Mike Widdowson
31 October 2008; Science Oxford.
‘Continental flood basalt’ eruptions are examples of volcanic ‘super-eruptions’. They can smother hundreds of thousands of square miles in red-hot molten rock, create stacks of lava over a mile thick and spew out mind-boggling quantities of toxic gas. Dr Mike Widdowson investigates the geological record for past eruptions, and speculates upon what might happen if such super-eruptions were to occur today – after all, it’s only a matter of time before the next one blows!
