EES: 1030: 0B06
12/6/17
Toba, the Deadliest Volcano Eruption
Around 74,000 years ago during the Quaternary period, the supervolcano known as, Toba, erupted in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Toba is thought to be one of the largest known eruptions the Earth has ever seen. And certainly the largest to erupt during the Quaternary period. Out of the three periods that make up the Cenozoic Era, the Quaternary period is the current and most recent of the three. The eruption of the Toba volcano did not just happen once, but four times during the Quaternary period. The Haranggoal Dacite Tuff is roughly 1.2 Million years old, making it the oldest eruption. The youngest eruption which is known as the, Youngest Toba Tuff, erupted about 75,000 years ago, making it the most recent. Out of the four eruptions, the latest eruption, or the Youngest Toba Tuff, is the one that people refer to when the discussion of the Toba eruption arises. (Jones, 2007)
There is a reason the Youngest Toba tuff is at center stage when researches discuss the eruption of Toba. It was exceptionally larger than the others, holding a VEI of eight. VEI, or Volcanic Explosivity Index, measures the explosiveness of volcanic eruptions. The scale only goes up to eight, putting Toba towards the top of the list as one of the most violent and colossal eruptions ever to exist …show more content…
For this instance, the eruption of Toba isn’t lacking any evidence. This certain volcano covered a lot of land and impacted a large number of environments in, and around its vicinity. Surrounding areas such as Malaysia, India, the Indian Ocean, and the South China and Arabian Seas were covered in volcanic ash because the Toba eruption was so widespread (Jones, 2007). In the area of the Indian peninsula, the eruption buried anything in its path in about 5 centimeters of volcanic ash (Jones,
12/6/17
Toba, the Deadliest Volcano Eruption
Around 74,000 years ago during the Quaternary period, the supervolcano known as, Toba, erupted in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Toba is thought to be one of the largest known eruptions the Earth has ever seen. And certainly the largest to erupt during the Quaternary period. Out of the three periods that make up the Cenozoic Era, the Quaternary period is the current and most recent of the three. The eruption of the Toba volcano did not just happen once, but four times during the Quaternary period. The Haranggoal Dacite Tuff is roughly 1.2 Million years old, making it the oldest eruption. The youngest eruption which is known as the, Youngest Toba Tuff, erupted about 75,000 years ago, making it the most recent. Out of the four eruptions, the latest eruption, or the Youngest Toba Tuff, is the one that people refer to when the discussion of the Toba eruption arises. (Jones, 2007)
There is a reason the Youngest Toba tuff is at center stage when researches discuss the eruption of Toba. It was exceptionally larger than the others, holding a VEI of eight. VEI, or Volcanic Explosivity Index, measures the explosiveness of volcanic eruptions. The scale only goes up to eight, putting Toba towards the top of the list as one of the most violent and colossal eruptions ever to exist …show more content…
For this instance, the eruption of Toba isn’t lacking any evidence. This certain volcano covered a lot of land and impacted a large number of environments in, and around its vicinity. Surrounding areas such as Malaysia, India, the Indian Ocean, and the South China and Arabian Seas were covered in volcanic ash because the Toba eruption was so widespread (Jones, 2007). In the area of the Indian peninsula, the eruption buried anything in its path in about 5 centimeters of volcanic ash (Jones,