Seismic security

Yellowstone emergency: Panic as Supervolcano could erupt THIS week, warns scientist

Although it is not yet clear when the volcano could erupt, the scientist has said it could happen soon. The Yellowstone Caldera which is a massive 34 to 45 miles wide, is a supervolcano located in the Yellowstone National Park.

The volcano last erupted 640,000 years ago which has led many scientists to believe that the monster volcano is due a mighty eruption any day now.

Scientists have also said that each time the supervolcano erupts, it causes dramatic changes to its surroundings.

Geological data suggests that the last major eruptions took place 2.1 million, 1.3 million and 640,000 years ago.

Its most recent eruption is believed to have created the main Yellowstone Caldera and the Lava Creek Tuff.

Seismic security

Yellowstone eruption fears: 41 earthquakes hit Yellowstone amid concerns of overdue blast

The USGS update came amid widespread online claims the US supervolcano is overdue another major eruption.

Scores of concerned social media users took to Twitter to share their unease about Yellowstone.

Manuel Miranda said: “The only end of the world catastrophe I’m scared of is the eruption of the super volcano in Yellowstone park.”

Another Twitter user said: “There are a few events that I know the world is overdue. We're overdue a recession.

“The supervolcano under Yellowstone National Park is overdue an eruption. The San Andreas faultline is overdue an earthquake.

“We're overdue an influenza pandemic. I hope #coronavirus isn't it.”

Another person said: “14/20 The USA can guard against attack by others but cannot against nature – the volcano in Yellowstone park is due for eruption, and the longer it goes without one the more powerful it will be when it does.”

Seismic security

A supervolcano in Utah? It's 30 times larger than Yellowstone

Yellowstone's famous caldera, which last went off more than 640,000 years ago, can lay claim as North America's most well-known supervolcano.

But it isn't the continent's largest — a more ancient one found near the small southwestern Utah town of Enterprise, was about 30 times bigger.

Aspects of the geological landscape that Southern Utah is famous for – Pine Mountain, Veyo volcano and lava flows – come from volcanic activity in the area, all stemming from the supervolcano "Wah Wah Springs."

But Wah Wah Springs week-long explosion happened a long time ago. Like 30 million years ago. Should you be concerned about supervolcanoes and volcanic activity in this part of the United States?

Seismic security

Yellowstone volcano: 'First signs' supereruption on way revealed amid overdue claims

The Yellowstone caldera spreads beneath the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho and gets its chilling nickname as a supervolcano due to its ability to inflict devastation on a global level. It is monitored by the USGS (United States Geological Survey) for signs that a supereruption is on its way, something that has only happened three times in history, 2.1 million years ago, 1.3 million years ago and 640,000 years ago, leaving some to claim the massive eruption is overdue. Amid the speculation, Naked Science’s “Supervolcanoes” documentary revealed the warning signs would be seen long before an eruption happened.

The narrator said in 2013: “Any way you look at it, a supereruption would be a very nasty surprise, but how will the emergency services know one is on the way?

“The first sign of a Yellowstone eruption would probably be the ground rising.

“Just before Mount St Helens erupted, the mountain bulged, growing five feet per day, a similar kind of uplift would be likely at Yellowstone.

“As magma deep below the surface of the Earth rises, it splits the rocks above."

Seismic security

Yellowstone eruption could lead to ICE AGE and global WARS for remaining resources

The Yellowstone Supervolcano in the US is one of the most feared volcanos in the world, and scientists believe we are right to be cautious. Although here are no immediate signs the caldera in Wyoming is about to blow, experts believe it could erupt one day as one is said to be overdue, and the consequences will be catastrophic. And it will not be the initial explosion which will put an end to life on Earth, although it would kill an estimated 87,000 people immediately and make two-thirds of the USA immediately uninhabitable, but the aftermath of it.

Geologists believe the ash from the eruption would encircle the globe in as little as 48 hours, and make temperatures drop by a minimum of two degrees celsius for as long as 20 years.

The cooling of the Earth could be catastrophic for the planet’s fragile ecosystem, kicking off a chain reaction of extinctions.

Naomi Woods, a Virginia Tech geology alumni, wrote on Q+A site Quora: “Due to prevailing wind currents everything east of the super volcano would suffer most. In the immediate vicinity - total destruction.

“Sunlight would be blocked out and the ash particulates would take several years to fall out from our atmosphere. My guess is 5-10 years if we are lucky, 15-20 years if were not.

Seismic security

Fears Yellowstone supervolcano about to blow as new hotspot the size of four football pitches uncovered

A WORRYING new thermal danger zone has been spotted in Yellowstone National Park sparking fears the site's supervolcano could be poised to blow killing millions.

Shocking satellite images have revealed a hotspot the size of four soccer fields bubbling away beneath the surface - which is already killing trees and other vegetation.

While scientists have only now confirmed its existence, the United State Geological Survey (USGS) estimates it’s been quietly growing for around 20 years.

Seven miles beneath the ground at Yellowstone - which spreads across Wyoming and Idaho - lies a 50-mile-long chamber of molten lava dubbed a supervolcano.

It is essentially a giant, lid-topped cauldron that is so vast that it can only truly be seen from space.

The mega volcano last blew 70,000 years ago, but it would kill and estimated 100,000 people in the surrounding areas and millions more over time if it erupted today.

However, until now geologists have been quick to downplay fears about a potential major earthquake at the tourist site like the one which killed 28 people in 1959.

Seismic security

The Underappreciated Threat of Volcanic Tsunamis

First and most obviously: a volcanic tsunami is a mass movement of water caused by a volcano. Note that I didn't say erupting volcano. This is because a volcano doesn't have to erupt to cause a tsunami. Let's have a look at the ways we know volcanoes can generate tsunamis, explosively or not:

During eruptions, volcanic tsunamis can be caused by underwater explosions and shock waves caused by large explosions - even ones that occur above the waterline. Shock waves coupling with sea waves can produce tsunamis up to three meters in height. So, sometimes the energy of the eruption all by itself can make the sea behave in extremely dangerous ways.

Pyroclastic flows and lahars hitting the ocean can also displace water on an alarming scale. Lahars can dump quite a lot of material into the waters near a volcano very quickly, but pyroclastic flows are the stars of this show. These lethal flows of searing gasses and entrained volcanic debris can send a cubic kilometer or more of material careening into formerly serene seas, displacing massive amounts of water that have nowhere to go but away.

Earthquakes, whether tectonic or volcanic in origin, can cause landslides and debris avalanches. It doesn't matter if these mass movements of rock, ash, and other material originate above or below sea level: water gets shifted, and tsunamis happen.

Seismic security

Yellowstone volcano TREMORS: Seismometers detect 'seismic ENERGY' prompting need for study

More than 50 seismic trackers around Yellowstone volcano’s biggest lake have recorded evidence of tremors known as microseism. The Yellowstone discovery comes off the back of a study examining the presence of tremors in great lakes around the globe. Microseism is a faint shake of the Earth associated with the interaction of ocean waves and the seabed. In Yellowstone, trackers have found evidence of microseism on a much smaller scale, at the 135.9 square miles (352.1 square km) Yellowstone Lake in Northwest US.

Jamie Farrell, chief seismologist at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, said the study funded by the National Science Foundation, has found the most likely source of the tremors.

The geologist explained in the weekly Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles: “There are two ways that the ocean’s waves cause seismic shaking.

“The direct interaction of ocean waves and the solid ground near the shoreline – single frequency microseism – and the interaction of two sets of wave trains travelling in different directions in the open ocean – double frequency microseism.

Seismic security

Yellowstone volcano: Thermometers spike as HOTTEST temperatures on Earth are recorded
Yellowstone volcano’s bubbling hot springs are proof of the supervolcano’s incredible power, even deep beneath the surface of Yellowstone Lake. Yellowstone Lake, which measures about 130 square miles, is home to one of the most diverse volcanic habitats on Earth. A new Yellowstone study has now found thermometers around the Yellowstone volcano feature spike to some of the highest levels on Earth. With scorching temperatures up to 174C (345F) hundreds of feet deep in the water, Yellowstone’s volcanic power is tremendous.

...A USGS report on the study reads: “The hottest vent measured during the HD-YLAKE study were found in the Deep Hole area just east of Stevenson Island, the deepest area of Yellowstone Lake at 410 feet (125m).
“The hottest vent measured was a whopping 345F (174C). This is much hotter than any surface hot spring at Yellowstone, because the weight from the overlying lake water acts like a pressure cooker lid and allows temperatures higher than boiling to be reached.

“Indeed, these are the hottest hydrothermal vents measured in a lake anywhere in the world.”

The researchers found the scorching water and gas seeping out of tiny holes in the lake’s bottom.

Seismic security

Yellowstone volcano ACTIVITY: USGS confirms record-breaking eruptions OFF THE CHARTS

YELLOWSTONE volcano activity went completely off the charts in 2018, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has confirmed after a year of geyser eruptions.

Yellowstone volcano’s geysers erupted at an unusually high rate last year, breaking all known eruption records. USGS data collected since the start of last year has shown 2018 to be the most thrilling year for Yellowstone in a long time. The geological agency has now said Yellowstone’s world-famous Steamboat geyser erupted a total of 32-times – beating its previous 1964 record. The USGS said: “If you were a geyser watcher, it was surely one of the most memorable years in a long time.”

Yellowstone volcano’s Steamboat Geyser is the tallest active geyser in the world, rivalled only by Waimangu Geyser in New Zealand.

Located in the Norris Geyser Basin of the US National Park, Steamboat Geyser is live evidence of the intense volcanic processes deep below Yellowstone.

The geyser can go for years at a time without erupting jets of scorching hot water but 2018 proved to be something of an anomaly.

The last time Steamboat erupted this frequently was in 1964 when park officials noted 29 hot water eruptions.

Seismic security

Yellowstone eruption: Supervolcano threatens food shortages for ENTIRE Northern Hemisphere

Volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer revealed the most important result of a Yellowstone volcano eruption would be the amount of sulphur emitted. This can directly affect the temperature of the planet which plays a major part in growing food across the globe. In an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, Mr Oppenheimer warned of the massive global impact an increase in sulphur eruption could have on the global climate.

He said: “The Yellowstone volcano is going to affect the global climate.“It is not so much the size of the eruption but the amount of sulphur released. “If there was a very large amount of sulphur goes up into the stratosphere.

...Mr Oppenheimer insisted long term effects could see North America, South America and parts of Asia struggle to grow the food needed to supply themselves and foreign nations.

This reduction could damage the UK’s food security and force an increase in prices for certain food products.

Seismic security

Yellowstone volcano: Researcher's 'head east' eruption warning REVEALED

THE YELLOWSTONE volcano could wipe out more than three-quarters of the US in the event of an eruption and a researcher warns that, if it happens, people must "head east as fast as you can", a bombshell documentary has revealed. 

Survivalists Martin and Steven run YouTube channel Team Hack Life, where they provide key information on crisis situations.

Last week, they posted mini-documentary “Yellowstone Volcano Eruption – How to Find Safety”, where they discussed the possible outcomes should the volcano blow.

Martin revealed: “Where would it be safe if Yellowstone did erupt? The easy answer is head east as fast as you can. 

“Scientists have predicted how the event would go down with a map."

He then revealed a diagram showing six zones in the US and how they would each be affected. 

He added: “Zone one, which is a radius of 100 miles, could see 70,000 people die instantly. 

“Zone two, which starts after 100 miles, would be covered in 10ft of volcanic ash at 450C. 

“After the second zone, your chances of surviving increase, but still head east as fast as you can. 

Seismic security

YELLOWSTONE’S STEAMBOAT GEYSER ERUPTED MORE TIMES IN 2018 THAN ANY OTHER YEAR ON RECORD

Yellowstone National Park’s Steamboat geyser—the tallest active geyser in the world—had a record-breaking year in 2018. It experienced more water eruptions over the calendar year than any other since records began.

A statement from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO), which is part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Volcano Hazards Program, said that throughout 2018 the Steamboat geyser produced 32 eruptions. This, it said, breaks the record of 29, set in 1964.

The geyser was on a par with the 1964 record until December, when there were three eruptions on the 8th, 17th and 25th. The YVO noted that the geyser became more active in May 2018, saying it appeared to have “entered a phase of more frequent water eruptions, much like it did in the 1960s and early 1980s.”

It continued, “Although these eruptions do not have any implications for future volcanic activity at Yellowstone—after all, geysers are supposed to erupt, and most are erratic, like Steamboat—they are nonetheless spectacular.”

Seismic security

Yellowstone volcano 'DANGER': Scientists ‘closely watching’ 465-mile-long RISING magma

The supervolcano, located in Yellowstone National Park, has erupted three times in history – 2.1 million years ago, 1.2 million years ago and 640,000 years ago. Volcanoes typically blow when molten rock, known as magma, rises to the surface following the Earth’s mantle melting due to tectonic plates shifting. However, geologists have revealed how Yellowstone's magma chamber, which sits on top of the magma plume, is slowly rising each year. 

Should it continue at this rate, it is possible magma could break through the Earth’s crust – forming flowing lava, it was revealed on YouTube’s “Why the Yellowstone supervolcano could be huge”.

The 2015 mini-documentary detailed: “Scientists have new data that gives them a better picture of Yellowstone’s underground plumbing. 

“Right beneath the caldera, from the last eruption sits the magma chamber stretching 465 miles northwest.

Seismic security

Yellowstone WARNING: NASA's emergency plan to slow supervolcanoes WON'T work - here's why
Last August, it was reported by the BBC that NASA believes the “most viable solution” to the possibility of the Yellowstone supervolcano having a catastrophic eruption would be to drill several miles down into the volcano’s magma pool to pump down water at a high pressure. The drill would not touch the magma due to the risk of sudden depressurisation setting the volcano off, but would sit just above. The £3 billion idea gained traction as Yellowstone was ranked a ‘high-risk’ volcano but the US Geological Survey.

But one of the world’s foremost volcanologists, Professor Stephen Sparks of Bristol University, has stated that the plan won’t even work.

When asked by Express.co.uk whether he thought the plan was feasible, he simply replied: “No.”

Laughing, he continued: “No.

“It’s surprising, I’ve read that report myself.

“I don’t think its a scientifically viable option.”

His conclusion is bad news for the potentially apocalyptic outcome of an eruption at Yellowstone.

Dr Sparks explained that a volcanic winter would be dire for our existence as a species.

He elaborated: “If there was one it would have an enormous global impact. It would have dire consequences for food security, for trade and for a short time, a few years, there would be a deep freeze.

“There would be enormous climate effects.

“A very big eruption puts a lot of pollution into the atmosphere that reflects the sun’s radiation away from the Earth.

Seismic security

Yellowstone Supervolcano WARNING: Eruption would be 20 TIMES larger than infamous Vesuvius

...The last major eruption at Yellowstone was 640,000 years ago.

But earlier this year, Yellowstone National Park’s geyser erupted three times in six weeks, sparking fears a huge volcanic eruption was brewing.

Steamboat Geyser, which spewed water 91 metres high, erupted on March 15, April 19 and 25

The revelation followed an eruption and tsunami at Indonesia's Anak Krakatau on 22nd December.

The volcano, situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire and formerly of a similar size to Vesuvius, caused a tsunami that hit Sumatra and Java where more than 420 people died and 40,000 were displaced.

It is said to have lost three-quarters of its size in the immense eruption - the crater peak was brought down from 338 metres to 110 metres.

Seismic security

Yellowstone Supervolcano would cause volcanic WINTER bringing DEEP FREEZE

One of the world’s foremost volcanologists, Professor Stephen Sparks, revealed the astonishing impact that volcanoes like Yellowstone could have if they erupt to their full potential. He told Express Online: “If there was one it would have an enormous global impact. It would have dire consequences for food security, for trade and for a short time, a few years, there would be a deep freeze.

“There would be enormous climate effects.

“A very big eruption puts a lot of pollution into the atmosphere that reflects the sun’s radiation away from the Earth.

“The bigger the eruption, the more pollution there is and the pollution lasts for a longer time.

“So with these very big eruptions the volcanic winter is really severe.

“The models suggest that the temperature drops by maybe ten, fifteen degrees centigrade across the Earth.”

Professor Sparks added: “Remember, there’s one of these things every 20000 years.

“So it’s a very, very rare event.”

The last major eruption at Yellowstone was 640,000 years ago.

But earlier this year, Yellowstone National Park’s geyser erupted three times in six weeks, sparking fears a huge volcanic eruption was brewing.

Steamboat Geyser, which spewed water 91 metres high, erupted on March 15, April 19 and 25.

Seismic security

Catastrophe!: Cats Sense Earthquake Seconds Before Tremors Hit

June 18 footage from Osaka, Japan, shows residents of the cat cafe CATchy experiencing a feline fright moments before a brief earthquake.

Chilling in their respective spots, each cat is seen popping its head up seconds prior to the building being rattled by tremors.

Though the quake only measured a three out of seven on the Shindo seismic scale, some cats were not going to take any risks and began to zoom around the cafe in an attempt to find a safe space. Other felines stayed put in their tower, waiting for something more substantial to take place.

According to SoraNews24, none of the adoptable cats were harmed during the June quake.

Seismic security

Strong quakes hit Japan, killing at least 2, and Guatemala

A strong earthquake hit the Japanese city of Osaka during morning rush hour Monday, killing at least two people and injuring 40, Japan's government says.

The 5.3 magnitude quake shook Osaka, on Japan's main Honshu Island, around 8 a.m. Monday local time (7 p.m. Sunday ET) according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The Japan Meteorology Agency put the magnitude at 5.9 and JMA Seismic Intensity at 5.3.

Collapsing walls killed a 9-year-old girl as she traveled to school as well as an adult man, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

Local broadcaster NHK reported a third death and said that 200 people had been hurt. Nearly 700 people were in evacuation centers and 100,000 homes were without gas, NHK said.

Trains remain suspended across Osaka Prefecture, causing major travel delays. Some 170,000 homes suffered temporary power outages, which were resolved within hours after the quake, according to Kansai Electric co.

Seismic security

The U.S. has over 160 active volcanoes. How likely are they to erupt like Kilauea in Hawaii?

Mount Rainier. Mount St. Helens. Yellowstone. From the outside, they’re majestic summits, picturesque peaks that are among America’s most recognizable landmarks.

But inside, these sleeping giants are volcanoes that could, in theory, blow at any time — though early-warning systems would likely prevent casualties.

There are more than 160 active volcanoes in the United States, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Whether any will erupt soon, like Kilauea did in Hawaii on Thursday, is hard to tell until a few days or weeks in advance.

"It's really difficult to predict, because those volcanoes are relatively quiet until they start to activate an eruption," said Ben Edwards, a volcanologist and professor of earth sciences at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania.