Supervolcano beneath the Wash explains Kinnekulle tephra across Europe
Scientists just uncovered a massive supervolcano beneath the Wash, an estuary on England's east coast.
This ancient volcano finally solves the mystery behind a strange layer of volcanic ash, called Kinnekulle tephra, spread across Norway, Sweden, the Baltic region, Belarus, and Poland.
The eruption that created it was one of Earth's biggest ever and happened 454 million years ago, way before dinosaurs even showed up.
Researchers dated crystals to 454.4 million years
Researchers from the British Geological Survey and the University of Oslo used modern dating techniques on crystals dug up in Lincolnshire and Norfolk decades ago.
Their tests confirmed these crystals are 454.4 million years old, the same age as the giant eruption that left its mark across Europe.
This discovery also reveals how wild Earth's history really is, even under some of England's flattest land.