Yellowstone Rumblings: Nothing to Fear?

[Paddy by Grace]

www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1954938,00.html

Be sure to click on the links for more information

By Pat Dawson
The Yellowstone caldera was created by an enormous super-volcanic explosion 640,000 years ago. Ever since, the area has been the the site of earthquake activity. Indeed, a map of the historic seismicity of the region over the last 20 years shows swarms of dots much like so many busy bees.
On Monday, a swarm of nearly 500 earthquakes on the western edge of Yellowstone National Park began. Though they increased in frequency and intensity Tuesday, experts who monitor the area say they did not warrant emergency measures. A little over one year ago, there was some concern over a series of quakes centered around the north shore of Yellowstone Lake, which overlays some of the ancient, yet still simmering, Yellowstone Caldera. (See why a spurt of quake activity raised fears in Yellowstone.)
The latest activity is further west, about 10 miles north of Old Faithful Geyser and nine miles from the gateway entrance town of West Yellowstone, Montana. One quake at 2:31 p.m. Mountain Time registered a 3.7 magnitude. It followed five earlier quakes of at least magnitude 3. www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1948284,00.html
Rather than being triggered by lava-flow murmurings deep in the Yellowstone Caldera, the latest quakes are believed to be the result of shifting plate tectonics, according to a statement issued by the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO), which is operated by the University of Utah and the U.S. Geological Survey. "At this time the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory does not consider the swarm to be unusual and the earthquakes are likely related to tectonic fault sources," the statement said. "Also there is no indication of premonitory volcanic or hydrothermal activity, but ongoing analyses will evaluate these different sources."
The YVO acknowledged the quakes were being felt by residents and winter visitors to the park: "There have been multiple personal reports of ground shaking from observations inside Yellowstone National Park and in neighboring communities in Montana and Idaho for some of the larger events." However, the observatory downplayed public concerns. "Earthquake swarms of this nature are relatively common in Yellowstone National Park."

[mlynn]

I thought you might be interested in more of the recent (within 10 years) activity at Yellowstone. The incidents in 2003/2004 got me very interested in the happenings at yellowstone. Here is some information, first being a description of just how dangerous Yellowstone is:

THE YELLOWSTONE CALDERA

The most recent caldera-forming eruption about 650,000 years ago produced a caldera 53 x 28 miles (85 x 45 kilometers) across in what is now Yellowstone National Park (Figure 2). During that eruption, ground-hugging flows of hot volcanic ash, pumice, and gases swept across an area of more than 3,000 square miles. When these enormous pyroclastic flows finally stopped, they solidified to form a layer of rock called the Lava Creek Tuff. Its volume was about 240 cubic miles (1,000 cubic kilometers), enough material to cover Wyoming with a layer 13 feet thick or the entire conterminous United States with a layer 5 inches thick. The Lava Creek Tuff has been exposed by erosion at Tuff Cliff, a popular Yellowstone attraction along the lower Gibbon River.

The eruption also shot a column of volcanic ash and gases high into Earth's stratosphere. This volcanic cloud circled the globe many times and affected Earth's climate by reducing the intensity of solar radiation reaching the lower atmosphere and surface. Fine volcanic ash that fell downwind from the eruption site blanketed much of North America. This ash layer is still preserved in deposits as far away as Iowa, where it is a few inches thick, and the Gulf of Mexico, where it is recognizable in drill cores from the sea floor.

Lava flows have since buried and obscured most of the caldera, but the underlying processes responsible for Yellowstone's
tremendous volcanic eruptions are still at work. Eventually, another "bead" may be added to Yellowstone's 300-mile-long string of calderas, with global consequences that are beyond human experience and impossible to anticipate fully.

Here is a link to a map showing just how large of an area would be affected if Yellowstone were once again to blow: www.news.wisc.edu/newsphotos/images/volano_lg.jpg

In 2003, parts of Yellowstone were closed to the public for a few months. Here is a report concerning that issue:

NORRIS GEYSER BASIN

A temporary closure at Norris has been in effect since July 23, 2003. The closure is clearly marked and covers most of the western portion of the Back Basin trail starting at the Norris Museum. The foot trail itself is at boiling temperatures and the potential for a steam explosion is considered to be very high. While predictions can be made for volcanic explosions, steam explosions cannot be predicted. Steamboat and Echinus Geysers and all of Porcelain Basin remain open to the public

In July, 2003, Yellowstone Park rangers closed the entire Norris Geyser Basin because of deformation of the land and excessive high ground temperatures. There is an area that is 28 miles long by 7 miles wide that has bulged upward over five inches since 1996, and this year the ground temperature on that bulge has reached over 200 degrees (measured one inch below ground level).

There was no choice but to close off the entire area. Everything in this area is dying: The trees, flowers, grass and shrubs. A dead zone is developing and spreading outward. The animals are literally migrating out of the park.

Then during the last part of July one of the Park geologists discovered a huge bulge at the bottom of Yellowstone Lake. The bulge has already risen over 100 feet from the bottom of the lake and the water temperature at the surface of the bulge has reached 88 degrees and is still rising.

Keep in mind that Yellowstone Lake is a high mountain lake with very cold water temperatures. The Lake is now closed to the public. It is filled with dead fish floating everywhere. The same is true of the Yellowstone river and most of the other streams in the Park. Dead and dying fish are filling the water everywhere.

Many of the picnic areas in the Park have been closed and people visiting the Park usually stay but a few hours before leaving since the stench of sulfur is so strong they literally can't stand the smell.

The irony of all this is the silence by the news media and our government. Very little information is available from Yellowstone personnel or publications. What mainstream newsstories do appear underscore the likelihood of a massive volcanic eruption. Though geologists publicly admit Yellowstone is “overdue,” they have been quoted as stating another massive magma release may not occur for 100,000 or 2 million years. Others close to the story are convinced that a massive eruption is imminent. A source that has demonstrated first-hand knowledge of the park's history and recent geothermal events stated the following: “The American people are not being told that the explosion of this 'super volcano' could happen at any moment. When Yellowstone does blow, some geologists predict that every living thing within six hundred miles is likely to die. The movement of magma has been detected just three-tenths of a mile below the bulging surface of the ground in Yellowstone raising concerns that this super volcano may erupt soon.”

[mlynn]

Here is a link on Yellowstone and what role it may play in the end times events. Rather intriguing:
www.moneyteachers.org/Yellowstone.htm