Lake Toba This image shows the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions on Earth in the last se
Lake Toba This image shows the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions on Earth in the last several million years, Lake Toba on the island of Sumatra. Sometime between 69,000 and 77,000 years ago the land you’re looking at was much higher up. It was sitting on top of a magma chamber and held as high ground from the pressure in the crust. That magma chamber then exploded, pouring out hundreds of cubic kilometers worth of material. A portion of the magma chamber emptied, leaving a gap behind in the earth. The overriding rocks collapsed downwards, falling to fill in the space. The wall you see in the distance is a fault scarp along the edge of the caldera produced during the Toba eruption. The giant gap left behind when the volcano exploded has since filled with water to produce this lake. -JBB Image credit: Marc Veraart (Creative commons licensed)http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-310613213 -- source link
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