Yellowstone volcano: Ground RISING after 121 earthquakes strike throughout Yellowstone

Yellowstone volcano officials are monitoring an ongoing shift in the supervolcano’s landscape, which began as early as 2015. Yellowstone’s Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone’s hottest geyser basin, witnessed ground levels rise by almost an inch last year. Officials from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed in the latest Yellowstone activity update, the basin rose by 0.78 inches (2cm) in 2018. GPS data collected throughout the Yellowstone volcanic caldera suggests this part of the national park has been rising for at least three years now.

However, there have been no major deformations across the Yellowstone volcano caldera as a whole.

The USGS said: “There were no significant changes in surface deformation at Yellowstone as recorded by GPS stations.

“Ground subsidence of Yellowstone caldera continues, as it has since 2015, with about 2cm of subsidence occurring during 2018.

“In the area of Norris Geyser Basin, GPS data indicate a minor amount of uplift over the past few months, with a total uplift of about 2cm during 2018, also continuing the trend that has been ongoing since 2015.”

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In the same Yellowstone update, the USGS revealed a total of 121 earthquakes were recorded in the Yellowstone area in December 2018 alone.

The earthquakes struck in rapid swarms and singular tremors throughout the park.

At least 50 percent of all recorded seismic activity in Yellowstone was attributed to earthquake swarms.

The strongest Yellowstone earthquake of magnitude 3.1 was detected in late December last year.

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The largest earthquake swarm was picked up on December 31 about five miles (eight km) outside of Lake, Wyoming.

The USGS said: “During December 2018, the University of Utah Seismograph Stations, responsible for the operation and analysis of the Yellowstone Seismic Network, located 121 earthquakes in the Yellowstone National Park region.

“The largest event was a minor earthquake of magnitude 3.1 located 19 miles west-northwest of West Yellowstone, MT, on December 20 at 9.36am MST.

“December seismicity in Yellowstone concluded with a swarm of 53 located earthquakes on December 31.

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“Additional earthquakes that were too small to be located but can be seen on webicorders are not included in this count.

“The largest swarm event, a minor earthquake of magnitude 2.8, was located 5 miles west-northwest of Lake, WY, on December 31 at 3.21am MST.”

In December last year, Yellowstone also saw Steamboat Geyser erupt scorching water three times, on December 8, 17 and 2.

There were in total 32 Steamboat water eruptions last year, which broke the 1964 record of most eruptions in a calendar year – 29 blasts.

source: express.co.uk