Deseret News | Quakes in Yellowstone raising some questions

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Quakes in Yellowstone raising some questions

Barry Inscore | 6:43 p.m. Jan. 4, 2009

The Yellowstone hotspot is one of the biggest, baddest supervolcanoes in the world. It started South of Burley, Idaho and moved slowly NE to its last eruption in what we now know as Yellowstone. IT has a bad habit of blowing its top about every 70,000 years. The last eruption was about 70,000 years ago. To heck with global warming. Be afraid. Be very afraid. This one could change life in the Northern Hemisphere in a heartbeat.

Blackcats | 11:38 p.m. Jan. 4, 2009

The quake swarm started around midpoint of the lake and migrated Northward to under the shore. That area has at least eight steam explosion on the historical record... this could be yet another. The quakes tend to line up along an underwater ridge. Northward about 3 to 5 miles away, is the area of maximal uplift from Sept. 2004 and Aug. 2006.

Short of a Mag 4.0 or greater quake, I'm putting my money on a hydrothermal event. These quakes are in that underwater bulge region they found a few years ago.

Rick D | 10:49 a.m. Jan. 5, 2009

I think if you check, you will discover that the last eruption was roughly 600,000 years ago, and it has erupted pretty much every 600,000 years (not 70K as stated before).

That is not to say that we ought not be concerned - but understand this, if it blows, there is nothing mankind can do to STOP it from happening. The best we can do is to hope to mitigate the loss of life.

I don't see anyone too concerned enough to do much about that, however. And for the record, Global Warming is a load of nonsense - at least in terms of man-made global warming.

The SUN causes changes - not people.

Comments continue below

Steve O | 12:47 p.m. Jan. 5, 2009

Incorrect. Super eruptions have taken place every 600,000 - 800,000 years, but there have been 30 or so minor lava flows from Yellowstone in the last 620,000 years, or roughly every 70,000 years, the last being 70,000 years ago.

Yes, this by no means indicates anything is imminent, but bears watching.

If we see additional swarms and increased intensity in coming years there would be real reason for concern.

Ed Darrell | 2:06 p.m. Jan. 5, 2009

Six quakes in the last 24 hours or so -- I think the swarm may be buzzing off.

I list the links to see for yourself at Millard Fillmore's Bathtub.

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