The super-volcano under Yellowstone National Park in California is an even bigger threat to the US than previously thought, scientists have found. Researchers from the University of Utah said the volcanos magma chamber - a lake of molten rock beneath the National Park - is approximately 2.5 times bigger than earlier estimates suggested. If the volcano were to erupt today, scientists predict that the resulting ash cloud would affect areas 1,000 miles away, leaving two thirds of the entire US uninhabitable. The University issued a statement saying Todays event is the largest earthquake at Yellowstone since February 22, 1980, and occurred near the center of a region of recent ground uplift described in a YVO Information Statement on February 18, 2014. The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory has been tracking this uplift episode for about 7 months. As discussed in the March 3, 2014 YVO Monthly Update, seismicity in the general region of the uplift has been elevated for several months. A previous period of uplift in this area occurred between 1996 and 2003, and it was also accompanied by elevated seismicity. A USGS field team is in Yellowstone and will visit the area near the earthquakes epicenter today. The team will look for any surface changes that the earthquake may have caused, and for possible effects to the hydrothermal system at Norris Geyser Basin. Water temperatures in Yellowstone today are also showing dramatic increases, which may indicate the rise of molten magma underground toward the surface. In the Gray Lakes Tributary a dramatic increase in water temperature, rising almost twenty degrees Fahrenheit this morning as shown in the LIVE chart... turnerradionetwork/news/389-pat
Posted on: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 23:56:51 +0000
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