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Yellowstone Super-Volcano Created By Ancient Slab Of Oceanic Crust Wedged Under North America
27 July 2018, 8:20 am EDT By Nicole Arce Tech Times
An ancient piece of oceanic crust that lodged itself beneath the North American continent created the Yellowstone Caldera and other volcanoes in the hotspot track, new research shows.
Experts at the Virginia Tech College of Sciences say that the Yellowstone super-volcano was created by an enormous plate that moved when the continents started to split some 175 millions years ago.
The plate wedged itself under North America, broke off into tiny pieces, and set hot materials up to the surface of the Earth. This led to the creation of the super-volcano and the Yellowstone hotspots track that runs along Oregon, Idaho, and Wyoming.
Yellowstone Super-Volcano
The Yellowstone super-volcano is a vast expanse of a volcano that covers practically the entire Yellowstone National Park. A super-volcano is a volcano that has erupted at magnitude 8, the highest on the Volcanic Explosivity Index.
More:
https://www.techtimes.com/articles/232751/20180727/yellowstone-super-volcano-created-by-ancient-slab-of-oceanic-crust-wedged-under-north-america.htm