At a Glance
- Scientists analyzed ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica to determine the precise timing and impact of the Los Chocoyos supereruption, which occurred approximately 79,500 years ago and spread ash globally.
- Despite releasing vast amounts of ash and sulfur, the Los Chocoyos eruption caused only a short-term cooling event lasting a few decades rather than triggering a prolonged ice age, as previously believed.
- Layers within the ice cores contained volcanic ash and chemical markers, allowing researchers to date the eruption and better understand how Earth’s climate responded to such a major volcanic event.
- The study challenges older theories that supereruptions lead to millennia-long climate catastrophes, instead showing that Earth’s atmosphere can recover more quickly from these disruptions than once assumed.
- Findings may influence how scientists assess the risks of future supereruptions. Ongoing research aims to improve predictions about their environmental and climatic consequences on a global scale.
An international team of scientists has uncovered new evidence about the global impact of the Los Chocoyos supereruption, a massive volcanic event around 79,500 years ago in what is now Guatemala’s Atitlán volcanic system. Using ice core samples from Greenland and Antarctica, the researchers were able to pinpoint the eruption’s timing and assess its effects on the Earth’s climate. Previously, it was believed that the eruption had caused a dramatic cooling period or even triggered an ice age due to the massive amount of ash and sulfur released into the atmosphere.
The team’s research, published in Communications Earth & Environment, shows that while the Los Chocoyos eruption released large amounts of volcanic material into the atmosphere, it did not lead to a millennial-scale cold period. Instead, the cooling effects were short-lived, lasting only a few decades, with the planet bouncing back relatively quickly. This finding challenges earlier theories suggesting that supereruptions could cause long-lasting ice ages, potentially threatening life on Earth.
By studying the ice core layers, the researchers could date the eruption to 79,500 years ago. The ice cores contained volcanic ash, or tephra, and other chemical markers, which provided the evidence needed to pinpoint the eruption’s timing. These layers preserve ancient environmental conditions and are key to understanding past climate events and volcanic activity. The discovery provides more insight into how the Earth’s atmosphere responds to major volcanic events.
This research could change how scientists think about the potential risks of future supereruptions. While such eruptions can cause short-term climate disruptions, the study suggests that their long-term effects might not be as catastrophic as previously thought. The team plans to investigate other ancient supereruptions to predict better how future volcanic events could impact the planet’s climate.
References
- Yirka, B. & Phys.org. (2025, March 1). New findings date Los Chocoyos supereruption to 79,500 years ago, and show Earth bounced back within decades. Phys.Org; Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-date-los-chocoyos-supereruption-years.html
- Innes, H. M., Hutchison, W., Sigl, M., Crick, L., Abbott, P. M., Bigler, M., Chellman, N. J., Davies, S. M., Kutterolf, S., McConnell, J. R., Severi, M., Sparks, R. S. J., Svensson, A., Wolff, E. W., Rae, J. W. B., & Burke, A. (2025). Ice core evidence for the Los Chocoyos supereruption disputes millennial-scale climate impact. Communications Earth & Environment, 6(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02095-6
