Yellowstone Supervolcano

[Owlscrying]

Mar. 14

Supervolcanoes can sleep for centuries or millennia before producing incredibly massive eruptions that can drop ash across an entire continent. One of the largest supervolcanoes in the world lies beneath Yellowstone National Park, which spans parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

Though the Yellowstone system is active and expected to eventually blow its top, scientists don’t think it will erupt any time soon.

Yet significant activity continues beneath the surface. And the activity has been increasing lately, scientists have discovered. In addition, the nearby Teton Range, in a total surprise, is getting shorter.

The findings, reported this month in the Journal of Geophysical Research—Solid Earth, suggest that a slow and gradual movement caused by a giant hotspot of molten rock beneath a volcano can shape a landscape more than sudden ground movements caused by the volcano’s frequent earthquakes.

For the past 17 years, researchers used Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites to monitor the horizontal and vertical motion of the Yellowstone caldera—a huge volcanic crater formed by a super-eruption more than 600,000 years ago.

The movement of the caldera indicates what’s going on underground where magma, or molten rock, is stored for the next eruption. When magma builds up, some of it starts to rise toward the surface, where it presses against the floor of the caldera. The pressure makes the caldera bulge, while a decrease in pressure makes it sink.

The 45-by-30-mile caldera bulged and deflated significantly during the study period.

“We think it’s a combination of magma being intruded under the caldera and hot water released from the magma being pressurized because it’s trapped,” said lead study author Robert Smith from the University of Utah. “I don’t believe this is evidence for an impending volcanic eruption, but it would be prudent to keep monitoring the volcano.”

go

[Grandpa Greenman]

When that thing goes up it will be something to see. Unfortunately it will be the last thing you see. If your close enough to see it you will you are too close. Boom

[Princess Serenity]

My dad said there was a guy out there. Who said the valcano will go boom like thousands of years in the future. I was like: " ." The only reason why is we'll be dead by then! So there really is nothing to worry about.

And Mt. Saint Helen's keep getting active. It hasn't go boom since the big boom.

Edited March 19, 2007 by MoonPrincess

[receivingendofsirens]

there def is a huge increase in volvanic ativity on the planet all at once. anyone notice this?

[SilverCougar]

Worry about Rainier then Helens. XD

Rainier's force is so powerful.. they found parts from it in Oklahoma from the last time it blew. *laughs*

[Mattshark]

there def is a huge increase in volvanic ativity on the planet all at once. anyone notice this?

Not really. Always been plenty of volcanic acticity, especially around the Pacific rim (it ain't known as the ring of fire for nothing). It is just vulcanology has developed a lot as a global media so such things are reported more, nothing to suggest anything else.

[Lotus Flower]

Yellowstone Park volcano is well overdue for an eruption (well that's what they said on a documentary on the TV a while back anyway lol). If it did blow, they reckon it will cause much of the Earth to be in darkness killing a lot of plant and animal life.

Scary!

[Legatus Legionis]

Yellowstone Park volcano is well overdue for an eruption (well that's what they said on a documentary on the TV a while back anyway lol). If it did blow, they reckon it will cause much of the Earth to be in darkness killing a lot of plant and animal life.

Scary!

it might also spew fine particle dust that could drift in the air that could travel thousand of Kilometers and kill more thousand of people and livestock. fine particle dust can kill if it get's into your lungs.