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Ancient volcano with the force of one million nuclear bombs found beneath England
LADbible • • science
Key Points:
- Scientists have discovered a supervolcano beneath the east coast of England, centered under The Wash and measuring at least 40 miles across, which erupted with a force millions of times greater than atomic bombs and far exceeding Mount Etna's power.
- The eruption, which occurred around 454 million years ago, is believed to have caused a vast layer of volcanic ash found across Poland, Belarus, Sweden, and Norway, indicating the eruption's massive scale and far-reaching impact.
- Experts confirm the supervolcano is long extinct and poses no future threat, with Dr. Tim Pharaoh explaining that extinct volcanoes cannot reactivate, providing reassurance against potential catastrophic eruptions.
- The discovery resulted from new analysis of rock samples collected about 80 years ago from Norfolk and Lincolnshire, using advanced technology to precisely date and link the samples to the same volcanic event.
- This finding enhances understanding of the UK's deep geological history and has implications for sustainable resource management, including water and minerals, according to volcanologists involved in the research.
