One of the best known volcanoes in the world is the yellowstone volcano. It is located in Yellowstone National Park in the United States and is in the northwest corner of Wyoming. It is a volcano that has had three supereruptions in the last 2.1 million years and that have formed the caldera that measures approximately 55 × 72 30 kilometers.
In this article we are going to tell you everything you need to know about the Characteristics, geology, and eruptions of the Yellowstone volcano.
Key features
There are multiple standards for the origin of the Yellowstone hotspot. Some geologists claim that it was formed by the interaction of local conditions in the lithosphere and convection in the upper mantle. Others indicate that it originated in the deep mantle (mantle feathers). This dispute is due to the appearance of hot spots in the geological record. Furthermore, the Colombian basalt flow appeared around the same time, prompting speculation about its origin.
The crater is on a hot spot. The current Yellowstone hotspot is below the Yellowstone Plateau. Although it appears to cross the terrain from east to east, the hotspot is actually much deeper than the terrain and remains static.
In the last 18 million years, the Yellowstone hotspot has produced continuous violent eruptions and basalt floodsAt least 12 of these eruptions were so large that they were classified as super-eruptions. Sometimes these eruptions emptied the stored magma so rapidly that the overlying land collapsed into a tumbling magma chamber, forming the so-called volcano. The geographic depression of the mouth. volcanic craters Formed by explosive supereruptions, they can be as large and deep as large and medium-sized lakes, and can cause large areas of mountains to disappear.
The oldest tracks in the crater straddle both sides of the Nevada-Oregon border near McDermit. One of the craters, the Bruno-Jabici Crater in southern Idaho, was formed 10-12 million years ago, and its formation left an ash layer 30 cm deep in northeastern Nebraska.
Yellowstone volcano eruptions
In the last 17 million years, the Yellowstone volcano has produced 142 or more crater eruptions. Yellowstone National Park sits on four overlapping volcanic craters (US NPS).
Volcanic fields that produce unusually large eruptions are called supervolcanoes. Thus defined, the Yellowstone supervolcano it is the volcanic field that produced the last three supereruptions of the Yellowstone hotspot. It also produced a small eruption that formed West Thumb Lake 174.000 years ago.
The most recent lava flow occurred about 70.000 years ago and a violent eruption occurred at West Thumb Lake west of Yellowstone about 150.000 years ago. There is also a steam explosion. 13.800 years ago, a steam explosion formed a 5 km diameter crater in Mary Bay on the edge of Yellowstone Lake in the center of the crater.
Today, volcanic activity occurs through numerous geothermal vents scattered throughout the region, including the famous Old Faithful geyser, and the soil expansion process that indicates the continued expansion of the underlying magma chamber. Due to volcanic eruptions and ongoing geothermal activity, a large block of magma lies beneath the crater's surface.
The magma in this room contains gas and only can remain dissolved under the tremendous pressure of magma. If the pressure is released to some extent due to certain geological changes, a part of the dissolved gas bubbles forms, causing the magma to expand. If this expansion produces a greater release of pressure, it can cause an uncontrolled reaction and can lead to a violent gas explosion.
Yellowstone volcano volcanic hazard
Between 2004 and 2008, there has been an increase in the surface of the Yellowstone crater by almost 7,6 cm per year, more than three times more than what has been observed since these measurements began in 1923. Scientists from the US Geological Survey. In the US, the University of Utah, the National Park Service and the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory said: “We do not see any evidence that another cataclysmic eruption will occur in Yellowstone in the foreseeable future. The recurrence intervals of these events are neither regular nor predictable.”
According to a study by the National Geographic Society, Yellowstone's next major eruption is likely to occur in one of three parallel fault zones that run north/northwest through the park. Two of these areas produced massive lava flows during the latest supervolcano activity, 174.000-70.000 years ago, and the third area is the area with the highest frequency of tremors in recent years.
Associated earthquakes
Due to the volcanic and tectonic nature of the area, the Yellowstone crater experiences 1,000 to 2,000 vibrations each year. Occasionally, a large number of tremors are recorded in a short period of time.
In their study, the researchers used a network of seismographs located around the park to map the magma chamber. Waves travel slower when they pass through hot, partially melted materials, so you can measure things underneath. As the team of scientists observed, this magma cave is huge: it is between 2 kilometers and 15 kilometers deep, about 90 kilometers long and 30 kilometers wide.
It extends further northeast of the park than other studies have shown and contains a mixture of solids and lava. To our knowledge, a map of this scale has never been drawn. With these findings, researchers can better assess the threat posed by unstable giants. Yellowstone's main source of heat lies between 405 and almost 2.900 kilometers below the surface. It can come from its liquid core. Scientists already know that the magma chamber is located above the reservoir and draws magma from it. It lies 5 to 14 kilometers below the surface and is the fuel for geysers, steaming pools, and other popular attractions.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about Yellowstone volcano and its characteristics.