James Stewart

They don't hold to schedules like that, so it would be inaccurate to say whether an eruption is due or not. Still, geologists monitoring the Yellowstone supervolcano are confident that there are currently no signs that magma is accumulating in a large enough quantity to feed such an eruption at any time soon.

But there are many more sites where huge eruptions have created large calderas, and where a VEI-8 event could plausibly occur. And even if an eruption doesn't quite reach the magnitude necessary to qualify for the top category, it could still be locally catastrophic. One such site is the Flagrian Fields near Naples in Italy.

But there are many more sites where huge eruptions have created large calderas, and where a VEI-8 event could plausibly occur. And even if an eruption doesn't quite reach the magnitude necessary to qualify for the top category, it could still be locally catastrophic. One such site is the Flagrian Fields near Naples in Italy.

But there are many more sites where huge eruptions have created large calderas, and where a VEI-8 event could plausibly occur. And even if an eruption doesn't quite reach the magnitude necessary to qualify for the top category, it could still be locally catastrophic. One such site is the Flagrian Fields near Naples in Italy.

This large complex of calderas lies just across the Gulf of Naples from Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that famously buried the Roman town of Pompeii in 79 AD. While that event might seem bad enough, it scored 5 on the VEI scale incidentally, an eruption of the Phalagrian fields could be hundreds of times larger.

This large complex of calderas lies just across the Gulf of Naples from Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that famously buried the Roman town of Pompeii in 79 AD. While that event might seem bad enough, it scored 5 on the VEI scale incidentally, an eruption of the Phalagrian fields could be hundreds of times larger.

This large complex of calderas lies just across the Gulf of Naples from Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that famously buried the Roman town of Pompeii in 79 AD. While that event might seem bad enough, it scored 5 on the VEI scale incidentally, an eruption of the Phalagrian fields could be hundreds of times larger.

It has been suggested that the climate effect of an eruption about 39,000 years ago helped to see off the Neanderthals, who disappeared from Europe around this time. Although, like the Toba Catastrophe Hypothesis, this claim is disputed.

It has been suggested that the climate effect of an eruption about 39,000 years ago helped to see off the Neanderthals, who disappeared from Europe around this time. Although, like the Toba Catastrophe Hypothesis, this claim is disputed.

It has been suggested that the climate effect of an eruption about 39,000 years ago helped to see off the Neanderthals, who disappeared from Europe around this time. Although, like the Toba Catastrophe Hypothesis, this claim is disputed.

In the last few years, activity at the Flagrian Fields seems to be intensifying, with increasing earthquakes and ground deformation causing alarm among volcanologists. Although the probability of a large eruption is still considered very low, the situation is serious enough for authorities to devise an evacuation plan for more than a million residents of the area.

In the last few years, activity at the Flagrian Fields seems to be intensifying, with increasing earthquakes and ground deformation causing alarm among volcanologists. Although the probability of a large eruption is still considered very low, the situation is serious enough for authorities to devise an evacuation plan for more than a million residents of the area.

In the last few years, activity at the Flagrian Fields seems to be intensifying, with increasing earthquakes and ground deformation causing alarm among volcanologists. Although the probability of a large eruption is still considered very low, the situation is serious enough for authorities to devise an evacuation plan for more than a million residents of the area.

There is a potential cause for alarm elsewhere in Europe too. The Greek island of Santorini nowadays is shaped like a crescent. Wind viewed from above with its neighbouring islands, it's easy to imagine Santorini as making up one part of a volcanic caldera, many kilometres across. No surprise then, that's exactly what it is.

There is a potential cause for alarm elsewhere in Europe too. The Greek island of Santorini nowadays is shaped like a crescent. Wind viewed from above with its neighbouring islands, it's easy to imagine Santorini as making up one part of a volcanic caldera, many kilometres across. No surprise then, that's exactly what it is.

There is a potential cause for alarm elsewhere in Europe too. The Greek island of Santorini nowadays is shaped like a crescent. Wind viewed from above with its neighbouring islands, it's easy to imagine Santorini as making up one part of a volcanic caldera, many kilometres across. No surprise then, that's exactly what it is.

The eruption that caused it was not strictly a super eruption, given its eruptive volume of less than 100 cubic kilometres and its VEI of 7. Nevertheless, this eruption, occurring around 1600 BC, devastated the eastern Mediterranean, generating a tsunami that was tens of metres high when it reached the nearby island of Crete.

The eruption that caused it was not strictly a super eruption, given its eruptive volume of less than 100 cubic kilometres and its VEI of 7. Nevertheless, this eruption, occurring around 1600 BC, devastated the eastern Mediterranean, generating a tsunami that was tens of metres high when it reached the nearby island of Crete.

The eruption that caused it was not strictly a super eruption, given its eruptive volume of less than 100 cubic kilometres and its VEI of 7. Nevertheless, this eruption, occurring around 1600 BC, devastated the eastern Mediterranean, generating a tsunami that was tens of metres high when it reached the nearby island of Crete.

This explosion could have even contributed to the downfall of the Minoan civilisation that was based on Crete, and might have inspired the myth of Atlantis. Volcanic activity has continued at Santorini since then, although no eruption has come close to the violence of that Bronze Age cataclysm.