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Huge " megabeds " from ancient supervolcano eruptions are hide at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea , researcher have find . Their uncovering taper to a Hz of ruinous event that appear to come to the neighborhood every 10,000 to 15,000 years .
Megabeds are huge submarine deposits that take shape in marine basins as a result of ruinous events like volcanic eruption .
Scientists have discovered “megabeds” at the bottom of the ocean that appear to have been formed by ancient supervolcano eruptions.
The researcher found the beds while investigating deposits at the bottom of the Tyrrhenian Sea , near the glide of Italy , close-fitting to a large submersed volcano . old research into geohazards in the area using sediment core and imagery indicated something was hidden beneath the ocean , but the resolution was not in high spirits enough to see the megabeds , principal cogitation authorDerek Sawyer , associate professor of Earth scientific discipline at The Ohio State University , tell apart Live Science .
Ina new bailiwick published Aug. 10 in the journal Geology , Sawyer and colleagues went back to the situation to create higher - resolution mental image of the stratum of deposit and find a succession of four megabeds , each between 33 and 82 feet ( 10 to 25 meters ) dense , and each separated by discrete layers of sediments . marrow practice from the internet site showed the megabeds were made of volcanic material .
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The oldest layer was around 40,000 age old , the next oldest was 32,000 years , the third 18,000 years , while the youngest formed about 8,000 geezerhood ago .
The team then count at roll in the hay volcanic bodily function in the region to determine the informant of the megabeds . The neighborhood where the bed formed is extremely active volcanically and includes the Campi Flegrei supervolcano , which hasbeen rumbling recently .
The oldest megabed formed after a huge eructation from Campi Flegrei 39,000 days ago — one of the biggest know outbreak on Earth . The same irruption may also have created the second bed , as the bed between the two is just 3.2 foot ( 1 m ) — point a relatively short musical interval between the two effect .
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The scientists think the 18,000 - twelvemonth - old megabed formed in the wake of the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff supereruption of Campi Flegrei about 15,000 years ago , while the youngest megabed was stick by another , less industrious bang at Campi Flegrei .
The eruption occurred roughly every 10,000 to 15,000 year . However , they are refining the blast dates to get a more precise picture of the cycle and potential risk for the future . " It ’s not as encumber as we would wish it to be , " Sawyer said .
The finding , Sawyer said , will help investigator understand the risk posed by volcanoes in the part . " That whole field is still fighting , there ’s still a lot of concern about the future of that , so it ’s certainly potentially possible that it could happen again , " he say .
