Yellowstone earthquake swarm raises concerns

rexburgstandarjournal ^ | December 31, 2008 | PM MST

[Flavius]

ST. ANTHONY -- Most of the people at a Fremont County meeting Tuesday concerning disaster declarations were thinking about blizzards, deep snow and other winter terrors.

But a curious thing happening not far from Fremont County in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., was on at least one person's mind.

Chan Atchley of Ashton raised the question to the county emergency coordinator. He wanted to know if the county was aware of a swarm of earthquakes that have been occurring since right after Christmas in an area centered on the north end of Yellowstone Lake.

As of Wednesday at noon, at least 12 quakes of magnitude 3.0 and more and hundreds of smaller temblors have been recorded by the University of Utah Seismograph Stations in the Yellowstone Lake area.

Reports of quakes are posted on the Internet. And many area folks have the Web sites of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory bookmarked on their computers because hardly a day goes by without a quake of some ferocity in Yellowstone or the surrounding area.

[Flavius]

some local concerns

[Sudetenland]

Could this be the next “super volcano” eruption from Jellystone? I believe we are “due” for another one in the next several millenia.

[al baby]

Is Yogi and Boo Boo gonna be ok ?

[Erik Latranyi]

some local concerns

We'll just give them a bailout. It seems to be the "in" thing these days.

[rellimpank]

-—stress relief—we hope.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Considering that Yellowstone is a super volcano and that Colorado is missing water, this might be worth watching.

[Clioman]

Hope and change don’t always come in pairs. :crossed fingers”

[webschooner]

toilet still works ... hurry up Mom.

[oust the louse]

We just visited this marvel in June...I couldn’t help but keep thinking as we were sightseeing that it could blow at any minute. You’re right in the middle of a volcano really...

[Flavius]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2157059/posts

[Joiseydude]

We'll see how well zer0 and his administration are prepared for such a catastrophe if it happens.

They'll probably still claim it's Bushs fault.

[KevinDavis]

Well if the animals start to leave the park then it is time to start panic..

[GOP Poet]

I do not know what is up there, but I would be a bit concerned if I lived close to that area. Let’s hope the local and federal authorities treat this as such and provide adequate information in which the locals can make informed decisions regarding the care of themselves and their families. If nothing happens nothing happens, but the people are impacted and should at least have timely information and their questions and concerns addressed so as to make informed choices.

[Travis McGee]

Great graphics, thanks.
If that sucker blows high order, at least we won’t have to worry about the economy.

[GOP Poet]

Do animals sense something prior to earthquakes and react in a way that humans have documented? I am certainly ignorant regarding this area.

[Road Warrior ‘04]

Chan Atchley of Ashton was shook up because of the events.

[Sudetenland]

If the "super volcano" goes, it won't just affect those living "close to that area," it will devastate a third of the United States either directly by the explosion, or by the billions of tons of ejecta predicted.

Scientists will get to see first hand what a nuclear winter is like.

[Emperor Palpatine]

"Its the end of the world, I tell ya! The end of the world!"

[sonic109]

temblors ????

[Williams]

According to this chart, the eruptions have been lessening in intensity, although still likely enormous. I think you would see a huge upswell before the eruption, maybe enough warning to clear the immediate area. Most of the magma is miles down and when it makes a move up I think there will be a lot more than tiny quakes down there.