Archive · 3 Sep 2026
Ancient Supervolcano Beneath England's East Coast Predates Dinosaurs
Scientists found evidence of a huge volcano buried beneath eastern England.
It erupted about 454.4 million years ago, long before dinosaurs lived.
The eruption sent more than 1,000 cubic kilometres of ash and rock into the air.
This was thousands of times more powerful than Mount Etna’s eruptions.
Scientists had previously wondered where a widespread ash layer called the Kinnekulle tephra came from.
Tiny crystals in old underground rock samples helped them identify the volcano’s source.
The samples came from deep boreholes in Norfolk and Lincolnshire.
The volcano has been extinct for hundreds of millions of years and is buried safely underground.
Researchers identified a supervolcano beneath The Wash, Norfolk and Lincolnshire, that erupted about 454.4 million years ago.
The eruption released more than 1,000 cubic kilometres of volcanic material and was thousands of times more powerful than Mount Etna.
The discovery explains the long-mysterious source of the Kinnekulle tephra ash layer found across northern and eastern Europe.
Scientists re-examined zircon and apatite crystals in rock cores drilled decades ago from sites in Norfolk and Lincolnshire.
The extinct volcano is buried beneath younger rock and sediment and is not considered an active threat.
- Who
- A team from the British Geological Survey and the University of Oslo, with comments from Tim Pharaoh and Jenni Barclay, identified the ancient volcanic source.
- What
- Researchers found evidence of a long-extinct supervolcano and linked it to the Kinnekulle tephra ash layer.
- When
- The eruption occurred about 454.4 million years ago; the findings were reported in a study published in the GSA Bulletin.
- Where
- The volcano was centred beneath The Wash and extended beneath parts of Norfolk and Lincolnshire in England; its ash is found across parts of northern and eastern Europe.
- Why
- The discovery explains the origin of the Kinnekulle tephra and improves understanding of England’s deep geological history and subsurface resources.
- Estimated eruption date
- Approximately 454.4 million years ago
- Volcanic classification
- Supervolcano
- Material released
- More than 1,000 cubic kilometres of volcanic material
- Main location
- Beneath The Wash, extending across parts of Norfolk and Lincolnshire
- Evidence examined
- Microscopic zircon and apatite crystals in deep rock-core samples
- Ash layer explained
- The Kinnekulle tephra, found across Norway, Sweden, Belarus, Poland and the Baltic region
- Current status
- Extinct and buried beneath younger rock and sediment