Volcano monitorshad picked up the Executive SummaryThe Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) is a consortium of nine Federal, State, and academic agencies that: (1) provides timely monitoring and hazards assessment of volcanic, hydrothermal, and earthquake activity in and around Yellowstone National Park, and (2) conducts research to develop new approaches to volcano monitoring and better understand volcanic activity in the Yellow, The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) monitors volcanic and hydrothermal activity associated with the Yellowstone magmatic system, conducts research into magmatic processes occurring beneath Yellowstone Caldera, and issues timely warnings and guidance related to potential future geologic hazards. The last eruption occurred 630,000 years ago, and geologists estimate it was 1000 times larger than the Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980. So what might indicate that a massive eruption is imminent? On 17 August 1959, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck the Yellowstone area and kicked off a 73-million-metric-ton landslide that dammed the Madison River. The supervolcano's last eruption was 631,000 years . "This [research] really just confirms what we already know about Yellowstone," Poland said. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS The big takeaway here is that while the next Yellowstone eruption will change life on Earth for a while, it will still exist and there will very likely be an incredible warning period to prepare. A lock () or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Despite starting the problem for years and looking for strategies to reduce the impact and prevent it,NASAfindings concluded politicians would be unlikely to fund the millions necessary to minimize a Yellowstone eruption risk. The largest of these flows formed the Pitchstone Plateau in southwestern Yellowstone National Park. The scientists also believe that this swelling will take place for many years prior to the next eruption possibly as many as several hundred years. During February 2023, the University of Utah Seismograph Stations, responsible for the operation and analysis of the Yellowstone Seismic Network, located 168 earthquakes in the Yellowstone National Park region. "This is perhaps the most common misconception about Yellowstone, and about volcanoes in general. Tracking changes in Yellowstone's restless volcanic system. "This magma also needs to be distributed so that it can mobilize and erupt as a coherent body. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. The most likely explosive event to occur at Yellowstone is actually a hydrothermal explosion (a rock hurling geyser eruption) or a lava flow. The narrator of the documentary spoke about the results of the simulation study. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock () or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. What is the most immediate danger associated with a Yellowstone eruption? Steam explosions, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions -- what's in Yellowstone's future? In terms of large explosions, Yellowstone has experienced three at 2.08, 1.3, and 0.631 million years ago. Steam explosions, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions -- what's in Yellowstone's future? There is also significant diversity in their triggering mechanisms. Can we drill into Yellowstone to stop it from erupting? Yellowstone hasn't erupted for 70,000 years, so it's going to take some impressive earthquakes and ground uplift to get things started. The most recent volcanic activity at Yellowstone consisted of rhyolitic lava flows that erupted approximately 70,000 years ago. "Having thousands of earthquakes in a short period of time (a few weeks), with many felt events, would be noteworthy, as long as it was not an aftershock sequence from a tectonic event," Poland said. RealLifeLore RealLifeLore goes on to say that lava from the volcano would destroy just about everything within a 40-mile radius of. In the next few hundred years, hazards will most probably be limited to ongoing geys, This region of Yellowstone National Park has been the active focus of one of the Earth's largest magmatic systems for more than 2 million years. Volcanism on an immense scale largely shaped the unique landscape of central and western Yellowstone Park, and intimately related tectonism and seismicity continue even now. Assessing the relative threats posed by U.S. volcanoes identifies which volcanoes warrant the greatest risk-mitigation efforts by the U.S. Geological Survey and its partners. The park is rich inhydrothermal featuresevidence of the magma that lies beneath the surface. Thanks to John's dedication and the power of AI, many lives were saved and the world was better prepared for the catastrophic event. Rimmed by a crescent of older mountainous terrain, Yellowstone National Park has at its core the Quaternary Yellowstone Plateau, an undulating landscape shaped by forces of late Cenozoic explosive and effusive vol, The superlative hot springs, geysers, and fumarole fields of Yellowstone National Park are vivid reminders of a recent volcanic past. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. The pool of magma underneath Yellowstone is huge, and it will take days or weeks to empty. "Initial findings were that the magma chamber beneath Yellowstone was only 5-15% molten. 3. - Anil Agga. In terms of large explosions, Yellowstone has experienced three at 2.08, 1.3, and 0.631 million years ago. If one could even call it that, one positive benefit would be a huge reduction in global warming. Geologists have been able to find a layer of ash from the last eruption in the rock layers all the way on the East Coast. Some of this ash will fall to create accumulations of up to 10 feet within a couple hundred miles of Yellowstone. Why are there so many earthquakes at Yellowstone? Almost all earthquakes at Yellowstone are brittle-failure events caused when rocks break due to crustal stresses. The last Yellowstone eruptions would have been total surprises to the existing life on Earth. The ash, along with different volcanic gases, will block out much of the suns energy. Alien-like giant phantom jellyfish spotted in frigid waters off Antarctica, Haunting 'mermaid' mummy discovered in Japan is even weirder than scientists expected, The ultimate action-packed science and technology magazine bursting with exciting information about the universe, Subscribe today and save an extra 5% with checkout code 'LOVE5', Engaging articles, amazing illustrations & exclusive interviews, Issues delivered straight to your door or device. Yellowstone earthquake activity is currently at background levels. The ejected material would be so vast that it would quickly blanket most of the entire US and Canada. Thankfully, they'll all miss. We will have time to prepare and it wont be happening anytime soon. Given that volcanoes tend to erupt only when a vast amount of magma is readily available, should this finding be a cause for concern? What happens during an eruption? Chart and map of ancient eruptions of Yellowstone supervolcano. Other recent research has examined the processes taking place under the ground in the Yellowstone region, shedding light on the eruptive potential of the volcano. How big is the magma chamber under Yellowstone? Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. Many aspects of our daily lifeare vulnerable to volcano hazards,including air travel, regionalpower generation and transmissioninfrastructure, interstatetransportatio, Yellowstone, one of the worlds largest active volcanic systems, has produced several giant volcanic eruptions in the past few million years, as well as many smaller eruptions and steam explosions. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Meanwhile, individual supereruptions can take place over periods of days to weeks, or be spread out over decades. The deeper reservoir is composed of basalt (a low-silica rock type) and extends from 20 to 50 Scientists use the term magma for molten rock that is underground and lava for molten rock that breaks through the Earth's surface. Official websites use .gov Even so, the math doesnt work out for the volcano to be overdue for an eruption. "It is covered in terms of seismicity and ground deformation. If the volcano were to erupt in a similar fashion to the explosion 70,000 years ago - its last eruption - it would kill an. Yellowstone National Park sits atop a giant supervolcano that is considered to be active, albeit currently dormant. In the case of a large eruption, scientists expect that the period beforehand would be characterized by intense activity far exceeding normal background levels in various locations across the Yellowstone supervolcano. The largest earthquake of the month in this sequence, a magnitude 2.4 event, occurred on February 14 at 3:03 AM MST. In a related report by The Inquisitr, it's claimed that the recent Yellowstone earthquakes won't trigger a volcano, but scientists have acknowledged that if a Yellowstone volcano were to erupt the Continue reading Yellowstone . Castle currently has no prediction available. Recent Work and News When supereruptions do occur more than once in a volcanic system, they are not evenly spaced in time. These eruptions do not happen at regular intervals making them difficult to predict, not to mention the fact that there is no direct way to see what is going on beneath a volcano. Most scientists think that the buildup preceding a catastrophic eruption would be detectable for weeks and perhaps months to years. The gigantic volcano in Yellowstone has erupted three times over the last two million years, covering a huge area of surrounding land. The last major eruption in Yellowstone took place a little more than 630,000 years ago. But not only was the park open, but the ground in Yellowstone has also actually been subsiding, or deflating, in recent years. Even when a volcano is quiet, steep volcanic slopes can collapse to become landslides, and large rocks can be hurled by powerful steam blasts. Most of the national park and vicinity are sparsely populated, but significant numbers of people as well as park resources could nevertheless be at risk from these hazards. If Yellowstone does erupt again, it need not be a large eruption. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Will Yellowstone erupt anytime soon? And the study isnt talking about a few inches it is talking possibly several or more meters. The Yellowstone Caldera is the largest supervolcano on the North American continent. Consequences of eruptions fromU.S. volcanoes can extend farbeyond the volcanos immediatearea. 4. NY 10036. Learn more: Yellowstone Eruption History The evolution of the Yellowstone Plateau Volcani Field: Past, present, and future! A lock () or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Scientists at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory(YVO) closely monitor the Yellowstone region for such precursors. Sharp volcanic ash may be the most immediate concern, but the long-term impactis worse. Learn more:Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. (Image credit: zrfphoto via Getty Images), In rare case, mother delivers two sets of identical twins, back to back, 'Brain-eating' amoeba case in Florida potentially tied to unfiltered water in sinus rinse, Painful 'cross-shaped incision' in medieval woman's skull didn't kill her, but second surgery did, Human brain looks years 'older' after just one night without sleep, small study shows. But is it possible to predict when the volcano will next erupt? Winds would also carry ash to Europe and the rest of the world, where it could trigger extreme weather changes. 2. That's what a bevy of conspiracy-minded bloggers have been claiming, anyway. The most likely explosive event to occur at Yellowstone is actually a hydrothermal explosion (a rock hurling geyser eruption) or a lava flow. The . Of courseit will. This will kill many animals, including humans, that try to breathe it in. Volcanoes do not work in predictable ways and their eruptions do not follow predictable schedules. The term "supervolcano" implies a volcanic center that has had an eruption of magnitude 8 on the Volcano Explosivity Index (VEI), meaning that at one point in time it erupted more than 1,000 cubic kilometers (240 cubic miles) of material. Despite the tools now available to scientists, one study published in the journal Nature Reviews Earth and Environment last year found that giant supervolcano eruptions are hard to predict because they are so diverse in the rapidity of onset, duration of eruption, and triggering mechanisms, among other factors. An example of GPS data can be found at http://www.unavco.org/instrumentation/networks/status/pbo/data/NRWY (click on Static Plots / Cleaned), The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) provides long-term monitoring of volcanic and earthquake activity in the Yellowstone National Park region. Tracking changes in Yellowstone's restless volcanic system, The Quaternary and Pliocene Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. The Yellowstone supervolcano, located in northwestern Wyoming, has experienced three giant explosions in the past two million years or so, which were among the largest eruptions known to man. Pyroclastic flows from this eruption left thick volcanic deposits known as the Lava Creek Tuff, which can be seen in the south-facing cliffs east of Madison, where they form the north wall of the caldera. The resulting volcanism has been characterized by the eruption of voluminous rhyolites and subordinate basalts but virtually no lavas of intermediate composition. Yellowstone is not overdue for an eruption. The caldera system has had plenty of smaller . Given the inherent uncertainties, however, it is even possible that Yellowstone will never see an eruption on such a scale again. Given that supervolcanoes often go through periods of unrest, including seismic activity, ground deformation, and gas emissions, the monitoring of these processes must contend with the challenge of differentiating "normal" unrest from signs that an eruption is imminent, the authors of the Nature study wrote. 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