Scientists were able to identify the largest volcanic eruption from the Holocene period: the Kikai-Akahoya volcanic eruption that took place 7,300 years ago.
Kikai-Akahoya Eruption
The massive volcanic blast took place in the south of Kyushu Island, Japan, around 7,300 years ago. This is where the Philippine tectonic plate slips under the Eurasian plate.
The Kikai volcano, which is an underwater volcanic mount, is known to have led to three big eruptions in the past 140,000 years. The most recent one was the Kikai-Akahoya eruption, as noted in the "Submarine pyroclastic deposits from 7.3 ka caldera-forming Kikai-Akahoya eruption" study.
Though scientists were already familiar with this historic eruption, the new study sheds light on the eruption's scale. It was also able to identify it as the largest volcanic eruption of the present geological epoch. Tim Druitt, a volcanology professor from the University of Clermont Auvergne, who reviewed the research, explains that the eruption has been known for quite a while, but the study authors are now offering a deeper look into this historical event.
ALSO READ: Underwater Volcano Eruption: Is it More Dangerous Than Volcano Activity on Land?
Largest Holocene Eruption
Previously, scientists have found it hard to pin down the size and triggers of the eruption due to the challenges of accessing the submarine volcano.
As part of the new study, researchers collected seismic data in order to make a detailed map of the seabed surrounding the marine mount. The map revealed wide deposits underwater, which the team performed sampling on by drilling into the seabed across various locations with a remote-controlled robot and taking sediment cores.
The sediment that was hauled shed light on a layer that spans 4,500 square kilometers and contained volcanic glass that matches the Kikai-Akahoya eruption's timing and composition. The glass, as well as other volcanic debris, amounted to around 71 cubic kilometers of material released by the eruption into the sea. Such estimates are nearly double the ones that were reported in the past.
Such findings were then combined with current volcanic debris estimates from the eruption that got deposited on the land. The researchers then found that the massive eruption released a volume of around 80 to 110 cubic miles of material. This volume is sufficient for filling the western US' Lake Tahoe twice over.
These estimates mean that the eruption could be the largest one from the Holocene epoch, which is a geological period that started 11,500 to 12,000 years ago at the last ice age's end and which still goes on today.
Druitt explains that their conclusion about this eruption being the largest Holocene eruption is valid.
While the Kikai-Akahoya eruption was a massive blast, it still pales when compared to other prehistoric eruptions, including Sumatra's Toba supervolcano eruption 74,000 years ago. This eruption released around 1,200 cubic miles of magma.
RELATED ARTICLE : Super Volcanic Eruption Happens When Massive Magma Building Up For Millions of Years Rapidly Moves Downward and Suddenly Rises [Study]
Check out more news and information on Environment & Climate in Science Times.
