The
Yellowstone Caldera is the
volcanic caldera and
supervolcano located in
Yellowstone National Park in the
United States, sometimes referred to as the
Yellowstone Supervolcano. The caldera is located in the northwest corner of
Wyoming,
in which the vast majority of the park is contained. The major features
of the caldera measure about 34 by 45 miles (55 by 72 km).
[3] The caldera formed during the last of three supereruptions over the past 2.1 million years. First came the
Huckleberry Ridge eruption 2.1 million years ago, which created the
Island Park Caldera and the
Huckleberry Ridge Tuff. Next came the
Mesa Falls eruption 1.3 million years ago, which created the
Henry's Fork Caldera and the
Mesa Falls Tuff. Finally came the
Lava Creek eruption 640,000 years ago, which created the Yellowstone Caldera and the
Lava Creek Tuff.
Volcanism
Yellowstone sits on top of four overlapping calderas. (US NPS)
Volcanism at Yellowstone is relatively recent with
calderas
that were created during large eruptions that took place 2.1 million,
1.3 million, and 640,000 years ago. The calderas lie over a
hotspot where light, hot,
molten rock from the
mantle rises toward the surface. While the
Yellowstone hotspot is now under the
Yellowstone Plateau, it previously helped create the eastern
Snake River Plain (to the west of Yellowstone) through a series of huge
volcanic eruptions.
The hotspot appears to move across terrain in the east-northeast
direction, but in fact the hotspot is much deeper than terrain and
remains stationary while the
North American Plate moves west-southwest over it.
[4]
Over the past 18 million years or so, this hotspot has generated a succession of violent eruptions and less violent
floods of basaltic lava. Together these eruptions have helped create the eastern part of the
Snake River Plain from a once-mountainous region. At least a dozen of these eruptions were so massive that they are classified as
supereruptions. Volcanic eruptions sometimes empty their stores of
magma so swiftly that they cause the overlying land to collapse into the emptied
magma chamber, forming a geographic depression called a caldera.
The oldest identified caldera remnant straddles the border near
McDermitt, Nevada-Oregon, although there are
volcaniclastic piles and
arcuate faults that define caldera complexes more than 60 km (37 mi) in diameter in the
Carmacks Group of southwest-central
Yukon,
Canada, which is interpreted to have formed 70 million years ago by the Yellowstone hotspot.
[5][6] Progressively younger caldera remnants, most grouped in several overlapping
volcanic fields, extend from the
Nevada-
Oregon border through the eastern Snake River Plain and terminate in the Yellowstone Plateau. One such caldera, the
Bruneau-Jarbidge caldera in southern
Idaho,
was formed between 10 and 12 million years ago, and the event dropped
ash to a depth of one foot (30 cm) 1,000 miles (1,600 km) away in
northeastern
Nebraska and killed large herds of
rhinoceros, camel, and other animals at
Ashfall Fossil Beds
State Historical Park. The USGS estimates there are one or two major
caldera-forming eruptions and 100 or so lava extruding eruptions per
million years, and "several to many" steam eruptions per century.
[7]
The loosely defined term '
supervolcano'
has been used to describe volcanic fields that produce exceptionally
large volcanic eruptions. Thus defined, the Yellowstone Supervolcano is
the volcanic field which produced the latest three supereruptions from
the Yellowstone hotspot; it also produced one additional smaller
eruption, thereby creating West Thumb Lake
[8] 174,000 years ago. The three super eruptions occurred 2.1 million, 1.3 million, and 640,000 years ago, forming the
Island Park Caldera, the
Henry's Fork Caldera, and Yellowstone calderas, respectively.
[9] The
Island Park Caldera supereruption (2.1 million years ago), which produced the
Huckleberry Ridge Tuff, was the largest and produced 2,500 times as much ash as the
1980 Mount St. Helens eruption. The next biggest supereruption formed the Yellowstone Caldera (640,000 years ago) and produced the
Lava Creek Tuff. The
Henry's Fork Caldera (1.2 million years ago) produced the smaller
Mesa Falls Tuff but is the only caldera from the Snake River Plain-Yellowstone (SRP-Y) hotspot that is plainly visible today.
[10]
Non-explosive eruptions of
lava and less-violent explosive eruptions have occurred in and near the Yellowstone caldera since the last supereruption.
[11][12]
The most recent lava flow occurred about 70,000 years ago, while a
violent eruption excavated the West Thumb of Lake Yellowstone around
150,000 years ago. Smaller steam explosions occur as well; an explosion
13,800 years ago left a 5 km (3.1 mi) diameter
crater at Mary Bay on the edge of
Yellowstone Lake (located in the center of the caldera).
[13][14] Currently, volcanic activity is exhibited via numerous
geothermal vents scattered throughout the region, including the famous
Old Faithful Geyser, plus recorded ground swelling indicating ongoing inflation of the underlying magma chamber.
The volcanic eruptions, as well as the continuing geothermal
activity, are a result of a great cove of magma located below the
caldera's surface. The magma in this cove contains gases that are kept
dissolved only by the immense pressure that the magma is under. If the
pressure is released to a sufficient degree by some geological shift,
then some of the gases bubble out and cause the magma to expand. This
can cause a runaway reaction. If the expansion results in further relief
of pressure, for example, by blowing crust material off the top of the
chamber, the result is a very large gas explosion.
According to the analysis of earthquake data in 2013, the magma
chamber is 80 km (50 mi) long and 20 km (12 mi) wide, and is shaped like
4,000 km
3 (960 cu mi) underground mass, of which 6–8% is
filled with molten rock. This is about 2.5 times bigger than scientists
had previously imagined it to be, but the proportion of melt is thought
to be much too low to allow a supereruption.
[15][16]
Earthquakes
Due to the volcanic and tectonic nature of the region, the Yellowstone Caldera experiences between 1000 and 2000 measurable
earthquakes
a year. Most are relatively minor, measuring a magnitude of 3 or
weaker. Occasionally, numerous earthquakes are detected in a relatively
short period of time, an event known as an
earthquake swarm.
In 1985, more than 3000 earthquakes were measured over several months.
More than 70 smaller swarms have been detected between 1983 and 2008.
The USGS states that these swarms could be caused more by slips on
pre-existing faults than by movements of magma or
hydrothermal fluids.
[18][19]
In December 2008, continuing into January 2009, more than 500 quakes were detected under the northwest end of
Yellowstone Lake over a seven day span, with the largest registering a magnitude of 3.9.
[20][21] The most recent swarm started in January 2010 after the
Haiti earthquake and before the
Chile earthquake. With 1620 small
earthquakes
between January 17, 2010 and February 1, 2010, this swarm was the
second largest ever recorded in the Yellowstone Caldera. The largest of
these shocks was a magnitude 3.8 on January 21, 2010 at 11:16 PM MST.
[19][22]
This swarm reached the background levels by February 21. On March 30,
2014, at 6:34 AM MST, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck Yellowstone, the
largest recorded there since February 1980.
[23]
Volcanic hazards
Diagram of the Yellowstone Caldera
The last full-scale eruption of the Yellowstone Supervolcano, the
Lava Creek eruption which happened nearly 640,000 years ago,
[24] ejected approximately 240 cubic miles (1,000 km
3) of rock, dust and
volcanic ash into the sky.
[14]
Geologists are closely monitoring the rise and fall of the
Yellowstone Plateau, which measures on average 0.6 inches (1.5 cm) yearly, as an indication of changes in magma chamber pressure.
[25][26]
The upward movement of the Yellowstone
caldera
floor between 2004 and 2008 — almost 3 inches (7.6 cm) each year — was
more than three times greater than ever observed since such measurements
began in 1923.
[27]
From mid-summer 2004 through mid-summer 2008, the land surface within
the caldera moved upward as much as 8 inches (20 cm) at the White Lake
GPS station.
[28][29] By the end of 2009, the uplift had slowed significantly and appeared to have stopped.
[30] In January 2010, the USGS stated that "uplift of the Yellowstone Caldera has slowed significantly"
[31] and that uplift continues but at a slower pace.
[32] The U.S. Geological Survey, University of Utah and National Park Service scientists with the
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
maintain that they "see no evidence that another such cataclysmic
eruption will occur at Yellowstone in the foreseeable future. Recurrence
intervals of these events are neither regular nor predictable."
[14]
This conclusion was reiterated in December 2013 in the aftermath of the
publication of a study by University of Utah scientists finding that
the "size of the magma body beneath Yellowstone is significantly larger
than had been thought." The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory issued a
statement on its website stating,
Although fascinating, the new findings do not imply increased
geologic hazards at Yellowstone, and certainly do not increase the
chances of a 'supereruption' in the near future. Contrary to some media
reports, Yellowstone is not 'overdue' for a supereruption.[33]
Other media reports were more hyperbolic in their coverage.
[34]
A study published in GSA Today identified three fault zones that future eruptions are most likely to be centered on.
[35]
Two of those areas are associated with lava flows aged 174,000–70,000
years, and the third area is a focus of present-day seismicity.
[35]
Hydrothermal explosion hazard
Path of the Yellowstone hot spot over the past 16 million years
Studies and analysis may indicate that the greater hazard comes from
hydrothermal activity which occurs independently of volcanic activity.
Over 20 large craters have been produced in the past 14,000 years,
resulting in such features as Mary Bay, Turbid Lake, and Indian Pond
which was created in an eruption about 1300 BC.
In a 2003 report, USGS researchers proposed that an earthquake may have displaced more than 77 million cubic feet (2,200,000 m
3)
(576,000,000 US gallons) of water in Yellowstone Lake, creating
colossal waves that unsealed a capped geothermal system leading into the
hydrothermal explosion that formed Mary Bay.
[36][37]
Further research shows that earthquakes from great distances do reach
and have effects upon the activities at Yellowstone, such as the 1992
7.3 magnitude
Landers earthquake
in California’s Mojave Desert that triggered a swarm of quakes from
more than 800 miles (1,300 km) away and the 2002 7.9 magnitude
Denali fault earthquake 2,000 miles (3,200 km) away in Alaska that altered the activity of many geysers and hot springs for several months afterward.
[38]
Yellowstone hotspot origin
The source of the Yellowstone hotspot is controversial. Some
geoscientists hypothesize that the Yellowstone hotspot is the effect of
an interaction between local conditions in the
lithosphere and upper
mantle convection.
[39][40] Others suggest a deep mantle origin (
mantle plume).
[41] Part of the controversy is due to the relatively sudden appearance of the hotspot in the geologic record. Additionally, the
Columbia Basalt flows appeared at the same approximate time, causing speculation about their origin.
[42]
See also
References
- "Mount Sheridan,vbe 3 Wyoming". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
- "Yellowstone". Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
- as determined by geological field work conducted by Bob Christiansen of the United States Geological Survey in the 1960s and 1970s.
- "Yellowstone Caldera, Wyoming—USGS". Cascade Volcano Observatory. United States Geological Survey. January 22, 2003. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
- Johnston,
Stephen T.; Wynne, P. Jane; Francis, Don; Hart, Craig J. R.; Enkin,
Randolph J.; Engebretson, David C. (1996). "Yellowstone in Yukon: The
Late Cretaceous Carmacks Group". Geology 24 (11): 997, 998. Bibcode:1996Geo....24..997J. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1996)024<0997:YIYTLC>2.3.CO;2.
- "Yellowstone hotspot track". Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- Yellowstone Volcanic Hazards, USGS. Volcanoes.usgs.gov (March 1, 2012). Retrieved on December 31, 2013.
- West Thumb Lake is not to be confused with West Thumb Geyser Basin. The caldera created West Thumb Lake, and the underlying Yellowstone hotspot keeps West Thumb Geyser Basin active. See Fig. 22. See also File:Yellowstone Caldera map2.JPG.
- Newhall, Christopher G.; Dzurisin, Daniel (1988) Historical Unrest at Large Calderas of the World: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1855
- This qualitative statement is easily verified by reviewing the Yellowstone area in Google Earth
- "Origin and evolution of silicic magmatism at Yellowstone". University of Oregon.
- "Secrets of supervolcanoes". University of Oregon.
- "Introduction to hydrothermal (steam) explosions in Yellowstone". Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone Net. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
- Lowenstern, Jacob B.; Christiansen, Robert L.; Smith, Robert B.; Morgan, Lisa A.; Heasler, Henry (May 10, 2005). Steam
Explosions, Earthquakes, and Volcanic Eruptions—What's in Yellowstone's
Future? – U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2005–3024. United States Geological Survey.
- Witze, Alexandra (2013). "Large magma reservoir gets bigger". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2013.14036.
- "USGS: Volcano Hazards Program - Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Featured Articles Archive". Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- "Yellowstone National Park Earthquake listings". Retrieved April 20, 2013.
- "Yellowstone Earthquake Swarms". Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
- "January 2010 Yellowstone Seismicity Summary". Retrieved February 1, 2010.
- "Archive of Yellowstone Updates for 2009".
- "UUSS Webicorder (Seismogram) at Lake for December 31, 2008". Retrieved January 1, 2009.
- Johnson, Kirk (January 31, 2010). "Hundreds of Quakes Are Rattling Yellowstone". The New York Times. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- Zuckerman, Laura. "Yellowstone National Park rattled by largest earthquake in 34 years". Reuters. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
- "Undine Falls, Lava Creek, Yellowstone National Park". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
- John Timmer (November 8, 2007). "Yellowstone recharges". arstechnica.com. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
- Smith, Robert B.; Chang, Wu-Lung; Siegel, Lee (November 8, 2007). "Yellowstone rising: Volcano inflating with molten rock at record rate". University of Utah Public Relations (Press release). EurekAlert! (American Association for the Advancement of Science).
- Molten Rock Fills Yellowstone Volcano at Record Rate Newswise, Retrieved on September 2, 2008.
- "Recent ups and downs of the Yellowstone Caldera". Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. United States Geological Survey. September 28, 2008. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
- Smith,
Robert B.; Jordan, Michael; Steinberger, Bernhard; Puskas, Christine
M.; Farrell, Jamie; Waite, Gregory P.; Husen, Stephan; Chang, Wu-Lung;
O'Connell, Richard (November 20, 2009). "Geodynamics of the Yellowstone hotspot and mantle plume: Seismic and GPS imaging, kinematics and mantle flow". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 188 (1–3): 26–56. doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2009.08.020.
- Alert Archive Search. volcanoes.usgs.gov
- Current Alerts for U.S. Volcanoes. volcano.wr.usgs.gov
- GPS Station: WLWY – Data Products – Time Series Plots. unavco.org
- "Monitoring Upgrades Result in New Insight Into Yellowstone's Magma System" (Press release). Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (USGS). December 19, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
- Burnett, Jim (January 1, 2014). "Reactions To Yellowstone Supervolcano Study Ranged From Hysteria To Ho-Hum". National Parks Traveller. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
- Richard A. Lovett (September 20, 2012). "Yellowstone Supervolcano Discovery—Where Will It Erupt?". National Geographic.
- "Frequently asked questions about recent findings at Yellowstone Lake". Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. United States Geological Survey. September 11, 2008. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
- "Tsunami linked to Yellowstone crater". USA Today. January 14, 2008. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
- "Quake in Alaska Changed Yellowstone Geysers". University of Utah. May 27, 2004. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
- Foulger, Gillian (February 8, 2006). "Yellowstone". MantlePlumes.org. Retrieved February 10, 2008.
- Christiansen, Robert L.; Foulger, G.R.; Evans, John R. (2002). "Upper-mantle origin of the Yellowstone hotspot". Geological Society of America Bulletin 114 (10): 1245–1256. Bibcode:2002GSAB..114.1245C. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(2002)114<1245:UMOOTY>2.0.CO;2.
- See list of off-line references in mantleplumes.org/CRB.html
- Ivanov, Alexei V. (February 7, 2007). "The Columbia River Flood Basalts: Consequence of subduction-related processes". MantlePlumes.org. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
Further reading
- Breining, Greg (2007). Super Volcano: The Ticking Time Bomb beneath Yellowstone National Park. St. Paul, MN: Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-2925-2. "A popularized scientific look at the Yellowstone area's geological past and potential future"
- Vazquez, J.A.; Reid, M.R. (2002).
"Time scales of magma storage and differentiation of voluminous
rhyolites at Yellowstone caldera". Contributions to Mineralogy & Petrology (Wyoming) 144 (3): 274–285. Bibcode:2002CoMP..144..274V. doi:10.1007/s00410-002-0400-7.
- Sutherland, Wayne; Sutherland, Judy (2003). Yellowstone Farewell. Spur Ridge. "A novel looking at an eruption in the Yellowstone Caldera written by a practicing Wyoming geologist. Contains a wealth of technical details on the geology of western Wyoming"
External links
