[ARCADIA]

A blast from a supervolcano would be strong enough cause mass extinction and change the world's climate.

There you go: we have no need to worry about global warming, the economy, or world peace. Just put on your asbestos undershorts, pour a tall one, and wait for the big one.

[THEUPMAN]

The last blast there, which occurred more than 600,000 years ago, covered half the US - around 3,000sq miles - with volcanic ash.

Researchers in New Zealand analysed zircon crystals, which grow within volcanic magma, to calculate how long build up takes before eruptions.

Their answer was no more than 40,000 years - a relatively short time in geological terms.

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the last blast 600,000 years ...

time it takes to build up ... no more than 40,000 ...

science at it's best ...