Yellowstone volcano: RISING magma chamber is a likely eruption trigger, scientists warn

However, supervolcano research funded by the US National Science Foundation has found a combination of stress factors acting on magma chambers could be the culprit.

According to Patricia Gregg, a professor of geophysics at the University of Illinois, the formation of “ductile halos” around magma chambers allows the internal pressures to build up over thousands of years.

This, in turn, causes the magma chamber’s roof to rise upwards until it gives way.

When this happens, the collapse of the chamber’s roof and volcanic caldera will trigger a major eruption.

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