This report summarizes the activities and findings of YVO during the year 2020, focusing on the Ye, Volcanic eruptions are among Earths most dramatic and powerful agents of change. If one could even call it that, one positive benefit would be a huge reduction in global warming. Overview. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS . Even so, the math doesnt work out for the volcano to be overdue for an eruption. Winds would carry ash to the East Coast of the US in amounts that would still be dangerous to human lungs. Is Yellowstone monitored for volcanic activity? In addition, 48 earthquakes were added to the ongoing seismicity that began last summer about 14 miles south-southwest of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Scientists at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory(YVO) closely monitor the Yellowstone region for such precursors. The caldera inside Yellowstone National Park spreads over the three states of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana and poses a significant threat in the event of a supereruption. The chamber is mostly solid, with only about 5-15% melt. The most recent volcanic activity at Yellowstone consisted of rhyolitic lava flows that erupted approximately 70,000 years ago. The Yellowstone supervolcano has unleashed three cataclysmic eruptions in the past 2.1 million years; all well before humans populated North America. "Given Yellowstone's past history, the yearly probability of another caldera-forming eruption could be calculated as 1 in 730,000 or 0.00014%. The ash that gets caught in the stratosphere will stay suspended for months or even years. Besides intense earthquake swarms (with many earthquakes above M4 or M5) we expect rapid and notable uplift around the caldera (possibly tens of inches per year). The last eruption was 640,000 years ago . "The eruption of Mount St. Helens would be a small firecracker compared to one of the major caldera eruptions of Yellowstone," Fairley said. A lock () or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. The largest earthquake of the month in this sequence, a magnitude 2.4 event, occurred on February 14 at 3:03 AM MST. Humans who were in its path would surely die, but it would not mean the extinction of the entire human race. 4. Every few thousand years, a hydrothermal explosion will form a crater as much as a few hundred meters across. 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. The Yellowstone supervolcano is an eight out of eight on the Volcanic Explosivity Index but has only erupted three times in the last 2.1 million years. A short documentary by What If asks: What if the Yellowstone Volcano erupted tomorrow? The documentary runs a Yellowstone Volcano eruption simulation to explore what the subsequent effects would be,the Expressreported. Other 'supervolcanoes' would likely include the large caldera volcanoes of Japan, Indonesia, Alaska (e.g. 3. But at some point, Yellowstone is going to erupt. This update, At least 170 volcanoes in 12 Statesand 2 territories have erupted inthe past 12,000 years and havethe potential to erupt again. He is drawn to the weird, wonderful and under examined, as well as anything related to life in the Arctic Circle. Learn more: Yellowstone Eruption History The evolution of the Yellowstone Plateau Volcani Field: Past, present, and future! But unlike the San Andreas Fault, its not an earthquake that is a disaster waiting to happen in Yellowstone its a massive volcanic eruption. She or he will best know the preferred format. It is, of course, more complicated than that there are many variables at play but for that reason, it makes more sense to say that a fault is 'overdue' for an earthquake.". While there are some (to put it mildly) inaccuracies with the clip, fascination surrounds the volcano. ThisEarthWord is straight up steampunk New study investigates groundwater from the air, 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. Having said that, eruption forecasting has significantly improved in the past two decades or so, and there are now a number of signs scientists can look for that may be giveaways of an imminent eruption. What is a supervolcano? In the early 2000s, the term supereruption began being used as a catchy way to describe VEI 8 eruptions. How big is the magma chamber under Yellowstone? Research published in the journal Science (opens in new tab) in December 2022 found that the Yellowstone caldera holds more liquid molten rock than previously estimated. In the last 3 million years, it has erupted with tremendous force only three times. 2. Why should your family not worry too much about the Yellowstone volcano? But wait, theres more. How overdue is a Yellowstone eruption? 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. Steam Explosions, Earthquakes, and Volcanic EruptionsWhats in Yellowstones Future? Heres how it works. What is the most immediate danger associated with a Yellowstone eruption? 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 likely explosive event to occur at Yellowstone is actually a hydrothermal explosion (a rock hurling geyser eruption) or a lava flow. Sharp volcanic ash may be the most immediate concern, but the long-term impactis worse. Explosive events of this size erupt so much magma that Volcanoes that have produced exceedingly voluminous pyroclastic eruptions and formed large calderas in the past 2 million years include Yellowstone in northwest Wyoming, Long Valley in eastern California, Toba in Indonesia, and Taupo in New Zealand. Will it erupt again anytime soon? National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. Tephra can range in size from tiny particles of ash to house-size boulders. Scientists are monitoring the volcano 24 hours a day, measuring everything from geyser eruptions, hot spring temperaturesand ground uplift. The paper found that they can start mildly over weeks to months before escalating, or going into vigorous activity immediately. The magmatic system at depth remains active and drives the massive hydrothermal circulation, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Reston, VA 20192, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Region 12: Pacific Islands (American Samoa, Hawaii, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). The supervolcano's last eruption was 631,000 years . U.S. Geological Survey Instead, magma would be shot with great force, most of it blasted into the sky. 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. The most recent volcanic activity at Yellowstone consisted of rhyolitic lava flows that erupted approximately 70,000 years ago. When it comes to lava and magma flows spewing forth from this volcanic eruption, Yellowstone National Park would likely need to evacuate everyone within a 40 to 50 mile radius. Yellowstone made the news recently because Steamboat Geyser, one of Yellowstones famous geysers, completely changed eruption patterns. Of courseit will. The last full-scale eruption of the Yellowstone Supervolcano, the Lava Creek eruption which happened nearly 640,000 years ago, ejected approximately 240 cubic miles of rock, dust and volcanic ash into the sky.Geologists are closely monitoring the rise and fall of the Yellowstone Plateau, which measures on average 0.6 inches yearly, as an Yellowstone's supervolcano last erupted 70,000 years ago. The odds that the Yellowstone supervolcano will erupt are roughly the same as those that the National Weather Service estimates you'll get struck by lightning in your lifetime: 1 in 10,000. RealLifeLore RealLifeLore goes on to say that lava from the volcano would destroy just about everything within a 40-mile radius of. TheYellowstone Calderais the largestsupervolcanoon the North American continent. And the study isnt talking about a few inches it is talking possibly several or more meters. The far south of Canada could also get hit, as well as the far north of Mexico. Due to the magma beneath the surface, the Yellowstone region experiences many small earthquakes, ground deformation and other geological activity on a regular basis. What are some examples of supervolcanoes? Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Yellowstone is the largest volcanic system in North America, second-most in the world, and its most active supervolcano hotspot has moved toward the Northeast over time. In Yellowstone, ground uplift, for example, can be caused by other factors other than upward magma movements, like water or gas accumulation. Wednesday, March 1, 2023, 9:30 AM MST (Wednesday, March 1, 2023, 16:30 UTC), There were no recorded eruptions of Steamboat Geyser during the month of February, and the total number of eruptions for the year remains at two. Although another catastrophic eruption at Yellowstone is possible, scientists are not convinced that one will ever happen. The two times before that occurred roughly 1.3 million and 2.1 million years ago. What type of eruption will Yellowstone have if it erupts again? Most volcanic systems that have a supereruption do not have them multiple times. That was proved once again in late May, when the Steamboat Geyser - Yellowstone's tallest and most unpredictable geyser - erupted for the first time since 2003. The study estimated that tens of millions of people who live within a 621-mile radius of the volcano would die from the ash alone. So should we be worried? The . Fortunately, the chances of this sort of eruption at Yellowstone are exceedingly small in the next few thousands of years. Those parts of the surrounding states of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming that are closest to Yellowstone would be affected by pyroclastic flows, while other places in the United States would be impacted byfalling ash (the amount of ash would decrease with distance from the eruption site). 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