Global Scans · Supervolcano · Weekly Summary

A global catastrophic risk is a hypothetical future event that has the potential to damage human well-being on a global scale. Some events could cripple or destroy modern civilization. Any event that could cause human extinction is known as an existential risk.

• Kilauea's lava flows, Great Sitkin's ash clouds, Mount Spurr's growing unrest, and Yellowstone's supervolcano potential create an unprecedented situation for American disaster planning. Science Sensei
• The RAND report breaks down catastrophic risk into six main possibilities: asteroids and comet impacts; supervolcanoes; major pandemics (both natural and human-made); rapid and severe climate change; nuclear conflict; and, of course, artificial intelligence. / USA Vox
• Dubbed The Restless Giant for its geological instability, Yellowstone could one day have another major eruption like the one that formed its youngest caldera 600,000 years ago. / USA Smithsonian Institution | Global Volcanism Program
• Nuclear war, extreme pandemics, and supervolcano eruptions do not just interact with existing vulnerabilities - their effects can amplify through global systems to produce catastrophic outcomes. Adapt Research Ltd
• The McDermitt Caldera, situated on the Oregon-Nevada border, is home to what could be one of the largest lithium deposits ever found in the United States. Indian Defence Review
• Scientists and authorities are warning that four U.S. volcanoes: Kilauea in Hawaii, Great Sitkin in Alaska, Mount Spurr in Alaska, and the Yellowstone Caldera. Science Sensei
• The McDermitt Caldera has the potential for the largest lithium reserve on the planet. ECO News
• The discovery of a colossal lithium deposit in the McDermitt Caldera on the Oregon-Nevada border could redefine global energy politics. The Daily Galaxy - Great Discoveries Channel
• Asteroids larger than 1,000m in diameter, the largest supervolcanoes, runaway climate change, and global nuclear war hold the potential to affect all countries and all people. Rand Corporation
• Degassing of high concentrations of volcanic SO2 continues to pose the threat of potential long-term health impacts to communities around [the] Taal Caldera that are frequently exposed to volcanic gas. Rappler
• Throughout 2024 and 2025 further soil sampling campaigns will be completed targeting extensions of Tuvatu, as well as gold only and copper-gold targets throughout the Navilawa caldera. Junior Mining Network
• Campi Flegrei near Naples in southern Italy is the UK's nearest supervolcano, eagerly monitored by scientists as it shows signs it could be gearing up to blow. Metro.co.uk
• A supervolcano is one that has ejected more than 240 cubic miles of material and reached a level 8 - the highest threat - on the Volcano Explosivity Index or VEI, according to the US Geological Survey. CNN
• Supervolcanoes are among the most perplexing and least understood natural threats in the world. CNN
• By acquiring Atlantic Therapeutics, Caldera Medical says it will add the FDA-cleared incontinence treatment as a first-line therapy for women with stress urinary incontinence, helping more people strengthen their pelvic health and restore their bladder control. FemTech World
• The future of the modern world depends on the future of places like the McDermitt Caldera, which has the potential to be the largest known source of lithium on the planet. Popular Science
• A supervolcano in Europe could be inching closer to eruption and it's not too far from home. Metro.co.uk
• A sudden crazed lithium boom poses a grave threat to critical Sage-grouse habitats in the remote Nevada-Oregon borderlands of the McDermitt caldera. CounterPunch.org
• The Scientific Assembly will be held within the Rotorua caldera amongst some of New Zealand's iconic volcanic landforms and deposits, and in the heart of one of New Zealand's cultural and touristic centers. IAVCEI 2023 Scientific Assembly
• The National Park Service could face legal action over rogue cattle trespassing in the Valles Caldera National Preserve. Santa Fe New Mexican

Last updated: 22 June 2026