GLOBAL VOLCANISM: "Incredibly Alarming"- Video Shows Increased Activity At Yellowstone!

Range and thickness of Yellowstone supervolcano's eruption 640,000 years ago.© USGS

April 18, 2016 - YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, UNITED STATES - Over the past week, our planet has been hit by large earthquake after large earthquake, and according to Volcano Discovery there are 38 volcanoes around the world that are erupting right now. We have seen a dramatic spike in global seismic activity that is unlike anything that we have seen in ages, and that is why what is going on at Yellowstone is so incredibly alarming. Geologists tell us that a full-blown eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano would have up to 2,000 times the power of the Mount St. Helens volcanic eruption of 1980, and approximately two-thirds of the country would immediately become uninhabitable. As you will see below, there are signs that something big is getting ready to happen at Yellowstone, and if it does erupt all of our lives will be permanently changed forever.

I want to share with you some footage from Yellowstone that was recorded on Thursday night. In this video, it appears to be as bright as day even though it is the middle of the night, you can see a whole host of geysers steaming violently, and Old Faithful just keeps going off over and over...


WATCH: Incredible footage from Yellowstone.

This stunning footage was posted by a YouTube user known as Kat Martin 2016, and the following is what she had to say about the video that you just saw...

There are places s(t)eaming I have never seen steam before.... and also note that the bright ground is back. There are no shadows, so it is not from above! As you know the cameras were froze up last night, so we could not see what was going ....or so we thought LOL...I found a way. Somehow (don't ask me how), the Geyser Observation Study site was able to capture the ENTIRE night with NO freeze ups and cutting in and out....how is THAT? Anyway, I got it and slowed it down so you can see better. Old Faithful had weird seismos last night, and was going off constantly.

But it wasn't just that one night. The weird activity at Yellowstone has continued, and you can watch even more recent footage that Kat Martin has posted right here and right here.

So what does this mean?

I don't know, but watching that footage definitely got my attention.

And it is interesting to note that just a few weeks ago the Shoshone River changed color and started boiling without any warning whatsoever...

The Shoshone River, near Yellowstone National Park, suddenly and without warning started boiling, changed color and began to emit a sulfuric odor on March 25. Nearby witnesses wondered if they were "all going to die." The current consensus among geologists and other experts is that a portion of the Shoshone River began to boil, located near Cody, Wyoming, and a new Yellowstone vent has opened up.

As Mysterious Universe reports, the boiling river near Yellowstone runs just east of Yellowstone National Park. It is close enough to the park and super volcano to be a "canary in a coal mine" as it relates to unusual geothermic events. The event was initially recorded by Dewey Vanderhoff, a photographer who spotted the Shoshone River near Yellowstone boiling and noted other bizarre features in the river.

When a river located above a supervolcano that could wipe out most of the country starts boiling, you would think that would make headline news all over the nation.

But it didn't.

It would be exceedingly difficult to overstate the potential danger that Yellowstone poses to the United States. Other than an extremely large asteroid or meteor, it is hard to imagine any natural disaster that would pose a greater threat. The following comes from an excellent article by Steve Elwart...

The Yellowstone Caldera, or cauldron, sits on top of North America's largest volcanic field. Four hundred miles under the Earth's surface is a magma 'hotspot' that reaches up to just 30 miles below ground level before spreading out over an area of 300 miles across three states.

Over all this sits the volcano.

While most scientists believe the probability of a major eruption is very small, there are signs that have some analysts worried, and most agree the volcano holds catastrophic potential. It could blast 240 cubic miles of ash, rocks and lava into the atmosphere, rendering about two-thirds of the nation immediately uninhabitable, according to some estimates, and plunge the world into a "nuclear winter."

That certainly does not sound good.

And as I mentioned above, volcanic activity all over the planet is rising. 38 volcanoes are erupting at the moment, and it seems like we hear about another new eruption almost every day now.

But let us hope that Yellowstone does not erupt any time soon.

There are approximately 3,000 earthquakes in the area around Yellowstone every single year, so it is a very seismically active region. In the event of a full-scale eruption of Yellowstone, virtually the entire northwest United States will be completely destroyed. Basically everything within a 100 mile radius would be immediately killed, Salt Lake City would literally be toast, and almost everyone and everything in Denver would be dead in short order.

Further away, volcanic ash would rain down continually for weeks. Those foolish enough to step outside would quickly discover that the ash turns into a substance similar to cement in the lungs, and many would die from suffocation.

The amount of volcanic ash released by Yellowstone would be almost unimaginable. In fact, it has been estimated that a full-blown eruption would dump a layer of volcanic ash that is at least 10 feet deep up to 1,000 miles away.

Food production in America would be almost totally wiped out, and the "volcanic winter" that would result from a Yellowstone eruption would dramatically cool the planet. Some have projected that global temperatures would decline by up to 20 degrees.

In the end, the death, famine and destruction that we would experience would be vastly greater than anything that we have ever seen in the history of western civilization.

So yes, there is reason to be concerned that weird stuff is going on at Yellowstone right now.

Let us just hope and pray that we do not see an eruption in 2016 or any time soon. - End of the American Dream.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: "I've Lived Here All Of My Life And I've Never Seen It" - Boiling River Near Yellowstone National Park Raises Concerns As Earthquake Activity Increases!

April 17, 2016 - YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, UNITED STATES - The Shoshone River, near Yellowstone National Park, suddenly and without warning started boiling, changed color and began to emit a sulfuric odor on March 25. Nearby witnesses wondered if they were "all going to die." The current consensus among geologists and other experts is that a portion of the Shoshone River began to boil, located near Cody, Wyoming, and a new Yellowstone vent has opened up.

As Mysterious Universe reports, the boiling river near Yellowstone runs just east of Yellowstone National Park. It is close enough to the park and super volcano to be a "canary in a coal mine" as it relates to unusual geothermic events. The event was initially recorded by Dewey Vanderhoff, a photographer who spotted the Shoshone River near Yellowstone boiling and noted other bizarre features in the river.

"I've lived here all of my life and I've never seen it. It was pretty impressive. The river right there is a really dark green. With a polarizing filter it really popped out. [It bubbled like] like jets in a Jacuzzi."

Boiling River Near Yellowstone National Park Heats Worries - https://t.co/PVCQi17tm8 pic.twitter.com/5igfmzZlUF

— Mysterious Universe (@mysteriousuniv) April 14, 2016

The Shoshone River near Yellowstone was also emitting a noxious, sulfuric odor, and the stretch of river that was boiling "like jets in a Jacuzzi" was a dark green color.


WATCH: Boiling To Life - Vents Opening Around Yellowstone.

This isn't the first time in recorded history that the Shoshone River near Yellowstone has displayed unusual geological activity, most likely related to its proximity to the national park and caldera. Back in the days of Lewis and Clark, an explorer named John Colter, visited the area. The explorer, also a member of Lewis and Clark's epic expedition, trekked to the area in 1807 and wrote about what he saw. The Shoshone River, near Yellowstone, was known then as the Stinkingwater River, and according to John Colter, when he visited the portion of the river near Yellowstone, he encountered geysers, hot springs and the trademark sulfur-smell of a volcanic river.

The area is also home to sinkholes, geyser cones, and even abandoned sulfur mines.

Despite the descriptions penned by John Colter in 1807, in the interim two centuries, the Shoshone River near Yellowstone has become all but devoid of geothermal activities. According to Jason Burkhardt, a Wyoming Game and Fish Department biologist, the Shoshone River near Yellowstone is currently experiencing a "lull" in geothermal activity.

"We're kind of in a lull compared to when John Colter was in this area. There was substantially more geothermal activity that was occurring back then."

Or at least it was, until March 25, when the Shoshone River near Yellowstone began to boil and emit the tell-tale smell of volcanic activity. The river near Yellowstone national park boiled for four days before the activity abruptly ceased.

The boiling of the Shoshone River for four days in March wasn't the only recent geothermal event in the river to pique the attention of geologists. Recent activity in and around the area of the river near Yellowstone has reportedly released enough hydrogen sulfide into the water to create a dead zone spanning one and a half miles. The stretch of river is now completely devoid of fish due to what Burkhardt referred to as a "chemical barrier," which is blocking fish from entering.

Some believe this to be a very bad sign.

For now, the boiling in the river near Yellowstone has ceased. However, earthquake activity in and around the Yellowstone supervolcano is reportedly increasing.

It's difficult to say whether or not the recent boiling of the river near Yellowstone is an indication of something concerning or just, as geologists claim to believe, another of many vents related to the caldera doing what they do, as they've always done. Much of our current understanding of the Yellowstone supervolcano has come to light over the last century, and new information and data is being compiled and poured over daily.

Only time will tell whether or not the boiling in the Shoshone River near Yellowstone National Park is part of a bigger trend of geologic change in the region.

- Inquisitr.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" - Is Yellowstone Supervolcano Awakening?!

Scientists have analysed the molten rock within the dormant supervolcano beneath Yellowstone and found that eruption is possible without any external trigger.

April 7, 2016 - PACIFIC NORTHWEST - Less than 48 hours after public display of volcanic activity at Yellowstone was intentionally taken OFFLINE from public view, we now know why:

© SuperStation95

Looks like "there's a whole lot a shakin' goin' on!"

Take a look at this reading from Bore Hole 944 inside the super-volcano at Yellowstone National Park:

Yellowstone Bore Hole 944. © SuperStation95

Folks within 500 miles of Yellowstone National Park may want to keep close watch on the super-volcano there. With readings like you see above, now closed-off to the public, it seems there's something taking place at the deadly volcano.


- SuperStation95.

 

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Yellowstone Supervolcano Eruptions Were Even Bigger Than We Thought - Geological Society Of America Bulletin!

Scientists have analysed the molten rock within the dormant supervolcano beneath Yellowstone
National Park and found that eruption is possible without any external trigger.

March 26, 2016 - PACIFIC NORTHWEST - A recent study published in the Geological Society of America Bulletin identifies an area of great volcanic activity along the Snake River Plain between Oregon and Yellowstone.

While scientists have long known that the supervolcano now under Yellowstone left a trail of mega-eruptions across the Pacific Northwest, an international research team has found evidence of only 12 distinct eruptions, contradicting earlier theories that the eruptions were more numerous and less extreme.

“The size and magnitude of this newly defined eruption is as large, if not larger, than better known eruptions at Yellowstone,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Thomas Knott, in a University of Leicester press release, “and it is just the first in an emerging record of newly discovered super-eruptions during a period of intense magmatic activity between 8 and 12 million years ago.”Scientists used paleomagnetic data, radioisotope dating, and rock and mineral chemistries to identify the size and location of these ancient eruptions. One eruption, called the Castleford Crossing eruption, produced a volcanic sheet that covers approximately 14,000 square kilometers – an area the size of Connecticut – in southern Idaho.

Knott and his team identified 11 other super explosions that they say were likely similar in size to the well known, massive super explosions at Yellowstone.

Yellowstone National Park.

“While it is well-known that Yellowstone has erupted catastrophically in recent times,” said Knott, “perhaps less widely appreciated is that these were just the latest in a protracted history of numerous catastrophic super-eruptions that have burned a track along the Snake River eastwards from Oregon to Yellowstone.”Yellowstone certainly remains volcanically lively. In 2013, a study found that Yellowstone’s “supervolcano” was even larger than scientists had previously believed, with a magma chamber stretching 55 miles long, and 18 miles wide.

If the Yellowstone supervolcano explodes, says the 2013 study, the resulting eruption could be up to 2,000 times as violent as the Mt. St. Helens eruption several decades ago.

In the spring of 2015, scientists discovered an even deeper magma chamber.

Beautifully exposed succession of stacked Snake River eruption-units within a typical deeply incised canyon in southern Idaho. Each cliff forming unit represents a single
eruption, the deposits of which can be traced from 100’s of kilometres. This terrain is typical of that which researchers are faced with when characterising
the individual eruption deposits. David Finn/University of California, Santa Cruz

The last Yellowstone eruption occurred 640,000 years ago – a blink of an eye in the geologic time scale, compared to the Snake River Plain explosions 8 to 12 million years ago – some remain concerned that this destructive supervolcano is ripe for an eruption.

"Three super-eruptions at Yellowstone appear to have occurred on a 600,000-700,000 year cycle starting 2.1 million years ago," explains the BBC. "The most recent took place 640,000 years ago – suggesting Yellowstone is overdue for an eruption."This new study, with evidence of 12 volcanoes in about 3 million years, suggests that the Yellowstone supervolcano can erupt catastrophically on a much shorter cycle of about every 250,000 years. - CS Monitor.

 

PLANETARY TREMORS: 3.7 Magnitude Earthquake Recorded Near Helena, Montana - USGS!

USGS earthquake location.

February 4, 2016 - MONTANA, UNITED STATES - A 3.7 magnitude earthquake was recorded near Helena early Thursday morning, according to an initial report from the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake was centered six miles south of Helena at 12:47 a.m.

An earthquake of that size could be felt quite noticeably by people indoors, according to the USGS.

Clancy, mt - Shook the knobs on dresser Helena - Windows were rattling, woke me up. Clancy - happened about 1am local time, thought it was the wind or somebody in the house jumping, enough to wake up the wife Clancy - Violent rattling of windows that woke us up at 12:46 AM, house shaking and creaking. Clancy - About 12:35am and woke up from sleep due to shaking and our huskies howling, felt several aftershocks too. We live at the end of Halford Rd up Lump Gulch in Clancy, Mt Clancy - It woke me just around 1:00 am. Felt very similar to the last one. I had to get out of bed to see if something fell over or a person was in my house.

Thursday's quake came on the heels of a 4.3 magnitude earthquake centered 12 miles east of Lincoln at 12:31 p.m. Saturday, according to an updated USGS report.

USGS shakemap intensity.

An online search of USGS archives did not show any earthquakes with a magnitude of greater than 3.4 within 40 miles of Helena in all of 2015. - IR.

Seismicity of Yellowstone

Earthquake epicenters in Yellowstone reveal a pattern of intense seismicity related to faults and volcanic features. Plotted here are Yellowstone's 1973-1996 earthquakes on digital topography showing their relation of epicenters to faults and post-caldera (post 631,000 year old) volcanic vents.

Intense swarms of shallow earthquakes and occasional moderate-sized earthquakes as large as the MS = 6.1 earthquake in 1975 near Norris Junction, characterize the seismicity of Yellowstone. Norris also has the highest temperature hydrothemal system in the park. The geophysical evidence suggests that earthquakes of Yellowstone are influenced by the presence of magmas, partial melts, and hydrothermal activity at crustal depths from near surface to depths of ~5 km. Earthquakes occur on faults that form boundaries of small upper-crustal blocks and reflect a combination of deformation caused by local transport of magma and hydrothermal fluids as well as by the regional northeast extension superimposed from the Basin-Range tectonic stress field.

USGS earthquake historic seismicity.

Earthquakes reveal a pattern of seismicity over the Yellowstone-Hebgen Lake region that extends into the Yellowstone caldera along northwesting trending clusters of epicenters. Earthquakes extend ~25 km from Hebgen Lake, Montana, along an east-west trend into Yellowstone National Park where they take on a northwest trend along distinct seismic zones about 25 km long that cross the caldera boundary. Within the caldera, earthquakes have not exceeded magnitude MS = 5.0 and generally have scattered epicenters; in the western part of the caldera, northwest-trending clusters of epicenters, together with aligned volcanic vents, may be related to buried, but still active, Quaternary faults. In several cases, there are good correlations between earthquake swarms and major changes in hydrothermal activity. Local faulting along the west side of Yellowstone Lake has Holocene displacements and appears to be seismically active.

Parts of the Gallatin and Teton normal fault systems, which generally have a northerly trends outside the Yellowstone region, presumably lie beneath the area now covered by the Quaternary volcanics of the Yellowstone Plateau. A broader view of Yellowstone seismicity and that of Teton region is shown here.

Focal depths of earthquakes in Yellowstone reveal notable variations across the caldera that are related to variations in heat flux and rock composition.

Earthquake historic seismicity. University of Utah.

Maximum focal depths outside the caldera are generally less than 15 to 20 km, and mostly less than 5 km beneath the inner caldera. This pattern of earthquake- shallowing suggests a thin seismogenic brittle upper crust beneath the thermally active inner caldera. Rheologic models imply that below about 5 km, the crust is in a quasi-plastic, ductile state at temperatures in excess of 350°C - incapable of supporting large stresses. Note that the MS = 6.1 earthquake in 1975 occurred along the caldera's northwest boundary. On a regional scale, earthquakes are most intense on the west side of Yellowstone National Park. The most seismically active area is associated with the 1959, MS = 7.5, Hebgen Lake main shock that occurred within about 30 km of the northwestern side of the Yellowstone caldera. This large earthquake may have resulted from unusual lithospheric uplift and viscoelastic relaxation associated with the Yellowstone hotspot.

Along the northwest side of the eastern Snake River Plain, earthquakes have a notable northwest alignment of epicenters in central Idaho, which is aftershock activity of the 1983, MS = 7.3, Borah Peak earthquake on the Lost River fault. This pattern contrasts with the scatter of what we have called background seismicity elsewhere in the central ISB. The "turning on" of earthquakes on the Lost River fault emphasizes the relative seismic quiescence of the neighboring Lemhi and Beaverhead faults to the northeast. All three faults are part of a domain of active, latest Quaternary basin-range normal faulting northwest of the SRP. Hence, the paucity of earthquakes between the Lost River fault and the Idaho-Montana border marks an important seismic gap in the central ISB. Seismic surveillance by the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory reveals few earthquakes within the Snake River Plain itself. The lack of earthquakes is thought to be related to increased crustal strength resisting earthquakes, to high temperatures that inhibit earthquakes, or to complex stresses related to the Yellowstone hotspot. - The Yellowstone-Teton Epicenter.

Seismicity of Yellowstone.

Earthquake epicenters in Yellowstone reveal a pattern of intense seismicity related to faults and volcanic features. Plotted here are Yellowstone's 1973-1996 earthquakes on digital topography showing their relation of epicenters to faults and post-caldera (post 631,000 year old) volcanic vents.

Intense swarms of shallow earthquakes and occasional moderate-sized earthquakes as large as the MS = 6.1 earthquake in 1975 near Norris Junction, characterize the seismicity of Yellowstone. Norris also has the highest temperature hydrothemal system in the park. The geophysical evidence suggests that earthquakes of Yellowstone are influenced by the presence of magmas, partial melts, and hydrothermal activity at crustal depths from near surface to depths of ~5 km. Earthquakes occur on faults that form boundaries of small upper-crustal blocks and reflect a combination of deformation caused by local transport of magma and hydrothermal fluids as well as by the regional northeast extension superimposed from the Basin-Range tectonic stress field.

USGS earthquake historic seismicity.

Earthquakes reveal a pattern of seismicity over the Yellowstone-Hebgen Lake region that extends into the Yellowstone caldera along northwesting trending clusters of epicenters. Earthquakes extend ~25 km from Hebgen Lake, Montana, along an east-west trend into Yellowstone National Park where they take on a northwest trend along distinct seismic zones about 25 km long that cross the caldera boundary. Within the caldera, earthquakes have not exceeded magnitude MS = 5.0 and generally have scattered epicenters; in the western part of the caldera, northwest-trending clusters of epicenters, together with aligned volcanic vents, may be related to buried, but still active, Quaternary faults. In several cases, there are good correlations between earthquake swarms and major changes in hydrothermal activity. Local faulting along the west side of Yellowstone Lake has Holocene displacements and appears to be seismically active.

Parts of the Gallatin and Teton normal fault systems, which generally have a northerly trends outside the Yellowstone region, presumably lie beneath the area now covered by the Quaternary volcanics of the Yellowstone Plateau. A broader view of Yellowstone seismicity and that of Teton region is shown here.

Focal depths of earthquakes in Yellowstone reveal notable variations across the caldera that are related to variations in heat flux and rock composition.

Earthquake historic seismicity. University of Utah.

Maximum focal depths outside the caldera are generally less than 15 to 20 km, and mostly less than 5 km beneath the inner caldera. This pattern of earthquake- shallowing suggests a thin seismogenic brittle upper crust beneath the thermally active inner caldera. Rheologic models imply that below about 5 km, the crust is in a quasi-plastic, ductile state at temperatures in excess of 350°C - incapable of supporting large stresses. Note that the MS = 6.1 earthquake in 1975 occurred along the caldera's northwest boundary. On a regional scale, earthquakes are most intense on the west side of Yellowstone National Park. The most seismically active area is associated with the 1959, MS = 7.5, Hebgen Lake main shock that occurred within about 30 km of the northwestern side of the Yellowstone caldera. This large earthquake may have resulted from unusual lithospheric uplift and viscoelastic relaxation associated with the Yellowstone hotspot.

Along the northwest side of the eastern Snake River Plain, earthquakes have a notable northwest alignment of epicenters in central Idaho, which is aftershock activity of the 1983, MS = 7.3, Borah Peak earthquake on the Lost River fault. This pattern contrasts with the scatter of what we have called background seismicity elsewhere in the central ISB. The "turning on" of earthquakes on the Lost River fault emphasizes the relative seismic quiescence of the neighboring Lemhi and Beaverhead faults to the northeast. All three faults are part of a domain of active, latest Quaternary basin-range normal faulting northwest of the SRP. Hence, the paucity of earthquakes between the Lost River fault and the Idaho-Montana border marks an important seismic gap in the central ISB. Seismic surveillance by the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory reveals few earthquakes within the Snake River Plain itself. The lack of earthquakes is thought to be related to increased crustal strength resisting earthquakes, to high temperatures that inhibit earthquakes, or to complex stresses related to the Yellowstone hotspot. - The Yellowstone-Teton Epicenter. - See more at: http://thecelestialconvergence.blogspot.com/2013/03/planetary-tremors-32-magnitude.html#sthash.5tKgK5Mw.dpuf

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Ticking Time-Bomb - Yellowstone Super-Volcano Could Kill Millions!

Yellowstone caldera.© USGS

January 8, 2016 - YELLOWSTONE, UNITED STATES - The US is in more immediate danger from "super-volcanos" like the one in the Yellowstone National Park, than other natural disasters -- as it may go off within the next 80 years, scientists say.

Experts from the European Science Foundation have determined that the likelihood of an eruption happening at one of the major volcanoes within 80 years is around 5-10%, due to a "volcano season" of increased activity.

A new report, called "Extreme Geo-hazards: Reducing the Disaster Risk and Increasing Resilience," also warns that preparations for such an occurrence are nearly non-existent. [The report in PDF format can be downloaded here]


WATCH: New Study - Yellowstone Volcano Could WIPE OUT TWENTY AMERICAN STATES!

"Although in the last few decades earthquakes have been the main cause of fatalities and damage, the main global risk is large volcanic eruptions that are less frequent but far more impactful than the largest earthquakes," the report states.

"Due to their far-reaching effects on climate, food security, transportation, and supply chains, these events have the potential to trigger global disaster and catastrophe," it continues. "The cost of response and the ability to respond to these events is beyond the financial and political capabilities of any individual country."

Volcanic eruptions at Yellowstone National Park in the US, Mt. Vesuvius in Italy or Popocatépetl in Mexico would not only kill millions, but also would affect global weather and harm food production, according to the report.

Yellowstone volcano - potential ash fallout© USGS

A major eruption would do more damage to the environment than 1,000 years of human activity and global warming, the report warns.

"Hence extreme volcanic eruptions pose a higher associated risk than all other natural hazards with similar recurrence periods, including asteroid impacts." - Sputnik News.

PLANETARY TREMORS: Geological Upheaval - Strong 4.9 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes And Rattles Idaho, Triggering Rock Slides! [MAPS + TECTONIC HISTORY]

USGS earthquake location map.

January 3, 2015 - IDAHO, UNITED STATES - The earthquake, confirmed by the U.S. Geological Survey, comes roughly two weeks after a 3.7-magnitude quake in the same area.

Saturday's quake was recorded at 10:44 a.m. about four miles east of Challis. It was felt at least as far away as the Treasure Valley, about 120 miles directly southwest, and in western Montana according to reports on social media and in emails to the Statesman.

Penny Shinderling, an employee at Lamb's Foodtown in Challis, told the Statesman that a couple of things fell off shelves in the store but otherwise the quake "just gave us a good shake."

USGS shakemap intensity.

The location of Saturday's earthquake near Challis, as displayed on earthquake. usgs.gov.

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/01/03/3571708_49-earthquake-hits-challis-reportedly.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy

"There is no damage or injury here in Challis. My pharmacy had a few things knocked onto the floor," Troy Westerberg wrote in an email to the Statesman. "The shaking was severe. It is definitely the talk of the town."

Linda Lumpkin, a dispatcher for the Custer County Sheriff's Office, told the Associated Press that the sheriff's office has not received reports of injuries or damage. She said the quake did cause rock slides that blocked some lanes on several roads, so sheriff's deputies went out to direct traffic as transportation crews started clean-up.

Scientists have been studying the most recent earthquake swarm near Challis, hoping to better understand faults near Yellowstone National Park.

"There's obviously a fault down there at depth to produce these, and the town of Challis happens to be built on top of it," scientist Mike Stickney of the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology based in Butte, Montana, told the Associated Press in December. "We have no indication that it's leading to a larger event."

Boise State seismometer shows Boise earthquake.

The earthquakes have been a topic of conversation in Challis lately, Shinderling said, as they remind folks of Idaho's largest recorded quake - a magnitude 6.9 in 1983 that left scarring along the mountains near Borah Peak.

As for whether she's worried about a repeat?

"We've had little ones this spring and it didn't amount to anything," Shinderling said. "We will or we won't."


What readers have to say this morning, over email and on our Facebook page:

John Freemuth: "In Sun Valley and was sitting the time...I felt nothing and I have been in a few earthquakes."

Gilda Roberts: "I felt it at Maple Grove & Emerald - my cat and my dog from a sound sleep jumped up and ran to me! At the time I thought that it was an earthquake - I was living in Portland, ME in 1978-1979 when there was one near Boston that knocked dishes out of our kitchen cabinets!"

Terry Rogers: "I did feel it! A sharp jolt of short duration felt in McCall!"

Kim Fabricius Stout: "Felt it in Genesee!"

Juneanne Longmire Gergen: "I felt my entire house shake and watched things moving (near Maple Grove & Ustick)!"

Nicole McHarguement Strain: "Felt in Nampa."

Susan Durst: "Yes, sitting at dining room table outside of McCall and whole house sort of 'shifted.' Amazing!"

Dottie Neher: "Yes, the earthquake was felt in Lowman, and there was a low roar."

- Idaho Statesman.

Idaho - Earthquake History

Seismicity Map - 1973 to March 2012

The first earthquake causing damage in Idaho's earthquake history occurred on November 9, 1884, apparently centering in northern Utah. Six shocks were reported felt at Paris, Idaho, causing considerable damage to houses. People suffered from nausea.

A shock on November 11, 1905, was felt in the southern half of Idaho and parts of Utah and Oregon. At Shoshone, Idaho, walls cracked and plaster fell.

On May 12, 1916, Boise was hit by a shock which wrecked chimneys and caused people to rush into the streets. Reclamation ditches were damaged and the flow of natural gas altered. It was felt at Loon Creek, 120 miles northeast, and in eastern Oregon - an area of 50,000 square miles.

An intensity VII earthquake occurred within the State on July 12, 1944. The Seafoam Ranger Station building shook so hard the occupants thought it was coming apart. Several people reported that the shaking was so violent they were unable to walk. Another observer reported that rocks rose at least a foot in the air and looked like a series of explosions up the hill. Part of the canyon wall collapsed near Lime Creek. Cracks opened 100 yards long in Duffield Canyon and cracks one to three inches across and several hundred yards long opened on the road below Seafoam. Two chimneys fell at Cascade. This shock was felt over 70,000 square miles, including all of central Idaho, and parts of Washington, Oregon, and Montana.

The magnitude 7.1 earthquake at Hebgen Lake, Montana, on August 17, 1959, which killed 28 people, formed "Quake Lake," and did $11 million damage to roads and timber, also caused some damage in Idaho. Intensity VII was experienced in the Henry's Lake, Big Springs, and Island Park areas. Big Springs increased its flow 15 percent and became rusty red colored. A man was knocked down at Edward's Lodge. There was considerable damage to building in the Henry's Lake area. Trees swayed violently, breaking some roots, and cars jumped up and down. Chimneys fell and a 7-foot-thick rock-and-concrete dock cracked.

In the Island Park area chimneys were toppled and wells remained muddy for weeks. At Mack's Inn, a small girl was thrown from bed and hysteria occurred among some guests. Dishes were broken.

An intensity VII earthquake occurred on August 30, 1962, in the Cache Valley area of Utah. Two large areas of land totaling four acres, five feet thick, slid 300 yards downhill at Fairview, Idaho, opening new springs. Plaster walls, and chimneys were cracked and a chimney fell at Franklin. Falling brick at the Franklin School cracked through the roof and plaster was cracked in every room. Additional damage occurred at Preston. This magnitude 5.7 earthquake was felt over an area of 65,000 square miles in five states and cause approximately $1 million in damage.

An intensity VI shock, on November 1, 1942, centered near Sandpoint and affected 25,000 square miles of Washington, Montana, and Idaho. The Northern Pacific Railroad partially suspended operations to inspect the right of way for boulders and slides. Church services were interrupted, but only minor damage was reported by homes.

A February 13, 1945, shock near Clayton, felt over a 60,000 square mile area, broke some dishes at Idaho City and cracked plaster at Weisner.

A locally sharp shock was felt at Wallace on December 18, 1957, damaging the Galena Silver Mine and frightening miners working 3,400 feet underground.

Soda Springs was shaken by a shock on August 7, 1960, which cracked plaster and a concrete foundation. It was only felt over a 900 square mile area.

Two intensity VI shocks were reported in 1963. The first on January 27, was felt over 6,000 square miles and centered near Clayton, where plaster and windows were cracked. Large boulders rolled down the hill near Camp Livingston and aftershocks were felt for a week. The second occurred on September 10 and was a magnitude 4.1 shock. It caused minor damage at Redfish Lake. Thunderous earth noises were heard.A magnitude 4.9 shock on April 26, 1969, cracked a foundation at Ketchum, plaster at Livingston Mills, and a cement floor at Warm Springs. It was felt over 9,000 square miles. - USGS.

PLANETARY TREMORS & GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Volcanic Awakening - 4.8 Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Yellowstone National Park; Most Powerful Tremor To Hit The Area Since 1980; Four Aftershocks Recorded!

March 30, 2014 - YELLOWSTONE, UNITED STATES - A 4.8 magnitude quake rocked Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming near the border with Montana, the US Geological Survey said. There were several aftershocks with a magnitude over 3.

USGS earthquake location map.

The earthquake occurred 37 kilometers northeast of West Yellowstone, Montana at 6:34 am local time (1234 GMT) Sunday.

The quake was centered almost in the middle of Yellowstone National Park, near the Norris Geyser Basin, said Peter Cervelli, a spokesman for the USGS Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, NBC News reported.

He added that any damage from the temblor would likely be minor, noting there are not many visitors in the park at the moment.

There were no immediate reports of damage.

The Yellowstone River Lower Falls is seen at sunrise in Yellowstone National Park. (Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)

According to USGS there were four aftershocks recorded with a magnitude from 3.1 to 3.3. The USGS said that more are expected.

The secondary shockwaves are usually less violent than the main quake but can be strong enough to do additional damage to weakened structures, the USGS said.

Cervalli stated that the quake is not expected to trigger any volcanic activity.

Yellowstone National park, North America's largest volcanic field, is the home to a caldera, sometimes referred to as the Yellowstone Supervolcano. Due to the volcanic and tectonic nature of the region, the caldera experiences 1 to 20 earthquakes every day, according to Yellowstone observatory. However they are very weak often measuring much less than magnitude 3.

The quake on Sunday was the most powerful to hit the park since 1985. In the fall of 1985 in the northwest rim of the caldera during a three-month period of increased earthquake activity over 3000 events of magnitude 0 to 4.9 were recorded by seismologists.

Geologists are closely monitoring the rise of the Yellowstone Plateau. The upward movement of the Yellowstone caldera floor between 2004 and 2008 was almost 3 inches (about 7 cm) each year, according to a University of Utah scientists report in the journal Science in November 2008. That was more than three times greater than ever observed since such measurements began in 1923.

"Our best evidence is that the crustal magma chamber is filling with molten rock," said seismologist Robert B. Smith, lead author of the study and professor of geophysics at the University of Utah.

"But we have no idea how long this process goes on before there either is an eruption or the inflow of molten rock stops and the caldera deflates again," he added. - RT.

USGS Additional Commentary

USGS earthquake shakemap intensity.

YELLOWSTONE VOLCANO OBSERVATORY INFORMATION STATEMENT
Sunday, March 30, 2014 10:31 AM (Sunday, March 30, 2014 16:31 UTC)
YELLOWSTONE VOLCANO (VNUM #325010)
44°25'48" N 110°40'12" W, Summit Elevation 9203 ft (2805 m)

Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL

Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN

The University of Utah, a YVO member agency, sent out the following press release about a magnitude 4.8 earthquake that occurred this morning at 6:34 AM MDT.

PRESS RELEASE
University of Utah Seismograph Stations
Released: March 30, 2014 08:15 AM MDT

The University of Utah Seismograph Stations reports that a light earthquake occurred at 06:34 AM on March 30, 2014 (MDT). The epicenter of the magnitude 4.8 shock was located 4 miles north-northeast of Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. This earthquake is part of a series of earthquakes that began in this area on Thursday, March 27. As of 8:15 am today, this series has included at least 25 earthquakes in addition to the main shock, with the largest of magnitude 3.1. The magnitude 4.8 main shock was reported felt in Yellowstone National Park and in the towns of West
Yellowstone and Gardiner, Montana.

Anyone who felt the earthquake is encouraged to fill out a survey form on either the Seismograph stations web site: www.quake.utah.edu or the U.S. Geological Survey web site: earthquake.usgs.gov.

____________________________________________________________________

Today's 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 earthquake's 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.

Based on the style and location of today's earthquake, at this time YVO sees no indication of additional geologic activity other than continuing seismicity.

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) provides long-term monitoring of volcanic and earthquake activity in the Yellowstone National Park region. Yellowstone is the site of the largest and most diverse collection of natural thermal features in the world and the first National Park. YVO is one of the five USGS Volcano Observatories that monitor volcanoes within the United States for science and public safety.

YVO Member agencies: USGS, Yellowstone National Park, University of Utah, University of Wyoming, UNAVCO, Inc., Wyoming State Geological Survey, Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, Idaho Geological Survey. - USGS.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Yellowstone’s Supervolcano Belly Is Rumbling - Seismometer Inside Borehole Reports Staggering Underground Activity Near The Southwest Corner Of Yellowstone Lake!

February 06, 2014 - YELLOWSTONE, UNITED STATES - A seismometer inside a borehole at Yellowstone National Park has begun reporting staggering underground activity near the southwest corner of Yellowstone Lake, possibly signaling the beginning of an eruption of the Super Volcano at the Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone National Park is home to many beauties, with it’s ancient landscape, geysers, and hot springs. It is also the site of one of the worlds most destructive forces. A supervolcano.

On average, Yellowstone’s Caldera erupts about every 640,000 years. According to the analysis of earthquake data in 2013, the magma chamber is 80 km (50 mi) long and 20 km (12 mi) wide, and is shaped like 4,000 km3(960 cu mi) underground mass, of which 6–8% is filled with molten rock.

The upward movement of the Yellowstone caldera floor between 2004 and 2008 rose almost 3 inches (7.6 cm) each year and was more than three times greater than ever observed since such measurements began in 1923. By the end of 2010, geologists stated that the ground swelling has slowed down significantly.

However, new reports are coming in the a borehole (B944) at Yellowstone Lake (where most activity is) has shown some pretty intense movements.

“The activity began around 12:00 Noon, Mountain Standard Time (MST) on February 1, and was detected by a seismometer in Borehole B944 then continued, non-stop, all day yesterday getting worse and worse as the hours wore on. The activity is continuing right now at 6:06 EST AM as this news article is being produced.” This according to Turner Radio Network.

"A second printout shows the activity continuing to this very moment, so severely that the seismometer printer is RUNNING OUT OF BLUE, BLACK AND GREEN INK!"

The map below shows the location of Borehole B944 in relation to Yellowstone Lake and the rest of the park.

To better view the seismograph, click here.

To get an idea at how monsterous these supereruptions can be, the Island Park Caldera supereruption (2.1 million years ago), which produced the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff, was the largest and produced 2,500 times as much ash as the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption.

Only time will tell on if these beast is ready to go, as it is technically “over do” for it’s next eruption. However, it could still be another million years before it does. This data could just a bark at the moon, however a large series of earthquakes occurred in and around the area. These links are below.

1.9 2014/01/31 09:55:29 44.798N 110.540W 4.4 30 km (18 mi) SSE of Gardiner, MT
1.1 2014/01/31 07:35:32 44.578N 111.145W 9.2 10 km ( 6 mi) SSW of West Yellowstone, MT
1.7 2014/01/31 06:25:39 44.834N 110.536W 6.9 26 km (16 mi) SSE of Gardiner, MT
1.2 2014/01/30 21:16:01 44.718N 111.203W 10.7 10 km ( 6 mi) NW of West Yellowstone, MT
1.9 2014/01/30 17:21:11 44.815N 110.532W 3.9 28 km (18 mi) SSE of Gardiner, MT
1.8 2014/01/30 15:02:27 44.807N 110.525W 6.9 30 km (18 mi) SSE of Gardiner, MT
1.8 2014/01/30 11:43:19 44.806N 110.540W 2.2 29 km (18 mi) SSE of Gardiner, MT
1.8 2014/01/30 09:42:11 44.812N 110.535W 4.9 29 km (18 mi) SSE of Gardiner, MT
1.4 2014/01/30 04:11:36 44.798N 110.537W 7.9 30 km (19 mi) SSE of Gardiner, MT
2.0 2014/01/30 04:11:35 44.808N 110.530W 7.4 29 km (18 mi) SSE of Gardiner, MT
1.8 2014/01/30 03:57:10 44.817N 110.533W 10.1 28 km (18 mi) SSE of Gardiner, MT
2.4 2014/01/30 01:40:35 44.807N 110.522W 11.8 30 km (18 mi) SSE of Gardiner, MT
2.2 2014/01/29 23:57:03 44.398N 110.615W 1.8 49 km (30 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.5 2014/01/29 23:43:29 44.405N 110.628W 1.9 47 km (29 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.3 2014/01/29 23:39:18 44.375N 110.636W -0.3 49 km (30 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.4 2014/01/29 23:33:12 44.401N 110.627W 2.3 48 km (30 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.5 2014/01/29 18:29:59 44.801N 110.544W 4.3 29 km (18 mi) SSE of Gardiner, MT
2.3 2014/01/29 01:11:08 44.600N 110.153W -3.4 49 km (31 mi) SSW of Cooke City-Silver Gate, MT
1.5 2014/01/28 04:39:47 44.815N 110.528W 7.3 29 km (18 mi) SSE of Gardiner, MT
1.4 2014/01/27 19:44:29 44.747N 110.780W 6.2 27 km (17 mi) ENE of West Yellowstone, MT.

- ASNM.

MAJOR GLOBAL VOLCANISM ALERT: If The Volcano Under Yellowstone Ever Erupts Again, We’re Seriously Screwed - The Risk Of Supervolcano Eruption Big Enough To "Affect The World" Far Greater Than Thought, Say Scientists!

January 06, 2014 - UNITED STATES - The eruption of a “supervolcano” hundreds of times more powerful than conventional volcanoes – with the potential to wipe out civilisation as we know it – is more likely than previously thought, a study has found.An analysis of the molten rock within the dormant supervolcano beneath Yellowstone National Park in the United States has revealed that an eruption is possible without any external trigger, scientists said.

Scientists have analysed the molten rock within the dormant supervolcano beneath Yellowstone
National Park and found that eruption is possible without any external trigger

Scientists previously believed many supervolcanic eruptions needed earthquakes to break open the Earth’s crust so magma could escape. But new research suggests that this can happen as a result of the build-up of pressure.

Supervolcanoes represent the second most globally cataclysmic event – next to an asteroid strike – and they have been responsible in the past for mass extinctions, long-term changes to the climate and shorter-term “volcanic winters” caused by volcanic ash cutting out the sunlight.

The last known supervolcanic eruption was believed to have occurred about 70,000 years ago at the site today of Lake Toba in Sumatra, Indonesia. It caused a volcanic winter that blocked out the sun for between six to eight years, and resulted in a period of global cooling lasting a thousand years.

A supervolcano under Yellowstone Park in Wyoming last erupted about 600,000 years ago, sending more than 1,000 cubic kilometres of ash and lava into the atmosphere – about 100 times more than the Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines in 1982, which caused a noticeable period of global cooling.
Following Pinatubo’s eruption, the global average temperature fell by about 0.4C for several months. Scientists predict that a supervolcanic eruption would cause average global temperatures to fall by about 10C for a decade – changing life on earth.

Scientists have analysed magma from the Yellowstone caldera, a 55-mile-wide underground cavern containing between 200 and 600 cubic kilometres of molten rock, to see how it responds to changes in pressure and temperature.

Using a powerful X-ray source at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France, the researchers found that the density of the magma decreased significantly at the high temperatures and pressures experienced underground.

Density variations between magma and the rock surrounding it means that the lava within the supervolcano’s caldera can produce big enough forces to break through the earth’s crust, allowing the molten rock and ash to erupt from the surface, the scientists said.

“The difference in density between the molten magma in the caldera and the surrounding rock is big enough to drive the magma from the chamber to the surface,” said Jean-Philippe Perrillat of the National Centre for Scientific Research in Grenoble.

“The effect is like the extra buoyancy of a football when it is filled with air underwater, which forces it to the surface because of the denser water around it,” Dr Perrillat said.

“If the volume of magma is big enough, it should come to the surface and explode like a champagne bottle being uncorked.”

The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, was possible because the X-ray machine at Grenoble was able to take accurate density measurements at temperatures of up to 1,700C and pressures 36,000 times greater than normal atmospheric pressure.

“The results reveal that if the magma chamber is big enough, the overpressure caused by differences in density alone are sufficient to penetrate the crust above and initiate an eruption,” said Professor Carmen Sanchez-Valle of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, who led the study.

Preventing a supervolcanic eruption is not possible, but scientists are currently trying to devise methods of monitoring the pressure of underground magma in order to predict whether one is imminent.

Dr Perrillat said there are no known supervolcanoes that are in danger of erupting in the foreseeable future, and it would take at least a decade or so for the magma pressure within a caldera to build up to a point where an eruption is likely. - Independent.



There’s a supervolcano under Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Scientists just figured out that the magma chamber beneath the park is bigger – much, much bigger – than they ever realized. One day an eruption will come. When it does, the scientists say the magnitude of impact will be “a global event.”

Yellowstone National Park

The magma chamber is about 20 miles wide, 55 miles long, and goes as deep as three to nine miles below the Earth’s surface, according to researchers who presented these findings recently to the American Geophysical Union’s fall meeting in San Francisco. That’s roughly two and a half times as big as previously thought. It’s about 162 square miles of red hot molten magma.

“We’ve been working there for a long time, and we’ve always thought it would be bigger… but this finding is astounding,” said University of Utah Prof. Bob Smith.

What Exactly Would Happen if the Yellowstone Supervolcano Blew Today?

Judging by what happened the last time this particular volcano had a major eruption, the news is not good. About 640,000 years ago, the biggest known eruption from this volcano spewed ash over all of North America. Remember Mount St. Helens in 1980? That was baby stuff. Multiply that effect by about 2,000 to get an idea of the possible devastation.

To be sure, we wouldn’t see rivers of lava extending coast to coast. The damage of critical concern, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) geologist Jake Lowenstern told io9.com, will result from a deep blanket of ash and pumice falling from the skies.

A “super eruption” would throw volcanic material throughout a 500 mile radius of the volcano. Envision a four-inch deep cloak of ash, smothering and polluting our midwestern farms and rivers. No farms, no food, as the saying goes. Cleaning it up would be a monstrous effort.

While the United States would be at the epicenter of such a disaster, the rest of the world would undoubtedly feel the effects as well.

“It would be a global event,” said the study’s lead author, University of Utah’s Jamie Farrell. “There would be a lot of destruction and a lot of impacts around the globe.”

“All this material that is shot up in the atmosphere would eventually circle the earth and would affect the climate throughout the world,” Farrell told the BBC.

Eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 - Photo credit: U.S. Geological Survey/Wikimedia Commons

Is an Eruption Imminent? Should You Step Up Completion of Your Bucket List?

Don’t get worked up about this news, say researchers. This volcano, or “caldera” as it is more accurately known, has only experienced a super eruption three times – 2.1 million years ago, 1.3 million years ago and 640,000 years ago. Give or take, experts think this volcano has a big eruption every 700,000 years or so.

On the other hand, that 700,000 estimate is something of a wild guess, really.

“You can only use the time between eruptions [to work out the frequency], so in a sense you only have two numbers to get to that 700,000 year figure,” Prof. Smith told the BBC. ”How many people would buy something on the stock market on two days of stock data?”

When a super eruption is finally ready to happen, scientists say we’d have lots of warning signs. First we’d see earthquakes, which are necessary to break down the rocks that keep the magma under the ground.

Next we’d likely see blasts of lava and hot gas from fissures ripping open within a few miles of the volcano. These would cause the magma reservoir to drain and trigger the collapse of the caldera into a huge 1,500 square mile sinkhole.

The Volcano is Breathing

Fortunately, as with all volcanos, many smaller eruptions have been releasing internal pressure in the magma chamber over time.

“Calderas are big and hot, so they don’t break very easily and they just move up and down. It’s the way heat and gas get out of these deep systems — the system breathes,” Lowenstern said.

As National Geographic notes, the Yellowstone volcano is shifting and “breathing” all the time:

The park roils with geysers, fumaroles, mud volcanoes, and other hydrothermal activity. Half the geysers on the planet are in Yellowstone. The hydrothermal features change constantly in temperature and behavior, with new ones popping up in the forests, spewing clouds of steam visible from airplanes, exuding vapors that have been known to kill bison on the spot.

Most likely, none of us will need to worry about a super eruption in our lifetimes, or even within our great-great-great grandchildren’s lifetimes. One day, though, someone will need to worry. The Yellowstone supervolcano is sleeping, but the slumbering giant will awaken one day. The Earth won’t be the same when it does. - Care2.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Yellowstone - The Super Volcano That Could Blow Up America!

December 11, 2013 - UNITED STATES - A 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 volcano's 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 team discovered that the underground cavern is more than 90km long, containing up to 600 cubic km of molten rock.

Prof Bob Smith, of the University of Utah, said: "We've been working there for a long time, and we've always thought it would be bigger but this finding is astounding."

To gauge the size of the underground magma chamber, the research team used a series of seismometers placed around the park.

Dr Jamie Farrell, part of the research team, said: "We record earthquakes in and around Yellowstone, and we measure the seismic waves as they travel through the ground.

"The waves travel slower through hot and partially molten material. With this, we can measure what's beneath."

Yellowstone is the largest supervolcano on the continent and has erupted several times in the last two million years.

The National Park is famous for its underground lava lake, which fuels its iconic hot springs. Most of the molten rock lies a few kilometres below Earth's surface.

Smith added that researchers could not tell when the supervolcano would blow again but some are of the belief that an eruption is on its way, despite the volcano erupting every 700,000 years. - IBT.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: BYU Geologists Discover A "Supervolcano" In Utah - Past Eruption Superseded Yellowstone!

December 10, 2013 - UNITED STATES - Geologists at Brigham Young University have discovered what may be the world's largest "super" volcano that erupted in Utah's own backyard.

While there are a variety of volcanoes that blast away in different ways, super volcanic eruptions are the biggest that collapse into large calderas. Yellowstone Park is the remains of one of those calderas and it's still very much alive and active.

But, geologists think they may have found an equally as big if not bigger super volcano, one that shook up western Utah and eastern Nevada 30 million years ago. The eruption is hardly visible to the naked eye now, but underneath and in surrounding formations, the evidence was waiting to be uncovered.

"As far as we know, the Wah Wah Springs eruption is the largest known explosive volcanic eruption," said BYU professor of geology Eric Christiansen.

The eruption and collapse of the super volcano released almost 6,000 square kilometers of magma.

"It moved over a flat landscape covering 12,000 square miles in western Utah and eastern Nevada. It would have been unimaginable devastation." said Emeritus BYU geology professor Myron Best.

The magma flow extended beyond current-day Panguitch and north almost to Delta and south almost to St. George. As the ash was caught up in the jet stream, it carried as far as Nebraska.

"The magma is erupting explosively as the flow spreads across the landscape," Best said.


WATCH: BYU geologists discover 'super volcano' in Utah.

Compared to Mt. St Helens — which is a different kind of volcano — Utah's super volcano was 5,000 times larger. Deposits left behind in southern Utah from the single eruption are 13,000 feet thick.

Thousands of rock samples collected over 30 years currently reside inside a repository at BYU with drawers extending from floor to ceiling. 600 students, 30 summers of field work and a lot of geologic mapping and analysis were utilized to confirm the existence of Utah's super volcano.

However, unlike Yellowstone which is still an active caldera, Utah and Nevada's shared super volcano will unlikely ever erupt again, according to geologists. - KSL.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: The Most Dangerous Volcano In The United States Is Roaring To Life - New Earthquake Swarm Underway At Yellowstone National Park!

November 24, 2013 - UNITED STATES - A new earthquake swarm is currently underway at Yellowstone National Park, USA. According to the earthquake list of University of Utah, a new series of relatively stronger earthquakes started on November 23, 2013. Almost all of them are located approximately 19 km (12 miles) NNE of West Yellowstone, MT.

Most noticeable earthquakes are M 3.3 that struck on November 23 at 20:47 UTC (13:47 local time) and M 3.1 that struck on November 24 at 07:18 UTC (00:18 local time).

Keep in mind that we are still 7 days before the new YVO monthly update report when more data will be available.

Image: UUSS

Below is the list pf earthquakes recorded by University of Utah Seismograph Stations for the last week (November 24, 2013, at 14:00 UTC - past 168 hours). Times are local (MST or MDT), for UTC time add 7 hours. Most recent earthquakes are at the top of the list. Click on the word "map" or "MAP" to see a map view. Click on a "DATE" to get additional text information. Magnitude 3 and greater earthquakes are printed in bold type.

• MAP 3.1 2013/11/24 00:18:35 44.820N 111.022W 11.5 19 km (12 mi) NNE of West Yellowstone, MT
• map 2.9 2013/11/23 16:03:06 44.823N 111.024W 11.7 19 km (12 mi) NNE of West Yellowstone, MT
• map 2.2 2013/11/23 15:25:44 44.819N 111.022W 11.2 19 km (12 mi) NNE of West Yellowstone, MT
• MAP 3.3 2013/11/23 13:47:35 44.822N 111.025W 11.9 19 km (12 mi) NNE of West Yellowstone, MT
• map 2.6 2013/11/23 13:38:12 44.815N 111.021W 11.9 18 km (11 mi) NNE of West Yellowstone, MT
• map 2.8 2013/11/23 13:23:48 44.814N 111.018W 11.4 18 km (11 mi) NNE of West Yellowstone, MT
• map 2.7 2013/11/23 07:15:09 45.691N 112.006W 10.6 17 km (11 mi) W of Harrison, MT
• map 0.9 2013/11/22 04:08:08 44.529N 112.813W 4.7 21 km (13 mi) SW of Lima, MT
• map 1.5 2013/11/21 23:08:54 38.151N 112.527W 1.9 17 km (11 mi) SE of Beaver, UT
• map 1.2 2013/11/21 09:49:50 38.964N 111.384W 3.1 13 km ( 8 mi) WNW of Emery, UT
• map 1.4 2013/11/21 08:31:43 44.764N 111.094W 14.2 11 km ( 7 mi) N of West Yellowstone, MT
• map 0.8 2013/11/21 01:21:44 39.681N 111.544W -0.8 10 km ( 6 mi) NE of Fountain Green, UT
• map 0.6 2013/11/21 01:04:22 44.766N 111.084W 10.6 12 km ( 7 mi) N of West Yellowstone, MT
• map 1.2 2013/11/20 23:15:12 44.839N 111.493W 5.7 36 km (23 mi) WNW of West Yellowstone, MT
• map 1.2 2013/11/20 20:30:30 44.629N 110.343W 7.5 54 km (33 mi) SW of Cooke City-Silver Gate, MT
• map 1.2 2013/11/20 16:03:48 38.515N 111.908W 7.5 2 km ( 1 mi) WNW of Koosharem, UT
• map 1.8 2013/11/20 13:22:58 45.894N 111.293W 2.7 5 km ( 3 mi) NE of Manhattan, MT
• map 1.8 2013/11/20 13:17:03 36.940N 113.629W 2.9 18 km (11 mi) SSW of St. George, UT
• map 2.1 2013/11/20 11:36:43 42.926N 111.142W 1.1 12 km ( 7 mi) W of Thayne, WY
• map 1.7 2013/11/20 11:00:00 39.002N 111.344W 1.7 12 km ( 7 mi) NW of Emery, UT
• map 1.6 2013/11/20 10:59:59 39.001N 111.341W -0.4 12 km ( 7 mi) NW of Emery, UT
• map 2.6 2013/11/19 19:32:33 44.856N 111.487W 4.6 37 km (23 mi) NW of West Yellowstone, MT
• map 0.7 2013/11/19 19:02:01 44.832N 110.702W 3.7 23 km (14 mi) S of Gardiner, MT
• map 0.6 2013/11/19 17:31:18 44.753N 111.005W 9.9 13 km ( 8 mi) NE of West Yellowstone, MT
• map 2.2 2013/11/19 17:27:58 44.827N 110.698W 4.8 23 km (14 mi) S of Gardiner, MT
• map 1.5 2013/11/19 17:27:49 44.762N 111.089W 10.2 11 km ( 7 mi) N of West Yellowstone, MT
• map 2.2 2013/11/19 17:27:00 44.835N 110.689W 6.2 22 km (14 mi) S of Gardiner, MT
• map 0.9 2013/11/19 16:32:41 44.765N 111.085W 10.2 12 km ( 7 mi) N of West Yellowstone, MT
• map 1.3 2013/11/19 15:18:38 44.766N 111.081W 10.7 12 km ( 7 mi) N of West Yellowstone, MT
• map 1.5 2013/11/19 09:12:07 44.762N 111.090W 10.6 11 km ( 7 mi) N of West Yellowstone, MT
• map 1.0 2013/11/19 02:25:56 38.962N 111.405W 3.6 14 km ( 9 mi) WNW of Emery, UT
• map 1.1 2013/11/19 01:58:56 45.307N 112.600W 11.5 11 km ( 7 mi) NNE of Dillon, MT
• map 2.2 2013/11/19 00:48:49 44.573N 114.291W 12.4 9 km ( 6 mi) NNW of Challis, ID
• map 1.2 2013/11/18 21:55:32 38.959N 111.386W 8.6 13 km ( 8 mi) WNW of Emery, UT
• map 1.4 2013/11/18 21:48:54 38.957N 111.402W 2.5 14 km ( 9 mi) WNW of Emery, UT
• map 1.0 2013/11/18 16:24:35 44.662N 111.876W 13.0 41 km (26 mi) NE of Spencer, ID
• map 2.0 2013/11/18 13:35:07 38.962N 111.418W 2.8 15 km ( 9 mi) WNW of Emery, UT
• map 1.7 2013/11/18 01:41:48 39.313N 111.962W 10.2 14 km ( 8 mi) NW of Fayette, UT
• map 0.9 2013/11/17 19:41:25 39.301N 111.953W 12.7 12 km ( 7 mi) NW of Fayette, UT
• map 1.6 2013/11/17 15:34:42 44.238N 110.793W 4.9 44 km (27 mi) ENE of Warm River, ID
• map 1.1 2013/11/17 07:56:20 39.305N 111.932W 13.6 11 km ( 7 mi) NW of Fayette, UT

- Watchers.