Supervolcano

[3][4] Large-volume supervolcanic eruptions are also often associated with large igneous provinces, which can cover huge areas with lava and volcanic ash.

These can cause long-lasting climate change (such as the triggering of a small ice age) and threaten species with extinction.

[6][7] [note 1] Its origins lie in an early 20th-century scientific debate about the geological history and features of the Three Sisters volcanic region of Oregon in the United States.

[10][11] More than fifty years after Byers' review was published, the term supervolcano was popularised by the BBC popular science television program Horizon in 2000, referring to eruptions that produce extremely large amounts of ejecta.

When created, these regions often occupy several thousand square kilometres and have volumes on the order of millions of cubic kilometers.

The Ontong Java Plateau has an area of about 2,000,000 km2 (770,000 sq mi), and the province was at least 50% larger before the Manihiki and Hikurangi Plateaus broke away.