Hundreds of Quakes Are Rattling Yellowstone

New York Times ^ | 1/31/10 | kirk johnson

[socialismislost]

DENVER — In the last two weeks, more than 100 mostly tiny earthquakes a day, on average, have rattled a remote area of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, putting scientists who monitor the park’s strange and volatile geology on alert.

[ObserverOMG]

I have been keeping an eye on Yellowstone since I found out it was a supervolcanoe in 2005. Yellowstone produces earthquakes on a regular basis. However, we are talking about 85-150+ earthquakes in a month. On average, Yellowstone is rattled with anywhere between 1,500 to 2,500 earthquakes per year. Since the “official” start of the swarm (Jan.17), there have been a reported 1,800 earthquakes. That is saying a lot. I have also noticed that the earthquakes are becoming more shallow as they progress. What this means? Who knows. But if there was any indication of a super-eruption, would we be warned?

I had this conversation with my husband last night. Imagine if we just found out that an asteroid was heading our way. We are not technologically advanced enough to divert an impact that could cause wide spread devastation. So do you think the government would warn us or let us go on with our lives? Imagine the chaos that would erupt. If they warn us too early, and nothing happens, the monetary loss would get them.

The best thing to do is to make your own decisions. I have read up on several articles and reading material about volcanoes and signs preceding eruptions. If anyone is interested in some of the websites I have found to ease worries or encourage an interest, please let me know. Don't worry. I think we have plenty of time before the next eruption takes place.

[VideoDoctor]

THE END IS NEAR!

[Arrowhead1952]

First, welcome to FR. It is a great place to read a lot of news.

There are a lot of recent article here on Yellowstone the past few months.

[Arrowhead1952]

Here is one of the earlier threads.

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/news-forum/index?more=2443126

[Gene Eric]

Thanks.

I wasn’t sure if that was an ash graph or some under layer of volcanic related stuff.

[UCANSEE2]

Here is more than you ever wanted to know about the Yellowstone Caldera.

It helps give some perspective on the ‘concern’ about a major eruption, as it seems that has been the prediction for each year for the past 10 years.

http://www.earthmountainview.com/yellowstone/yellowstone.htm

(hat tip to KARTOGRAPHER for the link)

[Arrowhead1952]

Thanks.

tx, check out the link at the above post.

[darth]

Store food!

Everybody needs at least 6 months. I aspire to a 5 year supply of basics for my family.

[rmlew]

Stop over reacting. There are 6.3 Billion people. I’m sure a few million would survive. (think canned food and the other other white meat)

[rmlew]

Are corpses meat?

[freedumb2003]

>>Stop over reacting. There are 6.3 Billion people. I’m sure a few million would survive. (think canned food and the other other white meat)<<

I’ll go with those numbers.

You are probably right — people can be stubborn and adapt to the most extreme conditions (for God’s sake, people go TO Alaska, the Ukraine and the like on purpose!).

The YS Caldera just sets us back to around Moses’ time or so. There will be a lot of raw resources available that can last (I was amazed when I heard a solid wooden door has a lifespan of 200 years).

I guess I was a little pessimistic.

But for the survivors, it ain’t gonna be fun. Every day will be a scrape for survival.

[TigersEye]

I guess that depends on how fresh they are? Is McDonald’s selling corpses now?

[PizzaDriver]

If you have family in the historic ash-fall areas, urge them to buy a few spare Air Filters for their Vacation/Escape Vehicles.

Cars can drive over Ash only until the ash clogs the air intake.

[dragnet2]

The map is BS, since the prevailing winds for hundreds of years now have blow west to east...lol...

That’s why Texas, Arizona and all points east get California’s storms, days later....Only much more severe.

[Kartographer]

You may just want to get a hold of the USGs and the University of Wyoming and Montana and tell them of the big mistake they made. Of course I am not sure what you are going to do about all the volcanic ash that in the sediment records of this area.

http://dma.mt.gov/des/Library/PDM/PDM-Final%20Draft/Volcanic%20Eruptions%20Hazard%20Profile.pdf

[antceecee]

My Mom was at my home in OC this week watching the doggies for me and said that they went crazy at about 2:00 AM FEB. 03.... and then again a couple of hours later. She was really concerned about it, because both dogs woke up and ran and jumped on her bed very frightened. They normally act this way in an earthquake. Wonder if it has anything to do with this????

[hennie pennie]

>>>> "Some geologist believe that the continental plate has moved and the hot spot that is the caldera is now under mountains. They think, maybe, could be, that with the added weight of the mountains over the hot spot that a major eruption is not as likely in the short term, geological short term that is. The series of major eruptions throughout geological time may not be as a reliable indicator to when, or if, the next eruption is "due". The bottom line is that there is a great bit of uncertainty here as well as a wide range of theories from geologist.

Personally, I ain't losing any sleep. If YNP blows I will try to make a quick post though to give you all a heads up..." <<<<

*ping*

I'd never heard or read this before.

[Godzilla]

I'd never heard or read this before.

This hot spot theory for Ystone has been around for a long time. AFA the quake swarm - interesting but you can still make plans to visit the park this summer. People here have been making more of this quake swarm than what is warranted. They are not evidence of an impending eruption. The same 650,000 year recurrence has been talked about for the last 50+ years and is no different from when the next big asteroid strike will be (we are apparently overdue there too).

The park is seismically instrumented to look for specific seismic indicators of magma movement towards the surface. These are called harmonic tremors and they are very well studied and known now a days. Were those type tremors to be observed, then there would be reason for concern. Ystone has recently ended a period of uplift in portions of the caldera and this swarm is along the western edge of the caldera fault zone, evidence of relieving stress - nothing more.

A more realistic concern is a steam explosion type event that has created some rather large features in the post eruption history of the park. But swarms are not a precursor.

[dragnet2]

The map is BS, since the prevailing winds for hundreds of years now have blow west to east...lol...

That’s why Arizona and Texas and all points east get California’s storms, days later....Only much more severe.

You may just want to get a hold of the USGs and the University of Wyoming and Montana and tell them of the big mistake they made. Of course I am not sure what you are going to do about all the volcanic ash that in the sediment records of this area.

You might want to read my post again son. Ya see the part where I typed, "The prevailing winds for hundreds of years now have blow west to east".

I don't care what the winds were doing tens of thousands of years ago...I am simply telling you, if it went off today, the chances of the ash blowing east are *extremely* likely..

To prove this, go to any weather satellite site, and fast forward video, and you tell me the direction the clouds are moving...lol...I just looked, and the entire air mass from that region is moving due east towards Chicago.....

[Kartographer]

Do you take in account the pure blast effect? Do you have any idea of the power of the eruption of a super volcano? On second thought never mind, you are absolutely totally irrevocably RIGHT!