Re: [Geology2] Yellowstone Supervolcano 'Not a Portent of Doom'

Gee! Now I can stop worrying and get a good night's sleep!

On Mon Feb 14th, 2011 9:09 PM PST robert-blau@webtv.net wrote:

>Glad to hear it . . .
>
>Yellowstone Supervolcano 'Not a Portent of Doom'
>
>The huge volcano under Yellowstone National Park has been rising at an
>unprecedented rate during the past several years, according to a new
>study. In the ancient past, the Yellowstone volcano produced some of the
>biggest-known continental eruptions, but the recent rising doesn't mean
>another doomsday eruption is looming, scientists say.
>
>The recent rising is unprecedented for Yellowstone's caldera -- the
>cauldron-shaped part of the volcano -- but it's not uncommon for other
>volcanoes around the world. The new study has simply revealed a more
>active caldera at Yellowstone than scientists realized.
>In 2004, the caldera was swelling at 2.8 inches (7 centimeters) per year
>in some parts, but the uplift has since slowed to a low of 0.2 inches
>(0.5 cm) per year, according to the study, which was published in the
>December edition of the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
>
>Calderas rise just like an inflating bubble. The inflating could either
>be caused by magma rising and pushing up on the caldera, or the magma
>could be heating gases and hydrothermal fluids (the same fluids that
>spew from Yellowstone's Old Faithful geyser) and pushing them against
>the caldera, Meertens told OurAmazingPlanet. Whatever the exact
>mechanism, a rising caldera is not enough to signal an eruption.
>
>"It's not a portent of doom," said Erik Klemetti, a volcanologist at
>Denison University in Granville, Ohio, who was not involved with the
>study. "It seems like these restless calderas are always sort of rising
>and falling, but that by itself doesn't mean it's about to erupt."
>
>Volcanologists look at several indicators when deciding whether an
>eruption is looming, Klemetti said. Warning signs typically include an
>increase in earthquakes under the volcano, changes in the gases being
>emitted, change in the volcano's shape, and steam and heat escaping from
>the top.
>
>Read more:
>http://ow.ly/3UG7R
>

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