More on: Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 |

Seely: Are there any connections in the recent larger earthquakes in Toba caldera in Indonesia and a possible future super eruption?
Jake: We wouldn't expect so.
Hank: Our geologic knowledge does not give us any tie to expect a link between a large earthquake in Indonesia and a super eruption at Yellowstone.
Jake: Earthquakes can trigger eruptions of volcanoes in some cases. Usually they don't. But they can, and usually in volcanoes that are near the earthquake. A volcano has to be primed and ready to erupt, meaning that magma is molten enough to get out and it has accumulated beneath the volcano. If that is not the case, then there won't be eruptions resulting from these earthquakes.

Snowfyre: How many actual Super Volcanoes are there currently?
Jake: Off the top of my head, I don't know how many of these eruptions have been recorded in geologic history, though that information is available. If you mean how many currently could erupt, that's difficult to say. There may be systems that we're not aware of. There are probably five to ten areas globally that we would look at as potential sources for large caldera forming eruptions.

Stepher: How can you tell if the magma in the chamber is in pockets or distributed evenly? Do you have good technology to determine this, or are you just speculating that it's in pockets?
Hank: The way in which we try to determine this information is using seismic tomography, but basically we cannot do that with today's current technology. So we can attempt to define the size of the partially molten material using earthquakes and the way in which the earthquake energy is transmitted through the earth. It's a developing technology; and as that technology improves, we are able to get a better and better view of what's happening beneath the earth. An analogy would be to compare the first use of X-rays in people to today's current technology using CT scans or MRIs. So currently, the seismic tomography is equivalent to a very poor X-ray.
Jake: Our current view implies that the magma chamber beneath Yellowstone is not highly molten — maybe 10 or 15 percent melt, with the rest crystals. It is possible that there are regions within it that are more highly molten, but the magma chamber as a whole is not.

Anthony: When will technology advance enough to get some idea of what's going on down there and what's going to happen?
Hank: I would pose the question to future scientists and future technicians. I do not know what the future holds for new technologies, but I strongly hope that the people in schools now will develop that technology.