On this explainer collection,9news.com.auis inspecting the issues and fears round pure disasters, inspecting potential impacts on Australia.
World wide, there are eight recognized volcanoes able to supereruptions - with one of the crucial lively sitting proper on Australia's doorstep.
Lake Taupō, in New Zealand, just lately had its risk stage upgraded to stage one, the primary time in historical past alert system GeoNet has finished this.
It has entered a interval of "volcanic unrest", with the variety of earthquakes doubling from 10-12 per week in October to twenty occasions per week in November.
So is it more likely to erupt?
Right here we break down what we find out about "supervolcanoes", with the assistance of an knowledgeable.
What's a supervolcano?
Dr Simon Barker - senior analysis fellow with Victoria College of Wellington's Faculty of Geography, Surroundings and Earth Sciences - mentioned the time period supervolcano is definitely a misnomer.
"It is a little bit little bit of a meaningless time period," he mentioned.
"A supervolcano is basically a volcano that has hosted a supereruption."
"These varieties of volcanoes do not at all times produce supereruptions."
What number of supervolcanoes, or supereruptions, have occurred?
A paper Barker helped co-author in Nature described supereruptions as "cataclysmic occasions" that usually lead to caldera collapse.
"A supereruption is the best magnitude of explosive volcanic eruption," Barker mentioned.
"It is any eruption that produces greater than 1000 cubic kilometres of pumice and ash.
"Now, that is numerous materials - sufficient to cowl your complete North Island of New Zealand in pumice and ash.
"For those who consider the January eruption of Tonga, if that went on for days and weeks, that will be a supereruption.
"They're very, very large - simply mindblowing - you'll be able to't even think about it."
Barker mentioned scientists have honed in on greater than a dozen supereruptions, wanting carefully at geological information.
"Over the previous 2.5 million years, there's been about 13 supereruptions that we all know of," Barker mentioned.
"(However) there's a risk eruptions which are now not preserved - particularly if it was beneath the ocean."
"(However) there's a risk eruptions which are now not preserved - particularly if it was beneath the ocean."
The place did these supereruptions occur?
The 13 recognized supereruptions are scattered throughout six international locations.
There's Yellowstone, Longvalley and Valles - all within the US - Cerro Galán in Argentina, Atitlan in Guatemala, Toba in Indonesia, Mount Aso in Japan.
And naturally Lake Taupō, on New Zealand's North Island.
All of those calderas are nonetheless lively at present.
The final recognized supervolcanic eruption was in New Zealand 26,500 years in the past
Is Taupō a supervolcano?
Sure, Lake Taupō is extensively known as a supervolcano, stemming from the very fact it has hosted 4 of the recognized 13 supereruptions - and one of many largest on the planet previously 5000 years.
The caldera sits over a large pocket of sticky magma, not less than 250 cubic kilometres in quantity.
Will it erupt and what is going to occur?
Whereas Lake Taupō has entered a interval of "volcanic unrest", Barker was clear: it doesn't imply an eruption, tremendous or in any other case, is due any time quickly.
"You are virtually assured to not see a supereruption at Taupō one in your lifetime," he mentioned.
"It is an lively volcano and it is altering on a regular basis, and we will now detect very minor adjustments," he mentioned, including these durations of unrest occur each ten years or so.
"There's simply indicators that issues are shifting round barely.
"There's not essentially an elevated danger of a very large eruption.
"The volcano has produced numerous small eruptions - about one each 500 years.
"The volcano will in all probability erupt sooner or later however probably the following eruption will likely be small."
When is the following supervolcano eruption due?
Supereruptions are uncommon, with evaluation figuring out they happen at a price of roughly one per 100,000 years.
And so they're not more likely to all of the sudden blow.
Barker mentioned a looming supereruption would present apparent indicators nicely forward of time.
"You'd count on to have tens-of-metres of floor swelling, large adjustments within the geothermal techniques," Barker mentioned.
"There is not any recognized areas we expect may host a giant supereruption tomorrow.
"We expect fairly a sequence of occasions has to occur - in all probability when it comes to a long time, or centuries - main as much as it."
Can a 'supervolcano' finish the world?
Scientists from house company NASA beforehand mentioned supervolcanic eruptions pose a higher risk to human life, and world local weather, than any asteroid risk.
Boiling pyroclastic flows, towering tsunamis, nuclear winters leading to widespread famine - all may end result from such an eruption.
"We simply do not know what these eruptions would do on a world scale," Barker mentioned.
"A part of the issue is they do not occur fairly often, so there's not many information of them.
"The rationale we will have a look at them in New Zealand is we have had so many."
Barker does have some excellent news.
"Relying on the place it's, there could be numerous ash and massive adjustments in temperature however it's not essentially the tip of the world," he mentioned.
"We're finding out the previous eruptions to search out out if there is a actually large one, what occurs to world local weather, within the years, a long time, centuries after.
"Sure, they've large impacts on local weather however that is in all probability fairly short-lived.
"It is not more likely to have an onset of one other glacial interval.
"The influence would in all probability solely be for a number of years after which every thing makes its approach again."
Embers fly as tree burns 'inside out': Gorgeous picture wins accolade