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Multiple tiny earthquakes rattle Yellowstone. Could the big one be far behind?
Scientific American ^

Posted on 12/30/2008 3:42:22 PM PST by maquiladora

Any disaster fiend will tell you that Yellowstone National Park is long overdue for a monster eruption that could leave as much as half the U.S. under a blanket of ash. And there are rumblings the big one could be imminent in the wake of a series of 30-plus mini-earthquakes in the park over the past few days—too weak to be felt by humans for the most part but picked up by the seismometers at the University of Utah.

After all, the geologic record shows that the giant caldera we affectionately call Yellowstone has blown every 600,000 years or so over the past 2 million years. The last big eruption? About 640,000 years ago when the park spit out about 240 cubic miles worth of rock, dirt, magma and other stuff.

But don't panic yet. Although the earthquake swarm continues, according to the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, the volcano alert level remains normal. And a slew of larger earthquakes have occurred throughout the western U.S., Alaska, Puerto Rico and even Pennsylvania in the past week without incident, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

In recent years, Yellowstone's caldera has been rising thanks to uplifting magma beneath it—leading to more cracks, hot springs and even more frequent eruptions of Steamboat Geysers. Paired with the earthquakes, such magma movement might presage an eruption—either big or small. Unfortunately, scientists can't really predict when the next such eruption will happen, and the range of possibilities is large: from later today to a million years from now.

How will we know if we should start worrying? The real warning signs will be rapid changes in the shape of the ground as well as volcanic gases leaking from the ground, neither of which have been sighted—yet.

"Eruptions are far enough apart that there is a very low probability of the next eruption happening in our lifetimes or anytime soon," Daniel Dzurisin of the USGS told me in 2006. "The flipside is: [Yellowstone] has been active for millions of years and it's going to erupt again sometime."


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: earthquake; usgs; yellowstone
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1 posted on 12/30/2008 3:42:22 PM PST by maquiladora
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To: maquiladora

much more:
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/yellowstone/index?tab=articles


2 posted on 12/30/2008 3:46:31 PM PST by xcamel (The urge to save humanity is always a false front for the urge to rule it. - H. L. Mencken)
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To: maquiladora

Cool it off by using it as a huge geothermal plant


3 posted on 12/30/2008 3:47:40 PM PST by ConservativeMind (What's "Price Gouging"? Should government force us to sell to the 15th highest bidder on eBay?)
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To: maquiladora

12/21/12


4 posted on 12/30/2008 3:48:17 PM PST by Don Corleone (Leave the gun..take the cannoli)
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To: maquiladora
If Yellowstone is going to blow, it better hurry up. Jan 20th is coming up quick.

Natural disasters will cease to exist under the new messiah reign

5 posted on 12/30/2008 3:49:06 PM PST by Popman (Dont worry Barney Frank has your ass-ets covered!!!)
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To: maquiladora

The otherwise hapless SEC should take the lead on this. Watch the geologists. When they start shorting every stock west of the Alleghenies, run.


6 posted on 12/30/2008 3:49:18 PM PST by Alter Kaker (Gravitation is a theory, not a fact. It should be approached with an open mind...)
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To: maquiladora

Earthquakes, pestilences, wars and rumors of wars, 666, gosh, the Bible is one AMAZING book, isn’t it? :)


7 posted on 12/30/2008 3:50:21 PM PST by deannadurbin
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To: maquiladora

Someone tell Jonah Goldberg. He has an unhealthy fascination with volcano lancing.


8 posted on 12/30/2008 3:51:03 PM PST by ccmay (Too much Law; not enough Order.)
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To: maquiladora

Mother natures global warming engine...Volcano’s and the sun.


9 posted on 12/30/2008 3:53:54 PM PST by TASMANIANRED (TAZ:Untamed, Unpredictable, Uninhibited.)
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To: deannadurbin
Earthquakes, pestilences, wars and rumors of wars, 666, gosh, the Bible is one AMAZING book, isn’t it? :)

Indeed. But what would really be amazing is if you could identify any time since it was written when there weren't any earthquakes, pestilences, wars, or rumors of wars.

-ccm

10 posted on 12/30/2008 3:54:58 PM PST by ccmay (Too much Law; not enough Order.)
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To: maquiladora
"Yellowstone supervolcano obliterates Western U.S., women and minorities hit hardest"
11 posted on 12/30/2008 4:02:45 PM PST by UncleDick (Sola fide)
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To: maquiladora

I’m far enough away to be safe, and close enough to enjoy the glow...


12 posted on 12/30/2008 4:03:46 PM PST by Iscool (I don't understand all that I know...)
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To: maquiladora

Another one to watch is Mt. Rainier - I believe the problem is based on the type of volcano - Hawaii for example, has what are known as “shield” volcanos, mellow and laid back with slow eruptions. Pyroclastic volcanos are a different deal, very explosive. And lots of the Seattle area are built up on ancient mud flows called lahars. Bad deal, if it goes... The Yellowstone caldera - and Yellowstone lake proper, are the remnants “a puddle” of what used to be a huge volcano! Yikes.


13 posted on 12/30/2008 4:04:40 PM PST by Freedom4US
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To: maquiladora
The real warning signs will be rapid changes in the shape of the ground

Yeah, i'd say that's a warning sign. Whenever the ground changes shape, red flags go up with me.
14 posted on 12/30/2008 4:06:44 PM PST by hemogoblin
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To: maquiladora

The article said — “The flipside is: [Yellowstone] has been active for millions of years and it’s going to erupt again sometime.”

I saw the movie and it’s a monster eruption... :-)


15 posted on 12/30/2008 4:09:51 PM PST by Star Traveler
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To: Popman

Yes we ‘cano!


16 posted on 12/30/2008 4:11:52 PM PST by hometoroost (Put not your trust in princes...in whom there is no help...happy is he whose hope is in the Lord.)
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To: ccmay

I’ve always taken that passage as a reference to degree & scale.


17 posted on 12/30/2008 4:13:53 PM PST by skeeter
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To: Iscool
I’m far enough away to be safe, and close enough to enjoy the glow...

So how's life on the moon these days? :^)

18 posted on 12/30/2008 4:16:25 PM PST by maquiladora
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To: ccmay

A typical liberal atheistic response.

Coming all at once at the same time as the Antichrist, no, they haven’t all happened in conjunction together with that, yet. However there are foreshadowings.


19 posted on 12/30/2008 4:23:47 PM PST by deannadurbin
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To: UncleDick

“”Yellowstone supervolcano obliterates Western U.S., women and minorities hit hardest” “

And George Bush in his last defiant act, did nothing to prevent it.


20 posted on 12/30/2008 4:24:25 PM PST by dbacks (God help the USA.)
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