Volcanic Eruptions are one of the most hazardous natural calamities, which pose the threat of wiping out humanity partially. Over the millennia, the world has witnessed a number of major and minor eruptions in volcanic areas. But up to now, the largest volcanic eruption is believed to take place before 73,000 years ago, in supervolcano Toba of Indonesia, causing serious damages to massive locations in India and Indonesia. However, till date, the factor that triggered this largest volcanic eruption was unheard of the researchers. But now, a team of scientists has claimed to decode the real cause behind the outbreak of this biggest volcanic event.
A team of scientists at Uppsala University in Sweden, accompanied by some international colleagues, have discovered some intriguing clues related to the biggest volcanic eruption of Indonesia’s supervolcano Toba. The clues, concealed inside millimeter-sized crystals from the volcanic ash and rock is discovered by the researchers, which is believed to hold some pivotal evidence about the volcanic eruption that dates back 73, 000 years.
To summon up, Indonesian supervolcano Toba hosted one of these supervolcanic eruptions nearly 73,000 years ago. During the outbreak, around 2,800 cubic kilometers of volcanic cinders was driven out from the location into the atmosphere and rained down on the earth, which covered vast regions in Indonesia and India. Scientists, since long have debated over the question – how these unbelievable volumes of volcanic emission are created, and what forced this magma to explode so powerfully.
According to David Budd, the lead investigator of the project from Uppsala University, “Quartz crystals that cultivate in the molten rock record chemical and thermodynamical alterations in the magmatic system previous to the volcanic eruption, bordering on the manner how tree registers climate variations”.
Taking the statement further, the lead author added, “When the state of affairs in the magma alter, the crystals reacts and eventfully turn out separate enlargement areas that register such alterations. The basic issue is that every “tree ring” – analog spread hardly any micrometers across, which is why they are very challenging to analyze in detail.”
However, researchers by analyzing the quartz crystals, collected from Toba, and discovering a distinct change in the isotopic composition towards the external edge of the crystals, successfully decoded the cause behind the biggest volcanic eruption. The crystal borders hold a comparatively lesser amount of the heavy isotope 18O in contrast to the lighter 16O. The low proportion of 18O to 16O stuffed in the crystal frames points out that there is something that forced the magmatic system to change drastically just before the large epidemic.
The details behind these chemical counters are symbolizing that the magma softened and absorbed an excessive volume of a nearby rock that itself is characterized by a moderately low ratio of 18O to 16O.