Is It Possible to Outrun a Supervolcano? Experts Think So

According to new volcanoes 18.8 million years ago were slower than experts suggested and it might be even possible to outrun them.

The eruptions were not super fast as some experts thought previously.

"I wouldn't recommend anyone try to outrun a volcano, but there's a few of us that could," said Greg Valentine, a volcanologist at the University at Buffalo in New York.

“It’s really interesting how you can have such a violent eruption producing such slow-moving flows,” said Valentine, co-author of the new study. “They still devastate a huge area, but they’re slow and concentrated and dense,” in an interview with Live Science.

By researching rocks caught in volcanic ash, Valentine and his colleagues found out the lethal ash flow spread at street speeds - about 10 to 45 mph (16 to 72 km/h).  

According to Valentine, research on pyroclastic flows is significant as it assists to be prepared for disasters. Knowing  pyroclastic flows can help foresee the behavior of these flows when a volcano erupts.

The speed of the flows will decide the time remaining to get out of the way. It is truly only safe to evacuate before a volcanic flow initiate.

The study were published today (March 7) in the journal Nature Communications.