About 74,000 years ago, Toba erupted and ejected several thousand times more material than Mount St. Helens did in 1980. Some researchers believe that Toba's ancient super eruption and global cold snap triggered it could explain a mystery in the human genome. Our genes suggest that we all descended from a few thousand people just tens of thousands of years ago, rather than being descended from a much older and larger lineage, as fossil evidence shows. Both could be true if only a few small groups of humans survived the cold years following Toba's eruption.5. Taupo CalderaThe Taupo Caldera is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list of 6 known supervolcanoes in the world Photo: Erick OpenaThe Taupo Caldera in New Zealand has been filled with water, creating what many describe as one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, but the lake itself was created by a massive eruption 26,500 years ago. The caldera – the collapsed and subsided basin left after the huge eruption became the current lake. But Taupo is not dead. The 485 square mile caldera erupted again in 181 AD, with estimates of ash and magma reaching up to 22 cubic miles. Today, there are many signs of current volcanic activity in the form of hot springs and vents.6. Aira