A Bit More Than the Usual Rumbling Hits Yellowstone
In the past week or so, some 400 earthquakes have added to the already precarious land at Yellowstone National Park. Although the area is the largest supervolcano in North America, the rumbling is a bit more than normal.
Like bees, when earthquakes occur in great amounts in one area, it’s called a swarm, reports NPR. But this swarm is bigger than the usual that would happen. The swarm has a magnitude of 3.9 on the Richter scale, and the quakes have happened at greater frequency than the norm.
And all of the earthquakes have occurred under Yellowstone Lake. The last time something like this happened was 20 years ago, reports Wyoming’s Local News 8. Said one geologist on the station: “We think it’s where more magma heat and steam escaped through cracks in the crust. That’s probably what’s causing the earthquakes.”
No one knows for sure why this is happening, though. But no worries to the people living around Yellowstone - the last huge volcano eruption was about 640,000 years ago.
Earlier in the year, around April, the same thing happened in Oregon, except it was 600 earthquakes in 10 days. That one, though, was different - it didn’t occur around any places where tectonic plates meet, the vast land areas that form the Earth’s crust. Three of those quakes had a magnitude of 5.0 or higher. Most, however, happened out at sea, and were barely felt on land.
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Casualties of global warming? Who knows. There’s not much anyone can really do about these, except wait them out.
Photo Credit: moonjazz at Flickr under a Creative Commons License
Amanda, I am very disappointed with the quality of education at MSU…
Ehh, I don’t think it’s that bad, Mike–she does have a few sources (NPR, a local news channel) and the article still serves its intended purpose. However, as a journalism and writing major in college, I agree that the writing is indeed sloppy. Some bits don’t go anywhere (e.g., the bit on Oregon’s earthquakes–these matter to the story why, again?), and speculation on the author’s part is introduced along with fact in the article. This is a deadly mistake, especially for reporting in the sciences.
Since the last one occurred 640,00 years ago is reason to worry since volcanoes erupt in cycles. Yellowstone is long over due for one, and when it does erupt get ready for a very cold Earth.
The Yellowstone Volcano is a mega or super volcano. It is a result of a “Hotspot” in the earths mantle. It does not really have anything to do with tectonic plate movement.
The precursor of almost all eruptions are an increasing number of atypical earthquake “swarms”. The current rash of earthquakes in and around Yellowstone fits that description.
If this thing erupts, (depending on the size of the eruption)global warming will be a very moot point. We will pray for something warm, because the whole earth could be put into a new mini ice age within several days as a result of fine volcanic ash suspended in the stratosphere, blocking out the sunlight. This could turn out to be a disaster beyond comprehension. This subject deserves more serious consideration now as opposed to later.
I agree with Mike. You might want to hire someone who can write a coherent sentence. Also, check out this article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallacious_argument
Did this author actually ask if the earthquake swarm was caused by global warming? Seriously??
Really Amanda, this is ridiculous. “Causualties of Global Warming.” “No worries to the people living around Yellowstone.” These statements are obviously by someone who knows very little about what they are writing about. Here is a little advice since your profile says you are involved in enviromental journalism, LEARN ABOUT THE ENVIROMENT AND HOW THE EARTH WORKS. Do some research before writing an article, and no, Wikipedia does not constitute research.
Global warming is most definitely the cause of Yellowstone earthquakes; very astute Amanda.
you will like to see all the other calamities our wanton existence has inflicted on our planet:
http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/warmlist.htm
The environmental journalism program at Michigan State produces environmental journalists that describe earthquakes as symptoms of global warming? Nice.
As the others have pointed out, the links that you try and draw between the increased seismic activity at Yellowstone and global warming are downright fraudulent.
Also, if you had bothered to do some fact checking yourself, you would have realized quite rapidly that Wyoming is (relatively) in the center of the North American plate, and not as you suggest at the confluence of two or more tectonic plates. Oregon on the other hand is.
How can people take the environmental movement seriously, when they are so desperate to tie anything to global warming and other “environmental hazards” that they blatantly ignore science?