On Synchronous Supereruptions
The Youngest Toba Tuff (YTT) supereruption from Toba Caldera in Sumatra at ca. 74,000 years BP is the largest volcanic event recorded in the Pleistocene. Intriguingly, recent radioisotopic dating of the near antipodal Los Chocoyos (LCY) supereruption from the Atitlán caldera in Guatemala finds an id...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Earth Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2022.827252/full |
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| author | Alejandro Cisneros de León Tushar Mittal Shanaka L. de Silva Stephen Self Axel K. Schmitt Steffen Kutterolf |
| author_facet | Alejandro Cisneros de León Tushar Mittal Shanaka L. de Silva Stephen Self Axel K. Schmitt Steffen Kutterolf |
| author_sort | Alejandro Cisneros de León |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Youngest Toba Tuff (YTT) supereruption from Toba Caldera in Sumatra at ca. 74,000 years BP is the largest volcanic event recorded in the Pleistocene. Intriguingly, recent radioisotopic dating of the near antipodal Los Chocoyos (LCY) supereruption from the Atitlán caldera in Guatemala finds an identical age within uncertainties to that of YTT. This opens the question of whether these synchronous supereruptions may be a coincidence or could be a consequence of each other? Using the known eruptive record from the past 2 Myr, we find that the likelihood of having two near antipodal supereruptions (>1,000 km3 tephra volume) within centuries (<400 years), as suggested by volcanic proxies and annual counting layer chronology in the ice core records, is very small (0.086%), requiring a non-random cause and effect. Considering this analysis, we speculate that one potential physical mechanism that could explain the temporal relationship between these supereruptions is that seismic energy released during YTT eruption focused on the antipodal region, where concentrated stresses ultimately promoted the eruption of the perched LCY magma system (or vice versa). This supereruption “double-whammy” may thus be the more compelling source of the significant environmental impacts often attributed individually to the YTT supereruption. Improving the existing age information of YTT and LCY, and a better understanding of caldera collapse events will enable further testing of the hypothesis that synchronous supereruptions do not result by pure chance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T10:28:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d352fe1c99d24c4687bdd1bfda93d563 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-6463 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T10:28:36Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Earth Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-d352fe1c99d24c4687bdd1bfda93d5632022-12-21T19:07:15ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Earth Science2296-64632022-04-011010.3389/feart.2022.827252827252On Synchronous SupereruptionsAlejandro Cisneros de León0Tushar Mittal1Shanaka L. de Silva2Stephen Self3Axel K. Schmitt4Steffen Kutterolf5Institute of Earth Sciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanyDepartment of Earth, Atmosphere, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United StatesCollege of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesEarth and Planetary Science Department, University of California, Berkeley, CA, United StatesInstitute of Earth Sciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, GermanyGEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel, GermanyThe Youngest Toba Tuff (YTT) supereruption from Toba Caldera in Sumatra at ca. 74,000 years BP is the largest volcanic event recorded in the Pleistocene. Intriguingly, recent radioisotopic dating of the near antipodal Los Chocoyos (LCY) supereruption from the Atitlán caldera in Guatemala finds an identical age within uncertainties to that of YTT. This opens the question of whether these synchronous supereruptions may be a coincidence or could be a consequence of each other? Using the known eruptive record from the past 2 Myr, we find that the likelihood of having two near antipodal supereruptions (>1,000 km3 tephra volume) within centuries (<400 years), as suggested by volcanic proxies and annual counting layer chronology in the ice core records, is very small (0.086%), requiring a non-random cause and effect. Considering this analysis, we speculate that one potential physical mechanism that could explain the temporal relationship between these supereruptions is that seismic energy released during YTT eruption focused on the antipodal region, where concentrated stresses ultimately promoted the eruption of the perched LCY magma system (or vice versa). This supereruption “double-whammy” may thus be the more compelling source of the significant environmental impacts often attributed individually to the YTT supereruption. Improving the existing age information of YTT and LCY, and a better understanding of caldera collapse events will enable further testing of the hypothesis that synchronous supereruptions do not result by pure chance.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2022.827252/fullAtitlán calderaToba calderaLos ChocoyosYoungest Toba TuffAntipode |
| spellingShingle | Alejandro Cisneros de León Tushar Mittal Shanaka L. de Silva Stephen Self Axel K. Schmitt Steffen Kutterolf On Synchronous Supereruptions Frontiers in Earth Science Atitlán caldera Toba caldera Los Chocoyos Youngest Toba Tuff Antipode |
| title | On Synchronous Supereruptions |
| title_full | On Synchronous Supereruptions |
| title_fullStr | On Synchronous Supereruptions |
| title_full_unstemmed | On Synchronous Supereruptions |
| title_short | On Synchronous Supereruptions |
| title_sort | on synchronous supereruptions |
| topic | Atitlán caldera Toba caldera Los Chocoyos Youngest Toba Tuff Antipode |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2022.827252/full |
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