Yellowstone super volcano eruption 'would affect the world - PHOTO

The cavern of molten rock in the super volcano lurking underneath Yellowstone is even bigger that scientists had thought. A study measuring earthquake activity around the 3,468 sq mile national park revealed that the magma chamber was 2.5 times bigger than previous estimates. Stretching 55 miles across and 30 miles wide, and reaching depths of up to 9 miles, any eruption from the super volcano would be catastrophic for the whole world.'We’ve been working there for a long time, and we’ve always thought it would be bigger ... but this finding is astounding,' Professor Bob Smith, from the University of Utah, told the BBC.When the super volcano last erupted about 640,000 years ago a cloud of ash covered the whole of North America, affecting the climate. But if the enlarged volcano were to erupt today, the consequences would be devastating for the whole world.'All the material that is shot up into the atmosphere [during an eruption] would eventually circle the Earth and affect the climate,' Dr James Farrell, from the University of Utah, said.The closest scientists can come to predicting the effect of an eruption is estimating that previous examples were 2,000 times more powerful than the one in Mount St Helens in 1980.The extent of the molten lava brewing under the national park, which covers parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, was discovered by recording seismic activity caused by the active volcano.By measuring seismic waves as they travel through the ground, scientists were able to plot the course of lava.'The waves travel slower through hot and partially molten material … with this, we can measure what’s beneath,' Dr Farrell explained.The team's findings, which were presented at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco, also found that the lava chamber reached further into the northeast of the park than previously thought.While no one is sure when the active volcano will next burst back into life, Professor Smith said their findings didn't make 'the Yellowstone hazard greater'.Some have predicted that an eruption is imminent and will occur every 700,000 years but the scientist said these figures were based on only three known eruptions, which happened 2.1 million years ago, 1.3 million years ago and 640,000 years ago.The national park has also said that scientists would have plenty of warning that the volcano was warming up to something big, as earthquake activity and other indicators would increase.(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az