YELLOWSTONE EARTHQUAKE SWARM: Quakes Rock National Park For Third Straight Day

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Yellowstone National Park was jostled by a host of small earthquakes for a third straight day Monday, and scientists watched closely to see whether the more than 250 tremors were a sign of something bigger to come. Swarms of small earthquakes happen frequently in Yellowstone, but it's very unusual for so many earthquakes to happen over several days, said Robert Smith, a professor of geophysics at the University of Utah.

"They're certainly not normal," Smith said. "We haven't had earthquakes in this energy or extent in many years."

Smith directs the Yellowstone Seismic Network, which operates seismic stations around the park. He said the quakes have ranged in strength from barely detectable to one of magnitude 3.8 that happened Saturday. A magnitude 4 quake is capable of producing moderate damage.

"This is an active volcanic and tectonic area, and these are the kinds of things we have to pay attention to," Smith said. "We might be seeing something precursory.

"Could it develop into a bigger fault or something related to hydrothermal activity? We don't know. That's what we're there to do, to monitor it for public safety."

The strongest of dozens of tremors Monday was a magnitude 3.3 quake shortly after noon. All the quakes were centered beneath the northwest end of Yellowstone Lake.

A park ranger based at the north end of the lake reported feeling nine quakes over a 24-hour period over the weekend, according to park spokeswoman Stacy Vallie. No damage was reported.

"There doesn't seem to be anything to be alarmed about," Vallie said.

Smith said it's difficult to say what might be causing the tremors. He pointed out that Yellowstone is the caldera of a volcano that last erupted 70,000 years ago.

He said Yellowstone remains very geologically active _ and its famous geysers and hot springs are a reminder that a pool of magma still exists five to 10 miles underground.

"That's just the surface manifestation of the enormous amount of heat that's being released through the system," he said.

Yellowstone has had significant earthquakes as well as minor ones in recent decades. In 1959, a magnitude 7.5 quake near Hebgen Lake just west of the park triggered a landslide that killed 28 people.

Comments

[anothermba]

Yellowstone is the earth's reset button.

We all deal with danger by joking which is very evident in the comments. But here is something to think about: those of you that know about a theory called the Toba event know that all of the human species was nearly snuffed out by a huge eruption (in a different area) about 70,000 years ago. It reduced the number of people to mere 10,000. Or as they say 1000 breeding pairs. All of the humanity is the children of those 1000 breeding pairs. We are one species. Yet instead of combining our efforts to preserve ourselves we create weapons to obliterate ourselves in the name of country, god, religion &etc.
No single person can create a good enough evacuation method for catastrophes like this, were it to happen. It requires the combined effort of all of humanity. Imagine what could be achieved if instead of spending half a trillion dollars per year to acquire new weapons to fight other humans if the US government spent that to develop means to fight nature. And the same goes for other countries. What's a country? Nature does not care about national borders. It's time 6 billion members of one species started behaving like one species.

[normalkid0615]

YES! I love you! Competition between humans is horrible. We will never fix the worlds problems.

[bushgirlsgone]

.

That's not what the Babble tells me.

[rixon]

to the person that said 70 000 years ago humans was nearly snuffed out,,,this is not true for man has only been on this earth for 6000 years,, and there was only one man, and his name was adam, then woman was created, by GOD,, the earth has been around for millions of years,, but man and woman has only been on this planet for 6000 years.

[tommy potatoes]

I like to check in to watch the Old Faithful webcam, once in a while. Maybe one day, I might check in and see Old Faithful shooting up flames and lava instead of steam, eh?

Bummer...

[Zenith1959]

Not funny to think about, but maybe in a week, maybe in 10,000 years Yellowstone is going to erupt and in the words of that REM song"...it's the end of the world as we know it"

[MFM008]

Those silly Mayans and their 2012.... What they didnt see coming was the extinction of their OWN civilization.

[normalkid0615]

Yes they did, See Lord Pacal's tomb. He predicted infertility, famine, and droughts. Feathered Serpent. He was the Jesus Christ of his time.

[bushgirlsgone]

.

Recently some direct ancestors of the Mayans were found living in Mexico and now they are pushing to have the Mayan language be taught in Mexican schools, and have signs translsted into Mayan, so the Mexican governent sent them to California.

[Archie1955]

If these tremors are the precursor to a super volcanic eruption then the whole of the US is at risk, if not the world (nuclear winter but in this case volcanic winter). The whole northwest would be devestated by volcanic ash and catastrophic destruction including Seattle, Portland and San Franscisco. Even Vancouver, BC would be affected although luckily the prevailing winds are West to East so ash should not be a problem until it has gone at least once around the world. If we think we have problems now just wait.

[Tulkor]

Ah but swarms can just be swarms (no matter that this one is the most intense swarm seen in many years). Swarms can be precursors to an eruption along with other signs. But what kind of eruption can vary. Just because Yellowstone is a super volcano by nature does not mean that any eruption is a super volcanic eruption. It can be smaller like the one that occured 70,000 years ago roughly. Scientists say this is more likely to happen when it goes boom. But a super volcanic eruption is not a question of IF but WHEN.
It is interesting to read up on this unusual swarm but don't give into fear mongering on the internet. When it happens it happens...nothing we can do about it besides not going anywhere near that area : P

[watchingthings]

Yellowstone is sitting on top of one of the worlds largest volcanic calderas created by the "hotspot" underneath. The eruptions at yellowstone are mind boggling but this is likely nothing but just a little setttling in. If past eruptions are to be used as a guage......yellowstone is still hundreds of years from its next eruption.

[somsoc]

It doesn't pay to mess with mother nature.

[firewmn]

I live at the edge of the pyroplastic wave...(?)- I think that is what Discovery called it... anyways when it hits- I hope I'm sleeping..

Frying up sounds better than suffocation from the cement particals in my lungs..

Anyways... I just assume be sleeping..

my husband has an evacuation plan- head north than west- but in reality- we don't stand a chance..

like I said- I just hope I'm sleeping-- and it's after Obama's innagruation- because I want to watch it.
**

[bbriani3842]

Did you mean "pyroclastic flow" -- if that's the case, yes, I agree -- you won't feel a thing (awake or not).

[firewmn]

yes.. and thank you..

[XCITIZEN]

Remember on Saturday Night Live when Rosanne Rosanadana explained how Mt. St. Helens blew? She said it was like a big pimple that popped. So my question is - to all the geological geniuses here, if we really did face the eruption of the Yellowstone Caldera, if it was imminent - is there some way that over this caldera there could be some kind of drilling or detonation technique that could open the magma pool and let it up onto the earths crust?

I sincerely want someone who has knowledge to explain - because if we were literally facing the extinction of humankind, would we not find a way to deal with that threat? We got to the moon - we got to Mars, so what about this?

Also - I have one experience with a Volcano - I was in Eastern Washington when Mt. St. Helens erupted. Saw the announcement in a graphic runner across the bottom of the TV screen - I went out onto the deck and looked westward - and saw that a dark line was forming in the sky above the valleys between the low mountains. That dark line grew until it spread across the sky - the sky went dark, and it rained down ash for hours and hours - it looked like snow falling beneath the streetlights.

One of the strangest experiences of my life - but not particularly frightening. I was much younger. This Yellowstone thing sounds scary as hell.

[Tulkor]

go to the USGS website they explain everything.

and drilling into the volcano, as explained on the website, would not only be extremely costly in tech....but would also prove pointless because drilling into the mushy rock wouldnt do anything. The hole would be formed by crystalization or something. again read the site for better wording : P

[XCITIZEN]

Fact: Gays are responsible for Earthquakes, FIrestorms, massive Floods. So WHY, WHY WHY would you want to continue pissing them off? When are you people gonna wake up?

[MelRoy]

I blame the gophers, personally.

[normalkid0615]

Damn liberals and their abortions.

[Montanagramma]

Yet, the states that would be hit first and hardest are "red" states. Darn !! Maybe Wyoming should reign in Cheney - that could be the problem! But, here in MT I'm fairly certain there are those who would blame the "liberals". I think I may be outnumbered!!

[Mort]

Where's Boo Boo? Has anyone seen him? I haven't heard a word and I'm starting to get worried.

[whoknew---]

No worries....

He went with Yogi on a road trip...

with all these economic woes they had to expand their territories lookin' for picnic baskets...

[Mort]

Whew! Thanks!

[scornflakes]

Seriously, I can't believe people are worried about the possibility of Wyoming blowing up. After the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, it was determined that its force was so powerful that the Earth wobbled on its axis, literally changing the shape of the planet, and altering the length of an Earth day by -2.676 microseconds. Time, in a manner of speaking, actually stopped. So, while a bunch of moronic monotheists are blowing each other up over a dusty few square miles of rock on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, what gives me solace is that at any moment the planet just might shake Yahweh, Allah, Jesus, god and all of their devotees off into the vacuum of space, and start all over with the bees.

[BabsfromKansas]

killer bees or honey bees?

[scornflakes]

bumble

[mick7191]

You don't believe it could? I mean. it did happen before. And it is the largest volcano on the planet. And they say it would make Mt. St. Helen look like a wet f@rt. And I think they also say it is due to blow. Maybe on Dec. 21, 2012?

[Tulkor]

It is not a question of if but when. It isnt argued by scientists on the if....just the when. They say we are "overdue" for one, whatever that means....so it could happen in a few weeks or even a thousand years. but the fact is it WILL happen.

end of the world, no. world affected greatly, yes. lots of people dying, duh.

[BabsfromKansas]

I had a dream, which was not all a dream.
The bright sun was extinguish'd, and the stars
Did wander darkling in the eternal space,
Rayless, and pathless, and the icy earth
Swung blind and blackening in the moonless air

Lord Byron

[Nolana]

Was this written, by any chance, in 1816? You know, the year after Tambora erupted and the dust and SO2 in the air caused the "Year Without a Summer"?

[firewmn]

**
SuperVolcano = OH NOooooooooo...! I will have just enough time to get out of my driveway..
**

[NealHib]

I have tried, tired and tried again.
I have talked to the Governor, State Senators, written letters to the editors of all the state newspapers, all with no results.
With the pending super volcano that is overdue from Yellowstone, The time is now for, Wyoming, "The Cowboy State", to change it's motto to "Wyoming - Destined to Doom Mankind".

[shaktidurga]

Dude. There's only ONE state newspaper. And if you think the Casper Star-Tribune's gonna solve the world's problems...

I do like the idea of changing the state motto to "Wyoming: Destined to Doom Mankind" however. An erupting supervolcano would have made a MUCH cooler statehood quarter than the Bucking Horse And Rider silhouette.

[MTNG]

Mankind could be already gone by the time the caldera erupts.

Better on the coin: Grand Tetons, Old Faithful or a spaceship landing at Devil's Tower. The quarter was boring.

[NealHib]

That explains why the Pennysaver never printed my letter to the editor.