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| -Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
| Unusual Seismic Activity in Yellowstone |
| 2008-12-30 |
| CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Yellowstone National Park was jostled by a host of small earthquakes for a third straight day Monday, and scientists watched closely to see whether the more than 250 tremors were a sign of something bigger to come. "They're certainly not normal," Smith said. "We haven't had earthquakes in this energy or extent in many years." "This is an active volcanic and tectonic area, and these are the kinds of things we have to pay attention to," Smith said. "We might be seeing something precursory. "Could it develop into a bigger fault or something related to hydrothermal activity? We don't know. That's what we're there to do, to monitor it for public safety." Smith said it's difficult to say what might be causing the tremors. He pointed out that Yellowstone is the caldera of a volcano that last erupted 70,000 years ago. He said Yellowstone remains very geologically active -- and its famous geysers and hot springs are a reminder that a pool of magma still exists five to 10 miles underground. |
| Posted by:OldSpook |
| #36 Iff the Caldera does blow big-time, I'm sure HAWAII + HAWAIIAN ASIAN-BASED TOURISM + DEV will like their NEWFOUND NEW EAST PACIFIC ISLANDS [formerly known as the US CONUS West Coast]. Iff there's one thing JAPAN TOURISM likes, ITS ISLANDS - CHINA ON ITS PART WILL PROB HAVE TO FIRST RESEARCH AND VERIFY THAT AN ANCIENT CHIN SEA EXPLORER FORMALLY DISCOVERED THE PRE-CALDERA US WEST COAST, OR IN ALTERN HAD STEPPED "FIRST FOOT" ON THE POST-CALDERA NEW ISLANDS??? That outrage you hear is the ESKIMO-INDIAN LIBERATION FRONT. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-12-30 21:43 |
| #35 RENSE > TELEGRAPH.UK = WHERE HAVE ALL THE SUNSPOTS GONE? Scientists are thur far wrong - AGAIN??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-12-30 21:34 |
| #34 the one cool thing is you could empty your BBQ directly on the ground and nobody would notice...or care. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-12-30 21:32 |
| #33 WORLD MIL FORUM > RUSSIAN MILITARY EXPERTS: POSSIBLE BREAKUP OF USA [Igor Panarin-claimed] CLOSER TO 2020 [10 years = 2019], THAN 2010! As per IGOR: * CHINA + RUSSIA + JAPAN to share control of former CONUS, + * San Francisco, Washinton, + Seattle > Chinese sphere of influence, + * CALIFORNIA = either independent REPUBLIC OF CA or under CHIN-JAPANESE DOMINATION [lessor = Mexico], + * TEXAS = DITTO AS PER CA, OR ELSE UNDER MEXICO? * NEW YORK CITY = join EU? * VARIOUS NORTHERN, MIDWEST STATES = REPUBLIC OF CHIMERICA [RoChina in America = NOT TAIWAN], OR ELSE REPUBLIC OF NORTH AMERICA [includ CANADA = Mackenzie Bros]??? OTOH, FREEREPUBLIC POSTER(S) > SCREW IGOR - USNA = "UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA" [CONUS + Canada + Mexico, etal.] SCENARIO IS MORE FEASIBLE/REALISTIC??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-12-30 21:31 |
| #32 There are volcano calderas, cinder-cones, and magma chimneys all over the western US, from Colorado to California. Most of them were caused by techtonic plate activity from both the west and the east. There are still "hot spots" all across the West, mostly identified by hot springs. The scenario in Wyoming could result in anything from a Vesuvius-type eruption to a mega-explosion that would kill 1/3 of the people in the United States. The problem is, it's impossible to judge which scenario will hold sway until it happens. If it's the big one, expect every fault in the US, Canada, and Mexico to let go, and for dozens of secondary volcanos to sprout up. Not sure about an Ice Age, but the next 50 years following such an event will be "very interesting". |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-12-30 19:55 |
| #31 Anonymous... my one zillion geothermal plants... |
| Posted by: 3dc 2008-12-30 17:54 |
| #30 While it sounds utterly wacky, I wonder if it would be possible to create an enormous columnar heat sink. The idea would be cool a portion of the "lid" over the lava pool, making it semi solid. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-12-30 17:40 |
| #29 There has been near daily earthquakes for some time, with dormant geysers erupting again and others drying up. The incline of the Yellowstone River had changed so much last time we were there, the spawning fish had difficulty jumping uphill to get back to the lake. Many exhausted themselves and died before egglaying, worrying the Park and this was probably 15 years ago. I had no idea the damage a volcano could do, but we had ash on our cars on the Great Plains following Mt. St. Helens, showing how far the jetstream can carry it. |
| Posted by: Danielle 2008-12-30 16:04 |
| #28 |
| Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2008-12-30 15:33 |
| #27 If this thing pops no one will be talking about carbon credits. |
| Posted by: tipover 2008-12-30 13:44 |
| #26 Mt. St. Helens was a "1" this would be a "5". You can't imagine the devastation.... Denver -gone, Chicago - under tens of feet of ash Please, shall we limit serious discussion to the downside. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-12-30 13:35 |
| #25 Guess I better start looking for a volcanic ash accessory kit for the snowblower, eh? |
| Posted by: Cornsilk Blondie 2008-12-30 13:14 |
| #24 > Denver -gone, Chicago - under tens of feet of ash. You say it like that's a bad thing? |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2008-12-30 13:00 |
| #23 Only 3 weeks left to blame Bush. |
| Posted by: Darrell 2008-12-30 12:52 |
| #22 Run for your lives! |
| Posted by: Carbon Monoxide 2008-12-30 12:50 |
| #21 Uh oh. 2012 looking bleaker and bleaker. |
| Posted by: Hellfish 2008-12-30 12:50 |
| #20 Al Gore: This, of course, the result of man-made |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2008-12-30 12:40 |
| #19 Saw the movie, Kansas is O.K. |
| Posted by: bman 2008-12-30 12:00 |
| #18 What this article fails to mention is that not only is Yellowstone is the caldera of a volcano that last erupted 70,000 years ago, but it was a Megavolcano. Imagine an eruption 2,500 times as powerful as Pompeii. |
| Posted by: lftbhndagn 2008-12-30 11:30 |
| #17 what, is Michael Moore doing a documentary there or something? |
| Posted by: Andy Ulusoque aka Broadhead6 2008-12-30 11:06 |
| #16 Next we'll work on stopping the sun from going nova. |
| Posted by: mojo 2008-12-30 10:44 |
| #15 It's what's known as a super volcano. Geologists in the past knew one was there by the rocks but couldn't find the caldera. What they never suspected was that the YNP valley WAS the caldera...it's that big. Mt. St. Helens was a "1" this would be a "5". You can't imagine the devastation.... Denver -gone, Chicago - under tens of feet of ash. global temps plummet and crops die for several years. mass starvation. Geologically speaking, we're overdo at 700k years. Studied this in grad school - I have a Masters in Geology. Not a pretty picture but the likelihood of eruption in still small in our lifetimes. I saw the special on TV as well. The north end of the lake is rising indicating that the magma dome is uplifting deforming the crust. A 3X increase in measurement since 1923 (a geologic split second) warrants a look see. |
| Posted by: Warthog 2008-12-30 10:33 |
| #14 Let us all Hope that Change does not come to Yellowstone. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2008-12-30 10:09 |
| #13 From the Wiki article; Volcanic hazards The last full-scale eruption of the Yellowstone Supervolcano, the Lava Creek eruption, ejected approximately 240 cubic miles (1000 cubic kilometres) of rock and dust into the sky. Geologists are closely monitoring the rise and fall of the Yellowstone Plateau, which averages +/- 0.6 inches (about 1.5 cm) yearly, as an indication of changes in magma chamber pressure. The upward movement of the Yellowstone caldera floor – almost 3 inches (7 centimeters) per year for the past three years – is more than three times greater than ever observed since such measurements began in 1923.[8] From mid-Summer 2004 through mid-Summer 2008, the land surface within the caldera has moved upwards, as much as 8 inches at the White Lake GPS station. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2008-12-30 09:53 |
| #12 There hath he lain for ages and will lie, Battening on huge seaworms in his sleep; Until the latter fire shall heat the deep; Then once by man and angels to be seen, In roaring he shall rise and on the surface die. |
| Posted by: Cthulhu 2008-12-30 09:48 |
| #11 It's just Halliburton doing some routine testing. Nothing to see here. |
| Posted by: gromky 2008-12-30 09:47 |
| #10 Linky no worky, lotp. The History Channel did a good story on this last Summer.It seems one end of the caldera is rising. There is a small lake there and the water is flooding areas that have been dry since it was found.We live on a dynamic planet. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2008-12-30 09:41 |
| #9 Lots of places to follow from this Wikipedia article |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-12-30 08:58 |
| #8 Curious if any of you guys could provide some links to resources concerning this possible event? Thanks |
| Posted by: AllahHateMe 2008-12-30 08:45 |
| #7 If it goes, it's Toba Part II. Call Mr. Darwin to the white courtesy phone. Adapt or perish. Everything east will become digs for future archeologists, sort of a later day Minoan excavation. |
| Posted by: P2k on holiday 2008-12-30 08:39 |
| #6 This is, possibly - intermediate case, where everything east of the caldera gets treated to a conformal coating of hot ash as far out to the mid-Atlantic, ranging in depth from god knows how deep to a few feet. Best case is a few inches. Oh, and it will take years to clear the atmosphere. Ice age follows. Damn that Al Gore! Must have visited YNP over the holidays. |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2008-12-30 08:24 |
| #5 Is this where California floats away? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-12-30 08:06 |
| #4 I just hope it doesn't blow in my lifetime. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-12-30 07:47 |
| #3 It isn't a matter of "if", it is when it blows. And it will, someday. |
| Posted by: Gleager Fillmore5997 2008-12-30 02:48 |
| #2 You have one big pi$$ed off caldera under there. We need a buzillion geothermal plants. If this thing blows, it will put some serious hurt on the US and the rest of the world will starve, too. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2008-12-30 02:25 |
| #1 we really need to drain some of this energy... Perhaps zillions of geothermal plants? |
| Posted by: 3dc 2008-12-30 02:10 |