
12:19might erupt.
12:21We can guess what this waking up would look like if we analyzed the events from nearly
12:2520,000 years ago.
12:27So shall we?
12:30One of Antarctica's sleeping volcanoes, Mount Takahe, had a series of eruptions and
12:35spewed out a good amount of halogens rich in ozone back then.
12:40Some scientists say these events warmed up the southern hemisphere.
12:43Glaciers started to melt and helped finish the last ice age.
12:47For these events to repeat, we'd need a series of eruptions with substances rich in
12:52halogens from one or more volcanoes that are now above the ice.
12:56It's an unlikely scenario, but since it already happened in the past, it's not completely
13:02impossible.
13:03As for volcanoes hiding under a thick layer of ice, it looks like their gases would hardly
13:08make it to the atmosphere.
13:10But they would be strong enough to melt huge caverns in the base of the ice and produce
13:15a serious amount of meltwater.
13:17The West Antarctic ice sheet is wet and not frozen to its bed, so this meltwater would
13:22work as a lubricant and set the overlying ice into motion soon.
13:27The volume of water that even a large volcano would generate in this way is nothing compared
13:32to the volume of ice beneath it.
13:34So a single eruption wouldn't make a difference.
13:37But several volcanoes erupting close to or beneath any of the western Antarctica's big
13:43ice streams would.
13:44Those ice streams are rivers of ice that take most of the frozen water in Antarctica into
13:49the ocean.
13:50If they change their speed and bring unusual amounts of water into the ocean, its level
13:56will rise.
13:57As the ice would get thinner and thinner, there would be more and more new eruptions.
14:02Scientists call it a runaway effect.
14:04Something like that happened in Iceland.
14:06The number of volcanic eruptions went up when glaciers started to recede at the end of the
14:11last ice age.
14:14So it looks like, for massive changes, several powerful volcanoes above the ice with gases
14:19full of halogens need to get active within a few decades of each other and stay strong
14:24over many tens to hundreds of years.
14:27Antarctica stores around 80% of all the fresh water in the world, and if they melted all
14:32of it, global sea levels would rise by almost 200 feet.
14:37And then we'd have to look for a new planet to live on.
14:40But this again is an unlikely scenario.
14:43It's more likely that the eruptions under the ice will lubricate ice streams and seep
14:47water into the ocean.
14:49But it wouldn't be the end of the world.
14:53A super-strong, super-angry supervolcano could do it, though.
14:58And it has already happened in the past.
15:00Over 200 million years ago, the world went through a major makeover with not one, not
15:06two, but four massive volcanic eruptions and huge pulses.
15:11The supervolcano, called Camp, had been erupting over and over for 600,000 years.
15:17It all happened in Rangelia, a large chunk of land that used to be a supermassive volcano
15:22stretching across what's now British Columbia in Alaska.
15:26And it wasn't the lava or the volcanic ash that ruined the environment.
15:30The eruption made carbon levels skyrocket.
15:33The planet would never be the same again.
15:35This volcanic activity might've helped dinosaurs grow from cat-sized critters into giants we
15:41saw in Jurassic Park.
15:43It kicked off a two-million-year rainy season.
15:46It made the whole world hot and humid.
15:48And the dinos just loved it.
15:51Researchers dug deep into sediment layers beneath an ancient lake in Asia to uncover
15:55these secrets.
15:56They found traces of volcanic ash and mercury, clear signs of those epic eruptions.
16:02There were carbon signatures showing huge spikes in carbon dioxide levels.
16:06It made the atmosphere toasty, and the rain poured down.
16:11So the bad news is, another eruption like this could happen.
16:15The supervolcano beneath Yellowstone National Park has been sleeping for nearly 70,000 years.
16:22But if it wakes up, it would be many times more catastrophic than the eruption of Mount
16:27St. Helens in 1980.
16:28It's considered the most disastrous volcanic eruption in U.S. history.
16:33It followed two months of earthquakes and injection of magma below the volcano that
16:38weakened and destroyed the entire north face of the mountain.
16:41The eruption column went 80,000 feet into the atmosphere and spread ash over 11 U.S.
16:47states and several Canadian provinces.
16:50The last Yellowstone eruption was 1,000 times greater than that.
16:55The ground above Yellowstone sits on a hot spot made of molten and semi-molten rock called
17:00magma.
17:01This magma stuff flows into a chamber beneath the park, about 4 to 6 miles down, making
17:07the ground puff up like a balloon.
17:09But then, as it cools down, the ground goes back to its usual state.
17:14Volcano watchers have been keeping an eye on this for a century.
17:17They noticed the ground lift up about 10 inches around 20 years ago.
17:21But since 2010, it's been going back down.
17:25The experts say we have no big eruptions on the horizon, so doomsday isn't coming any
17:29time soon.
17:31But there's some underground activity going on lately which keeps us interested.
17:36Since humans haven't been around to witness every little thing Yellowstone does, it's
17:41kinda tough to say for sure what's brewing down there.
17:44Yellowstone has had some epic eruptions within the last couple million years.
17:48They happen like clockwork, with gaps of 6 to 800,000 years between them.
17:53The last big one was around 640,000 years ago, and it basically reshaped the entire
17:59landscape, spreading ash and debris as far as Louisiana.
18:03You can still see the aftermath of the last big eruption in the Yellowstone caldera today.
18:09Experts say a massive eruption like the last one is an unlikely scenario.
18:13We're more likely to see eruptions of steam and hot water or lava flows.
18:18When and with what force it will wake up remains a mystery to scientists.
18:25You can finally send that last report for the day and breathe out.
18:28The weekend is around the corner, but just when you're about to hit send, you're alarmed
18:32by the low rumbling under your desk.
18:35Is it the light rail passing by?
18:37Unfortunately, that's not the case.
18:39It's a volcano speaking.
18:41What, here?
18:43In Arizona?
18:45That's right, the ground keeps shifting under Arizona, reminding us that Earth is alive.
18:51No panic though, let's arm ourselves with some context.
18:5420 American states have extinct, active, and dormant, currently sleeping, volcanoes.
19:01Among such states, you can find California, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado.
19:13On the bright side, Arizona's volcanoes are dormant at the moment, but it doesn't mean
19:18they won't go off in the near or not so near future.
19:22Now how about traveling to Arizona to check the traces of its active volcanic past?
19:28They dot the desert landscapes of this state like spots dot a dalmatian.
19:34There are entire volcanic fields southwest of Phoenix, east of Douglas, near Flagstaff,
19:43north of Kingman, and near the Mexico border.
19:48The most worrying thing about these fields is that even though they're not active at
19:52the moment, eruptions in this region might happen every thousand years or so.
19:57Well, the time seems to be up.
20:00The last powerful and destructive volcanic eruption occurred around 1,000 years ago at
20:06the Sunset Crater.
20:07Oh, this place is worth paying more attention to.
20:10And we will, but a bit later.
20:14First we have to talk about hotspots.
20:16No, not that place where you can surf the web.
20:19In our volcanic context, a hotspot is a place where insane amounts of heat melt the overlying
20:26crust, Earth's thin outer layer, and form volcanoes.
20:30This heat rises from the mantle, which is located between our planet's dense, superheated
20:35core and the crust.
20:38Want to see an example of this type of volcanism?
20:41Welcome to the Hawaiian Islands.
20:44The Big Island has its active volcanoes because, at the moment, it's situated on top of the
20:50Hawaiian hotspot.
20:51The older Hawaiian Islands were once there too, but later they drifted off towards the
20:57Northwest.
20:58It happened because that's where the oceanic crust on top of which they sat, namely the
21:03Pacific Plate, moved.
21:06Now, look at the world's ocean basins.
21:09Yes, they're literally dotted with islands that sit on top of hotspots, like Hawaii,
21:15Iceland, Samoa, the Galapagos.
21:19Those are probably the most famous examples.
21:22But don't think that continents can't host hotspots.
21:24They can, but those are far less common.
21:28One of the most famous continental hotspots is, ah, I bet you know it.
21:32Yep, the one beneath the Yellowstone Caldera.
21:36By the way, the caldera is a vast volcanic crater, especially one formed as a result
21:42of a massive eruption that led to the collapse of the mouth of a volcano.
21:47The Yellowstone Hotspot is basically the creator of Old Faithful and the rest of the hot springs
21:52and mud pots for which the national park is famous.
21:56Speaking of Old Faithful, let's make a small detour and pay more attention to this wonder
22:01of nature.
22:03It's one of the most well-known geysers in the world.
22:05People have been coming from all over the globe to see it for more than a century.
22:09The cool thing about this geyser is that the likes of it can only form under very specific
22:15conditions.
22:16That's why they're pretty rare.
22:19Magma under the surface superheats pockets of underground water.
22:24The pressure there keeps growing until it eventually pushes the water upward with immense
22:29strength.
22:30A certain volcanic rock with a high silica content lines the tunnel through which this
22:35water escapes.
22:36Basically, it creates a unique pipe that can withstand unbelievable pressure and heat
22:41created by the water erupting above the ground.
22:46Old Faithful was the very first named geyser in Yellowstone.
22:50If you come to visit it, expecting the thing to erupt every hour on the hour, you're gonna
22:55be disappointed.
22:56On average, Old Faithful erupts every 91 minutes or so, which isn't that bad either.
23:01Plus, you can download a special app which will provide you with the approximate time
23:06of the next eruption.
23:07But be very careful while visiting and stay away from the site.
23:11The water erupting from the powerful geyser reaches 204 degrees Fahrenheit.
23:17The steam is even more scorching, up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
23:22It's hot enough to bake a cake.
23:25But let's get back to our volcanic hotspots.
23:29Scientists still don't clearly understand why there aren't many hotspot volcanoes on
23:33continental crust.
23:36One reason might be that the continental crust is much thicker than the oceanic crust, which
23:41is about four times as thick on average.
23:45Another reason could be that most of Earth's crust, about two-thirds of it, is oceanic.
23:51This means that there's less continental crust for hotspots to form.
23:55Now, I bet those of you living in Arizona will appreciate the following info.
24:00We'll talk about a volcanic field right in the heart of this state.
24:05The San Francisco Volcanic Field.
24:08That's a massive area filled with over 600 volcanoes.
24:12Yes, they're mostly small, but it doesn't make them any less impressive.
24:16They're scattered across 1,800 square miles in northern Arizona.
24:21They're scattered across 1,800 square miles in northern Arizona, a giant territory.
24:27Interestingly, scientists are still debating about whether this volcanic field is actually
24:33sitting on top of a hotspot.
24:35But one thing they agree upon, the volcanoes in this area get younger as you move east.
24:40And this pattern matches up with the North American plate moving west over what could
24:45be a stationary hotspot beneath the surface of our planet.
24:50Cool, huh?
24:53The volcanic Holopaloo in that area started around 6 million years ago, so in geological
24:59terms, it's relatively young.
25:02As for the most recent eruption, it happened less than 1,000 years ago.
25:07The Sunset Crater, which I mentioned before, the one near Flagstaff, is the most famous
25:12vent from that eruption.
25:13The Sinagua people had to leave their homes at Wupatki Pueblo because of the eruption.
25:19That site is now part of the Wupatki National Monument.
25:23There, you can see how people lived in this volcanic region many years ago.
25:29If you go to explore this area, you'll notice that most of the volcanoes there are basalt
25:34cinder cones, small and steep.
25:37The Colorado Plateau has quite dry weather conditions.
25:40That's why the volcanoes haven't worn down much.
25:43Some of the best examples of those cones, like this one, called the SP Crater, still
25:49look like they appeared yesterday.
25:52But look around.
25:54It's not just cinder cones.
25:55The San Francisco Volcanic Field also has a stratovolcano, as well as some lava domes
26:02that formed from volcanic rocks with more silica than basalt you can find in places
26:07like Hawaii.
26:08It means they're thicker and don't flow as easily.
26:12Anyway, the stratovolcano is going to be one of the most epic sites you'll come across
26:17while exploring this volcanic field.
26:19Well, not the stratovolcano itself, but the San Francisco Peaks, the remains of that giant
26:25formation.
26:26They stand tall at more than 12,600 feet.
26:30That's four and a half Burj Khalifas placed on top of one another.
26:34It makes the peaks some of the biggest landmarks in northern Arizona.
26:39They're not only stunning, but also sacred to the Native American people who have lived
26:44in the area for many generations.
26:49Now, unlike those super active volcanoes in Hawaii, the San Francisco Volcanic Field takes
26:54its time, thousands of years between eruptions.
26:58But you shouldn't relax just yet.
27:00Geologists say another eruption is likely to happen one day.
27:05It will probably occur in the remote eastern part of the field, away from big towns.
27:11Phew!
27:12And if that next eruption is anything like the one that formed Sunset Crater, it would
27:16be quite the show.
27:18Lava fountains and rivers of lava flowing.
27:21At the same time, the next eruption might not happen for centuries, maybe even millennia.
27:28Until then, the San Francisco Volcanic Field will remain a hidden gem of volcanic history.
27:34Waiting for its next fiery performance.
27:42Whoa!
27:43Earth's surface is shaking.
27:44Long cracks split the ground open.
27:47Lava rivers are rapidly flowing down the slopes.
27:50Deafening noise is filling the air.
27:52Rocks and other debris are flying high up.
27:54Clouds of volcanic gas and ash cover the sky.
27:58Now, this is not a plot of a blockbuster disaster movie.
28:01It's what happens when supervolcanoes decide to erupt.
28:05But this is likely not the scenario that will take place when the world's largest volcano,
28:10Mauna Loa, decides to finish its long, long nap.
28:14In 2021, scientists were sure it would happen soon.
28:18But so far, nothing.
28:20The volcano's seismicity keeps increasing and then going back to normal.
28:24But you never know when this giant will finally come back to life.
28:29That's why experts have been monitoring geological activity
28:32on Hawaii's largest island for quite some time.
28:36The big island of Hawaii is made up of five volcanoes,
28:39including the most active on the planet, Kilauea, and the largest, Mauna Loa.
28:44This gigantic thing makes up almost half the landmass of the island.
28:48And what lava Kilauea emits in one day, Mauna Loa could spew out within 20 minutes.
28:55That's what it did in 1984.
28:57While Mauna Loa's smaller sibling has been throwing tantrums for a while,
29:02the giant has been slumbering ever since its last eruption.
29:06But very recently, the Hawaii Volcano Observatory
29:09has recorded more than 200 mini-earthquakes below Mauna Loa.
29:13It likely means an increased flow of magma down there.
29:17Good morning!
29:18The volcano might be waking up.
29:20Or not.
29:21If Mauna Loa did suddenly erupt,
29:24lava flows could reach the ocean and the most populated and touristy places,
29:28like Captain Cook, very, very quickly, in a matter of hours.
29:32In 1984, the last time the volcano erupted,
29:36lava got as far as the outskirts of Hilo on the other side of the island.
29:41That's where a campus of the University of Hawaii is found.
29:44Luckily, people had a few weeks' warning to get ready for the disaster.
29:48These days, locals have special go-bags ready with the most important stuff,
29:53including documents and money.
29:55Such precautions can come in handy in case of an emergency evacuation.
30:00Even though most Mauna Loa eruptions have so far only affected the summit area,
30:05several of them sent lava all the way down to the ocean,
30:08and you never know how powerful the next eruption will be.
30:12Now, what is the highest mountain on Earth?
30:14Mount Everest, you say?
30:16Well, it depends.
30:17From seafloor to the summit,
30:19Mauna Loa is a thousand feet taller than the famous Himalayan peak.
30:24The volcano is so big, it makes the Pacific plate it's sitting on
30:28literally slump under its weight.
30:30Scientists say that when this monster of a volcano erupts,
30:34the volume of lava coming out per unit will be life-threatening.
30:38Over its recorded history,
30:39Mauna Loa has been erupting regularly, almost every six years.
30:44And even though the last eruption of the volcano occurred about 40 years ago,
30:48scientists are certain it'll happen again.
30:52Now, remember the scene I showed you at the beginning?
30:55Well, you can relax.
30:56It's not likely to happen with Mauna Loa.
30:59The thing is, big island volcanoes, including Mauna Loa, aren't very volatile.
31:04That's because they're shield volcanoes.
31:07These volcanoes got such a name because they aren't really very high
31:11and resemble a warrior's shield placed flat on the ground.
31:14Shield volcanoes get formed by varied fluid lava.
31:18It travels farther and forms much thinner flows than lava erupted from a stratovolcano,
31:23which is conically shaped and tall, like the infamous Krakatoa in Indonesia.
31:29So if, or should I say when, Mauna Loa erupts,
31:32there probably won't be ash clouds and tons of debris.
31:36The most dangerous thing will be lava.
31:39Since Mauna Loa is a shield volcano, its lava is extremely fluid and voluminous,
31:44which allows it to flow far and fast.
31:47Using theoretical vent maps, experts from the Hawaii Volcano Observatory
31:52have made charts of possible lava flows.
31:54They're kind of worried about earthquakes clustering at high rates.
31:58It likely means that lava is on the move under the surface.
32:02500 to 600 earthquakes per day are a serious reason to be on high alert.
32:08On the other hand, it doesn't necessarily mean a disaster or inevitable eruption.
32:14Around a decade ago, several earthquakes that happened at the same time
32:19signaled that something was happening under Mauna Loa.
32:22But an eruption didn't occur.
32:24Instead, half the volcano shifted a bit to the south.
32:28This way, it probably gave more room to magma,
32:30so that it had enough space to stay beneath the surface.
32:34Now let's get back to the catastrophic eruption we saw at the beginning of the video.
32:39That's what often happens when a supervolcano erupts.
32:42Those are volcanoes that have at least once had an eruption
32:46with a volcanic explosivity index of 8, which is the largest recorded number on the index.
32:52Supervolcanoes are often extremely large, with no cone at all.
32:56That's because they're typically the remains of gigantic magma chambers
33:00that once flared up, leaving behind a caldera.
33:03They're usually found over hot spots.
33:06Supervolcanoes can produce super-eruptions,
33:09and when they do, they blow more than 240 cubic miles of ash,
33:14molten rock, and hot gases up into the air.
33:17In other words, four super-eruptions could fill the Grand Canyon to the brim.
33:22Supervolcanoes get formed when gigantic volumes of scorching hot magma
33:27are trying to escape from deep underground.
33:29This magma rises close to the surface, but can't break through Earth's crust.
33:34That's why a huge, pressurized pool of bubbling magma
33:38gathers at a depth of only several miles.
33:41The pressure keeps growing because more magma is trying to get to the surface,
33:45until, bam, a super-eruption occurs.
33:49The most recent super-eruption happened in New Zealand.
33:52Well, when I say recent, I mean around 26,500 years ago.
33:57Nah, I wasn't around then.
33:59That's when a supervolcano beneath the surface of Lake Taubo
34:02spewed into the air more than 300 cubic miles of ash and pumice.
34:07Imagine 500,000 Great Pyramids of Giza flying up at the same time!
34:13That's how incredibly powerful that eruption was.
34:16But the most exciting and confusing thing about the eruption
34:20was that the Taubo volcano simply didn't go off like many others.
34:24At first, everything was going as usual.
34:27More than 200 square miles of magma had built up under the surface,
34:31and the pressure was getting higher and higher.
34:33But after the rock cracked and the first part of lava rushed out of the crater,
34:38something went wrong, and the supervolcano took a break.
34:42Only several months later, the disastrous eruption shook the ground,
34:46and thousands of tons of lava, rocks, and ash flew high into the atmosphere.
34:52But the age of supervolcanoes isn't over.
34:55The most infamous of them all is probably the one in Yellowstone National Park.
35:00This giant handles at least three mega-powerful eruptions.
35:04And who knows how many smaller ones?
35:06If this monster erupted anywhere as strongly as it did 2.1 million years ago,
35:12it would spit out more than 588 cubic miles of red-hot material.
35:17You can probably picture it more vividly if I tell you that this volume
35:20is comparable to 65 million capital rotundas in Washington, D.C., piled together.
35:27Wow.
35:28Anyway, scientists are sure that Yellowstone doesn't present any danger these days.
35:33For an eruption to happen, magma inside must be at least 50% molten.
35:38With a Yellowstone caldera, this number is just 5-15%.
35:43But of course, Yellowstone isn't the only supervolcano on our planet.
35:47There's also New Zealand's Tabo you already know about, Japan's Erikaldra,
35:52California's Long Valley, Indonesia's Toba – any of them can one day produce a supereruption.
35:59There are also several so-called supervolcanoes that haven't lived up to this name yet
36:05because they've never produced anything like a supereruption.
36:08For example, in 1883, Indonesian volcano Krakatoa went off.
36:14The power of the eruption tore the volcano's walls open,
36:18and cold seawater rushed into its molten insides.
36:21The difference in temperature made the volcano blow up with a deafening boom.
36:26It was clearly heard 2,000 miles away in Australia.
36:30It earned the blast the title of the loudest sound in history.
36:34But even though the consequences of this event were truly catastrophic,
36:38it still turned out not powerful enough to be called a supereruption.
36:44The ground shakes beneath you. The pictures rattle on the walls.
36:47You hear a rumble off in the distance.
36:50Then boom! A deafening explosion.
36:52The shockwave blasts through the windows and sets off car alarms.
36:56You duck under the dining table for cover, but then you remember you live not far from
37:01a supervolcano in the middle of a tropical jungle. So staying in one place isn't a good idea.
37:07The shaking finally halts. You take this chance to peek outside
37:11and see a giant cloud of smoke covering the sky.
37:14It's lunchtime, but you wouldn't know it. The sun is completely veiled and darkness
37:19bombs. The power's out in the whole city. In this darkness, you see red molten lava
37:25shooting from the sky and spilling on the rim. You run outside, along with dozens of your
37:30neighbors. Your priority right now? Find safe shelter and fat. You think about taking the car,
37:37but with everyone running on the road, that's a no-go. So you run on foot where the crowd is going.
37:43Supervolcanoes are in a league of their own when it comes to natural disasters.
37:47Surprisingly, it's not all about size or height. A volcano is dubbed super if it erupts more than
37:54240 cubic miles of magma. That's more than enough to overfill Lake Erie. It must also
38:00have a history of erupting and a magnitude of 8 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index.
38:05The largest active volcano on Earth is Hawaii's Mauna Loa. It's so big, it would cover the entire
38:11state of Rhode Island plus some. And next time you see a commercial plane flying high in the sky,
38:17remember that 30,000-some-foot altitude is about as tall as Mauna Loa is from base to summit.
38:24It's technically taller than Everest when you measure it like that, yet it's not considered
38:28a supervolcano. So you're running along the dark road not knowing and barely seeing where to go.
38:35Then, all of a sudden, a massive flaming boulder smashes through the bridge in front of you.
38:40You and everyone else are now stranded on the side of the volcano, as it's getting more chaotic
38:45each second. Most of the crowd disperses, finding their own ways to safety. You remember there's a
38:51way to the other side not many people know about, but you'll have to cross a raging river through
38:56the dense jungle. You calm what's left of the crowd, and everyone follows you to your secret getaway.
39:02You finally get out of the city limits and head into the jungle. With the sky already dark,
39:08the tall trees and thick leaves make it almost pitch black. Everyone gets out their phone
39:13flashlights to navigate through the dark path. You all need to stick together and make sure nobody
39:19gets lost. Suddenly, fiery rocks strike the trees not far from you. Everyone jolts and tries to rush
39:26ahead, but nowhere is safe when it's raining scalding fire all around. You and your group
39:31have to pick up the pace or else. Imagine a typical avalanche or mudslide. Very dangerous
39:38situations on their own. Now imagine an avalanche of lava rocks and lava sliding down a mountain
39:44instead of mud. That's what's making its way towards you right now. More and more people
39:50catch up with your group and bring news that the entire neighborhood is submerged in lava.
39:55It's traveling quicker than you thought. You can never really predict how fast a lava flow will be
40:01until you see it. It all depends on how thick it is and how steep the mountain slope.
40:06Lava canoes slowly at about 20 ft a minute, a fraction of the average person's walking speed.
40:12Or it can flow as fast as 30 mph, which even the fastest person on Earth can't outrun.
40:19But the lava isn't even the most dangerous problem. If you didn't have protection,
40:23the gases spewing from the eruption would fill your lungs, and those spread faster and further
40:29than the lava flow. Your eyes and throat would be itchy. You'd get a headache, dizziness,
40:34increased heart rate, difficulty breathing. The worst would be passing out from the lack of oxygen.
40:40Luckily, everyone managed to grab their gas masks before leaving their homes.
40:45You're now entering the treacherous terrain of the jungle, and the danger zone. Everyone's phone
40:50batteries are giving out one by one, so your vision is even more limited. The terrain is
40:56tougher, and you can't hear any sounds from the river. At this point, you're not even sure if
41:01you're going the right way. But your instincts tell you the deeper you go, the safer you'll be.
41:07The path is muddy, and the vines are hindering everyone's movements. That's when you hear
41:12something big running through the jungle. It's coming up on you fast. You can't see a thing
41:17until it's right up on you. A bear. And there goes a rhino. Wild cats, domestic cats, dogs,
41:24different creatures of all sizes and species. They all come running through the jungle right
41:29past you. You and your fellow humans aren't the only ones fleeing from the eruption.
41:34The rumbling is still going on. Before you know it, a shower of fire rocks strikes right behind
41:40you and ignites parts of the jungle. There's no going back. Everyone picks up and runs for it.
41:47You hear thunder in the distance. A flash of lightning lights up the dark sky. You think,
41:52finally, some rain to wash away this fiery nightmare. But that's not a regular storm
41:58brewing. These giant smoke clouds can mimic a thunderstorm under similar conditions.
42:03Your luck finally pays off. You hear the river straight ahead. You reach the bank and have to
42:09hop on some stones to get to the other side. You almost slip when someone from the group
42:14catches you just in time. Phew, that was too close. Not far down the river is a large waterfall,
42:21leading straight to a shallow lake with sharp rocks at the bottom.
42:25The ash from the lava falls like snow, covering most of the trees and landing on the river.
42:30Ash is one of the most dangerous things about volcanic eruptions. You're soaked to the bone,
42:36but it's a lot better than ash and smoke. And then, the rest of the group follow. The next
42:41thing you know, the river starts steaming as lava meets the bank and runs into the water.
42:47You try your best to speed things up. The lava can heat this water up to dangerous levels,
42:53and there are still people slowly crossing the river on the slippery rocks.
42:57Luckily, you manage to get everyone across. Well, almost everyone. You turn around and see
43:03someone's leg got caught between two rocks. The lava continues to pour into the river. You can
43:09feel the heat of the steam. You rush back to this person and try to pull them out. Their leg won't
43:14budge. Someone else from the group comes to help, and you're finally able to pull them out in the
43:20nick of time. You and everyone else, now exhausted from your trek, keep going as far as possible.
43:27That's when you see the main road that connects you to the broken bridge.
43:31There are others on the road that got out safely, and even some cars filling up with survivors and
43:36heading fast out of the area. The volcano is still spewing lava, and the entire city is flooded with
43:44it. What was once your town now looks like a giant burning lake. Planes and helicopters can't fly
43:50because of the smoke and ash, so don't count on an air rescue. You're still at risk even though
43:56you're on safer ground, so it's still too early to celebrate. Everyone continues to move away
44:01from the city. The further, the better. The ground continues to shake, but this time it's even more
44:08intense than before. Supervolcanoes are powerful enough to cause many earthquakes, but it's a good
44:14thing you're out in the open far from the buildings and debris in the city. Now, back to reality.
44:20Rest assured that a volcanic eruption of this intensity won't happen for a very long time,
44:26as in millions of years. Besides, thanks to warning systems and humanity's preparation
44:32for such an event, it's extremely rare for even a regular volcano to do as much damage as it could.
44:40So, don't scratch Yellowstone off your travel list just yet!