Supervolcano (docudrama)
Encyclopedia
Supervolcano is a science
docufiction
disaster
television film that originally aired on 13 March 2005 on BBC One
, and released by the BBC
on 10 April 2005 on the Discovery Channel
. It is centered on the speculated and potential eruption of the volcanic caldera
of Yellowstone National Park
. Its tagline is "Scientists know it as the deadliest volcano on Earth. You know it...as Yellowstone."
Supervolcanoes emit 1000 times more material than a normal volcano; like that of Mt St Helens...
riding through snow on snowmobiles. Arriving at a nearly buried building, inside they find a video recorded journal of a man who appears to be dying. The man in the video reports that the Yellowstone Caldera
eruption has affected nearly everything in the United States
, burying much of the country under several feet of volcanic ash.
The film then goes back to five years before the incident, where tourists are seen viewing Old Faithful and exploring the hydrovolcanic features of the Yellowstone National Park
. Inside the visitor's center, the same man from the video journal, Rick Lieberman, a USGS
scientist in charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO), is seen presenting to a crowd on Yellowstone's seismic activity. He states during the presentation, using a fictional holographic projector known as Virgil, that Yellowstone is on the verge of an eruption, though neither major nor hazardous.
Later throughout the film, more and more signs of seismic activity occur, all pointing towards the imminent eruption of Yellowstone (such as geyser explosions, earthquakes, Old Faithful going silent, and a mass exodus of wildlife from Yellowstone), though Rick and most of his colleagues try not to cause public panic by saying that these seismic activities do not necessarily indicate an imminent volcanic eruption. However, when Jock Galvin's sarcastic mockery of the situation sparks constant media speculation, it raises public alarm, helped in part by a woman from CNN constantly pressing Rick to confirm the eruption for her reports, and by Rick Lieberman's brother-in-law, who is selling a book on supervolcanoes called 'Super Bangs'. As seismic activity increases, a leaked government news report acknowledging a possible eruption causes widespread panic.
Rick's team is caught by surprise while researching at the USGS field office next to Yellowstone when the volcano violently erupts, spewing tonnes of rock and pyroclastic material into the sky. Two of his colleagues, Nancy and Matt, are killed as a result of attempting to outrun the pyroclastic flow
, and only an injured Jock survives the eruption, escaping via helicopter. Rick and his brother-in-law are flying back from a conference when their plane flies through the ash cloud, flaming-out the engines and are forced to do a dead stick landing in Cheyenne, Wyoming
. When the ash starts raining down on them on the ground, they take shelter in a nearby U.S. airbase.
Tension begins to rise at the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) as more and more vents open above the underlying magma chamber throughout the eruption. On Day Three the ash destroys the second Y.V.O. base in Bozeman, killing another colleague, Dave. People are literally being drowned in the volcanic ash
and the death toll rises to hundreds of thousands. Slowly, thermal images begin to reveal a contour of the new caldera produced by the vents and authorities begin to realise the seriousness of this problem. Very soon, the authorities become desperate, trying to find a way to save the trapped Americans in the central and western half of the country. At FEMA, Jock raises tension by saying that even after 2,500 cubic km of magma had come out, that it could still go on because Yellowstone has a maximum capacity of 25,000 cubic kilometers, ten times the amount already ejected. And Rick, while in contact with F.E.M.A., mentions that the entire volcanic system could completely rupture after the collapse. Luckily, things take a better turn just as all hope is nearly lost: after 1 week of eruption the crust above the magma chamber collapses, as a result of -and therefore indicating- the decrease in pressure within the magma chamber. The crust collapse seals the chamber, and a titanic blast is prevented.
As it turns out, the film ends with three-quarters of the United States covered in nearly one centimeter of volcanic ash on average as a looming cloud of sulphur dioxide gets carried over the globe, engulfing the northern hemisphere of Earth
, and as a result, plunging it into a volcanic winter
.
The film ends the same way it started, only this time, the man is revealed to be Rick, shown with his brother-in-law and a USAF Airman
. He later flies in a helicopter back to Yellowstone to see what has happened to the volcano that he has been studying all his life. What he sees is a frozen landscape resembling Antarctica, where no vegetation or animals are visible; but he optimistically says that although it is the ending of much life, life would also begin as a result of this event.
Finally, the last scene shows the camera panning out from the area where Yellowstone erupted in a series of satellite images, eventually showing the North American continent now a tundra, and the cataclysmically large resulting landform caldera
relative to the size of Wyoming.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
docufiction
Docufiction
Docufiction is a neologism which refers to the cinematographic combination of documentary and fiction. More precisely, it is a documentary contaminated with fictional elements, in real time, filmed when the events take place, and in which someone - the character - plays his own role in real life...
disaster
Disaster film
A disaster film is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject...
television film that originally aired on 13 March 2005 on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
, and released by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
on 10 April 2005 on the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
. It is centered on the speculated and potential eruption of the volcanic caldera
Yellowstone Caldera
The Yellowstone Caldera is the volcanic caldera located in Yellowstone National Park in the United States, sometimes referred to as the Yellowstone Supervolcano. The caldera is located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, in which the vast majority of the park is contained. The major features of...
of Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
. Its tagline is "Scientists know it as the deadliest volcano on Earth. You know it...as Yellowstone."
Supervolcanoes emit 1000 times more material than a normal volcano; like that of Mt St Helens...
Plot
The film begins with a group of hooded people in caribou parkasAnorak
An anorak or parka is a type of heavy jacket with a hood, often lined with fur or fake fur, so as to protect the face from a combination of freezing temperatures and wind...
riding through snow on snowmobiles. Arriving at a nearly buried building, inside they find a video recorded journal of a man who appears to be dying. The man in the video reports that the Yellowstone Caldera
Yellowstone Caldera
The Yellowstone Caldera is the volcanic caldera located in Yellowstone National Park in the United States, sometimes referred to as the Yellowstone Supervolcano. The caldera is located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, in which the vast majority of the park is contained. The major features of...
eruption has affected nearly everything in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, burying much of the country under several feet of volcanic ash.
The film then goes back to five years before the incident, where tourists are seen viewing Old Faithful and exploring the hydrovolcanic features of the Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
. Inside the visitor's center, the same man from the video journal, Rick Lieberman, a USGS
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
scientist in charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO), is seen presenting to a crowd on Yellowstone's seismic activity. He states during the presentation, using a fictional holographic projector known as Virgil, that Yellowstone is on the verge of an eruption, though neither major nor hazardous.
Later throughout the film, more and more signs of seismic activity occur, all pointing towards the imminent eruption of Yellowstone (such as geyser explosions, earthquakes, Old Faithful going silent, and a mass exodus of wildlife from Yellowstone), though Rick and most of his colleagues try not to cause public panic by saying that these seismic activities do not necessarily indicate an imminent volcanic eruption. However, when Jock Galvin's sarcastic mockery of the situation sparks constant media speculation, it raises public alarm, helped in part by a woman from CNN constantly pressing Rick to confirm the eruption for her reports, and by Rick Lieberman's brother-in-law, who is selling a book on supervolcanoes called 'Super Bangs'. As seismic activity increases, a leaked government news report acknowledging a possible eruption causes widespread panic.
Rick's team is caught by surprise while researching at the USGS field office next to Yellowstone when the volcano violently erupts, spewing tonnes of rock and pyroclastic material into the sky. Two of his colleagues, Nancy and Matt, are killed as a result of attempting to outrun the pyroclastic flow
Pyroclastic flow
A pyroclastic flow is a fast-moving current of superheated gas and rock , which reaches speeds moving away from a volcano of up to 700 km/h . The flows normally hug the ground and travel downhill, or spread laterally under gravity...
, and only an injured Jock survives the eruption, escaping via helicopter. Rick and his brother-in-law are flying back from a conference when their plane flies through the ash cloud, flaming-out the engines and are forced to do a dead stick landing in Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
. When the ash starts raining down on them on the ground, they take shelter in a nearby U.S. airbase.
Tension begins to rise at the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA) as more and more vents open above the underlying magma chamber throughout the eruption. On Day Three the ash destroys the second Y.V.O. base in Bozeman, killing another colleague, Dave. People are literally being drowned in the volcanic ash
Volcanic ash
Volcanic ash consists of small tephra, which are bits of pulverized rock and glass created by volcanic eruptions, less than in diameter. There are three mechanisms of volcanic ash formation: gas release under decompression causing magmatic eruptions; thermal contraction from chilling on contact...
and the death toll rises to hundreds of thousands. Slowly, thermal images begin to reveal a contour of the new caldera produced by the vents and authorities begin to realise the seriousness of this problem. Very soon, the authorities become desperate, trying to find a way to save the trapped Americans in the central and western half of the country. At FEMA, Jock raises tension by saying that even after 2,500 cubic km of magma had come out, that it could still go on because Yellowstone has a maximum capacity of 25,000 cubic kilometers, ten times the amount already ejected. And Rick, while in contact with F.E.M.A., mentions that the entire volcanic system could completely rupture after the collapse. Luckily, things take a better turn just as all hope is nearly lost: after 1 week of eruption the crust above the magma chamber collapses, as a result of -and therefore indicating- the decrease in pressure within the magma chamber. The crust collapse seals the chamber, and a titanic blast is prevented.
As it turns out, the film ends with three-quarters of the United States covered in nearly one centimeter of volcanic ash on average as a looming cloud of sulphur dioxide gets carried over the globe, engulfing the northern hemisphere of Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, and as a result, plunging it into a volcanic winter
Volcanic winter
A volcanic winter is the reduction in temperature caused by volcanic ash and droplets of sulfuric acid obscuring the sun and raising Earth's albedo after a large particularly explosive type of volcanic eruption...
.
The film ends the same way it started, only this time, the man is revealed to be Rick, shown with his brother-in-law and a USAF Airman
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. He later flies in a helicopter back to Yellowstone to see what has happened to the volcano that he has been studying all his life. What he sees is a frozen landscape resembling Antarctica, where no vegetation or animals are visible; but he optimistically says that although it is the ending of much life, life would also begin as a result of this event.
Finally, the last scene shows the camera panning out from the area where Yellowstone erupted in a series of satellite images, eventually showing the North American continent now a tundra, and the cataclysmically large resulting landform caldera
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
relative to the size of Wyoming.
Cast
- Michael RileyMichael RileyMichael Riley is a Canadian actor and graduate of the National Theatre School in Montreal, Canada in 1984. Riley's first appearance was in the film No Man's Land...
as Rick Lieberman - Gary LewisGary Lewis (actor)Gary Lewis is a Scottish actor. He has had parts in Billy Elliot, Gangs of New York, Eragon and Three and Out, as well as a major role in the television docudrama, Supervolcano.-Early life:...
as Jockey Galvin - Shaun Johnston as Matt
- Adrian HolmesAdrian HolmesAdrian Holmes is an actor known for his television work on series such as FOX’s Fringe” and Human Target, CW Supernatural and SYFY’s Battlestar Galactica He may be best known, however, for his recurring role as “Basqat” on the ninth season of long running, the WB/CW television series...
as Dave - Jennifer Copping as Nancy
- Rebecca JenkinsRebecca Jenkins-Acting:She had starring roles in the 1990s CBC series Black Harbour, and the films Bye Bye Blues, Marion Bridge, Wilby Wonderful, Whole New Thing, South of Wawa and Supervolcano. She also had a supporting role in the 1992 film Bob Roberts, as Dolores Perrigrew...
as Wendy Reiss - Tom McBeathTom McBeathTom McBeath is a Canadian actor living in Vancouver, Canada and is the winner of three Jessie Awards. He is best known for playing Harry Maybourne on Stargate SG-1. He is also a stage actor known to take a diverse set of roles.-External links:...
as Michael Eldridge - Robert WisdenRobert WisdenRobert Charles Wisden is a British actor who has an extensive career in Canadian and American television. In 2000 he won a Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series for The Sheldon Kennedy Story .-Career:Wisden moved with his...
as Kenneth Wylie - Susan DuerdenSusan DuerdenSusan Duerden is a British actress whose roles include the character Carole Littleton in the television series Lost. Her career spans television, film and theater in the US, the UK and worldwide. She lives in both Los Angeles and London....
as Fiona Lieberman - Emy Aneke as Johnson
- Jane McLean as Maggie Chin
- Garwin Sandford as Bob Mann
- Sam Charles as William Lieberman
- Kevin McNultyKevin McNultyKevin McNulty is a Canadian actor.McNulty was born in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. He has acted on three aviation movies: Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 with William Devane, Final Descent with Robert Urich and Snakes on a Plane with Samuel L. Jackson...
as Joe Foster - Shelagh Mitchell as Fiona's Mother
- Jay Hernandez as USAF Airman
- Leslie Reyes as Rachel
- Joanna GoslingJoanna GoslingJoanna Marie Mussett Gosling is a television news presenter, broadcast journalist and author. She presents on the United Kingdom rolling news channel BBC News, as well as occasionally on the Saturday evening and late editions of the BBC Weekend News on BBC One...
as Herself - Chris LoweChris Lowe (journalist)John Christopher Lowe is a news presenter who worked for BBC News for 37 years until his retirement on 4 January 2009.-Education:...
as Himself - Anna JonesAnna JonesAnna Jones is a Business presenter for Sky News.After four years as the editor of China Economic Review, Anna joined the BBC in 1992. She spent three years as a senior producer in the BBC's business department, both producing and presenting the Business Breakfast programme from 6am - 7am. Anna then...
as Herself
See also
- SuperstormSuperstorm (docudrama)Superstorm is a three-part British docudrama miniseries written and directed by Julian Simpson, about a group of scientists that try to divert and weaken hurricanes using cloud seeding....
, a 2007 miniseries by the same producers - SupervolcanoSupervolcanoA supervolcano is a volcano capable of producing a volcanic eruption with an ejecta volume greater than 1,000 cubic kilometers . This is thousands of times larger than most historic volcanic eruptions. Supervolcanoes can occur when magma in the Earth rises into the crust from a hotspot but is...
External links
by the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
- Website by the Discovery ChannelDiscovery ChannelDiscovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...