Yellowstone volcano eruption 2017: Record earthquake swarm unsettles nerves
GETTY Is Yellowstone about to blow?
The usually peaceful volcano has now experienced some 2,750 tremors since June 12 which could indicate that it is ready to burst back into life. This is the second most active swarm of quakes since records began. The US Geological Survey (USGS) has said that during September, there were 115 tremors – the biggest of these being a 2.3 quake. A statement from the earthquake trackers read: “Including the events from the prior three monthly reports beginning on June 12, total swarm seismicity includes one earthquake of magnitude 4.4, 12 in the magnitude 3 range, and 185 earthquakes in the magnitude two range.”
GETTY The eruption would be catastrophic
USGS scientist Mike Poland says that the swarm is likely nothing to worry about, but it will help experts learn more about the powerful supervolcano. He told Newsweek: “This is the sort of work that will happen in the months to come, as we gather up all of the available data and start crunching numbers. “What we can say now is that through the end of September, the University of Utah has located 2,475 earthquakes in the swarm.
GETTY The have been more than 2,700 earthquakes around Yellowstone
“This puts the 2017 swarm on par with that of 1985, which lasted three months and had over 3,000 located events. “[This is] certainly a fascinating event and one that we hope to learn more about through some post-swarm analysis.” The Yellowstone Caldera supervolcano last erupted 70,000 years ago but a spike in seismic activity around the national park has unsettled nerves.
GETTY Yellowstone could wipe out America
If the Wyoming volcano were to erupt it would kill an estimated 87,000 people immediately and make two-thirds of the USA immediately uninhabitable. The large spew of ash into the atmosphere would block out sunlight and directly affect life beneath it creating a “nuclear winter”.
Yellowstone volcano in pictures Wed, June 21, 2017 The volcano at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Montana sits atop a huge reserve of magma and last erupted 640,000 years ago Play slideshow LightRocket via Getty Images 1 of 11 The Morning Glory pool at Yellowsone National Park in Wyoming