The Ground Over Yellowstone Is Rising
On March 29th, earthquakes began and continued until the end of the month. Apparently, earthquakes come in swarms, so be aware. Experts say that Yellowstone's seismic activity is more active than usual, but it's nothing serious. Yellowstone Volcano Observatory geophysicist Michael Poland claims the volcano won't erupt anytime soon. For an eruption to occur, there must be enough magma ready to erupt beneath the surface and enough pressure to cause it to rise. These conditions don't exist today, according to the expert. Yellowstone is currently stable. However, Poland and his team monitor underground activity for warning signs of possible eruptions, such as the frequency of earthquakes and changes in the surface of the ground. They also monitor the temperature of the park's thermal features, geyser activity, and gas and thermal emissions. Despite media claims that Yellowstone is due to erupt soon because the last eruption was 70,000 years ago, experts say this is a popular misconception. Volcanoes don't follow timelines. If a super eruption did occur, the most worrying consequence would be ash and ashfall, not lava flows or earthquakes. Let's take a look at Yellowstone's past eruptions. There have been at least three super eruptions, with the most powerful being 2500 times more devastating than the Mount St Helens eruption in 1980. The most recent super eruption was called the Lava Creek eruption, which formed the Yellowstone caldera. Scientists have also discovered two previously unknown super eruptions that occurred around 9 and 8.7 million years ago. The younger of the two is now considered the largest recorded event in the Snake River Yellowstone volcanic province.