Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: metmom; DuncanWaring; Kartographer
That whole area is, and has been, seismically active for hundreds of millennia because of the North American craton's overriding of the Nazca and Pacific Plates.

The source of the seismicity isn't necessarily magmatic in origin -- not necessarily due to movement of magma. It may be due to plate movement. The seismologists' determination of the epicenter's depth will tell you -- the Nazca plate is present at depth, but the depth is very great in Wyoming, near the leading edge of the plunging overridden plate, much deeper than the Yellowstone magma chamber. (National Geographic had a good article on the Yellowstone hot spot recently.)

The hot spot, of course, is connected by a magma feeder to the magma chamber; this feeder penetrates both plates and has emplaced the magma body in the North American plate.

One temblor probably does not signal a problem. Swarming low-intensity quakes would be another matter.

111 posted on 02/22/2012 1:03:24 AM PST by lentulusgracchus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 65 | View Replies ]


To: lentulusgracchus

Are you talking about Yellowstone or New Madrid?


113 posted on 02/22/2012 4:27:00 AM PST by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 111 | View Replies ]

To: lentulusgracchus; DuncanWaring; Kartographer
One temblor probably does not signal a problem. Swarming low-intensity quakes would be another matter.

I don't know that any of us thought that. What I found curious is the lack of mention of it virtually anywhere in the news.

My understanding is that in an area of known seismic activity, occasional events like this are a kind of safety value. The thing to worry about is NO activity, IOW, the pressure not being released.

But then again, geology is not my area of specialty. You want to talk tornadoes, I'm game but rocks? I'll leave that for the geologists.

118 posted on 02/22/2012 5:33:34 AM PST by metmom (For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 111 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson