http://www.rense.com/general41/monster.htm

I know some of you here are following this story...thankfully! It would seem that the Yellowstone Supervolcano is beginning to heat up some more, and the mainstream press isn't saying a word about it. Very strange.

Maybe we need the duct tape and plastic after all...along with water, canned goods, candles, batteries, dust masks, etc.

Ellen

More info culled from data from the U S Geological Survey, summer 2000.

Yellowstone's Geologic Recycling Program,24 Jul 2001.

There is a chapter on the Yellowstone volcano in Mr Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything also. Sez here also that the Discovery Channel had a programme on evidence of eruptions of Yellowstone a while ago. Also sez here people in New Zealand have ski slopes down the side of a currently erupting volcano. Crikey!

Strange stuff...

cheers!

Greetings, all!

As someone who has spent about two weeks a year at
YNP over the last six years and is something of a hobby
geologist, I know that it is an often-not-recognized fact
that YNP lies over a geological hot spot, and it is
precisely that hot spot that makes the Greater
Yellowstone Ecosystem (not just the geysers and hot
springs) the unique and interesting place that it is.

The hot spot has had massive eruptions that have
created huge calderas for hundreds of millions of years
(they began in western Nevada and have gradually
moved west and slightly north as the tectonic plate
slowly move over it). Subsequent volcanic flows have
covered up the evidence of many of them, for example
creating the Snake River plateau in Idaho. The famous
potatoes of Idaho thrive in the light, rich volcanic soil.

The Yellowstone area has had three massive caldera
eruption every 630,000 years or so for the last 1.8
million years (that is, one about 1.8 million years ago,
one 1.2 million years ago, and one about 630,000
years ago, so, in geological time we're due, probably
plus or minus several hundred thousand years).

Geological investigation has shown that over the last
several decades several significant bulges at YNP
(Mallard Lake and Sour Creek, for those of you keeping
score) have risen and receded, much like the top of a
cherry pie while baking. Geologists don't know if the
current activity is simply part of the typical cycle or a
precurser to a major eruption. It's most probable that
what we're seeing now is part of the normal cycle.
Yellowstone is incredibly geologically dynamic, which
is why it's such a fascinating and beautiful place.

Suffice it to say that if there's another caldera eruption,
unless you've got a flight to Mars booked, you're going
to know it. The last three caldera eruptions were at least
dozens of times and in some cases hundreds and
thousands of times more powerful than any volcanic
eruptions in human recorded time; the last volcanic
(non-caldera-forming) eruption in Yellowstone occurred
about 70,000 years ago (forming the Pitchstone plateau
in southwestern Yellowstone).

Additionally, areas of Yellowstone have been effected
by large steam explosions, for example Mary Bay, West
Thumb, and Indian Lake, all around or in Yellowstone
Lake.

Finally, recent discoveries have shown that there are
large quantities of hot springs in the deepest parts of
Lake Yellowstone.

But... we're not cancelling our trip for next year.

And we always should be awake and ready anyway,
right?....
:-)

David Schimpf

Great post, David! I think this is a situation that needs to be talked about, as a major portion of the country...indeed the entire world, could be affected by this "sleeping giant."

I hope there is a YNP for you to return to next year! ;-)

God bless.
Ellen

Thanks, Ellen!

The problem is that if it happens, there's not going to be
a whole lot anyone can do about it other than to flee
hundreds of miles. And, yes, the whole world would be
affected profoundly somehow.

Geologists have discovered significant ash falls from
the previous caldera eruptions at least hundreds of
miles away. I think (I don't have my references here with
me) the explosion 1.8 million years ago formed a crater
about 48 miles by about 28 miles, hundreds of feet
deep. Eventually lava and pyroclastic ash flows filled in
the crater somewhat, and much later glacial deposits
formed on top of those flows. You can still see the walls
of that caldera in Yellowstone, although they're not real
obvious.

Most of the mountains in Yellowstone are a result of
earlier volcanic and mountain-building activities as
affected by erosion and glaciers, not to mention the
caldera explosions (again, imagine entire mountain
ranges either blowing up, collapsing into a caldera, or
becoming a part of lava or pyroclastic flows: unlike in
the movie Dante's Peak, someone like Pierce Brosnan
isn't going to be able to drive his old Suburban over it!
:-) ).

Imagine the force and consequences of an explosion
that has the power to create a crator hundreds of feet
deep, and 48x28 miles long and wide.

Geologists have studied the recent Mt. St. Helens
eruption as a way of better understanding what
happened in the calderas in Yellowstone. There were
similar effects and conditions, but the Yellowstone
caldera eruptions were many, many times more
powerful.

I guess the important thing to keep in mind is that
Yellowstone has been dynamic geologically for millions
of years. That dynamism is what makes it unique on
earth. Having the blessing to spend two weeks a year
there helps me to remember that my human power is
ultimately limited, and to remind me to have gratitude
and wonder in face of such powerful and beautiful
forces.

But, no question about it, it is at once in many ways a
beautiful and perilous place.

David S.

There are always times when I love the UK - free press, democratic government and no naturaly disasters. No volcanoes and we're slap bang in the middle of a tectonic plate (well , ok not quite in the middle but you know what I mean) so no big earthquakes, too cold for tropical storms, or hurricane, and only relatively small tornadoes every blue moon.

And, of course, the best thing... only one poisonous animal - and it aint that common! Rule Britannia! :o)

OK, back to conversation...

Carrie

what's the one poisonous animal please? :)

my dad was bit by a black widow spider a few weeks ago - on his toe! i think it was in his shoe...he's all right now but there's a lot of shoe checking going on.

One good Tsunami, and you'd be wiped off the map, Carrie. Still, statistically speaking, it's a hell of a lot safer than here...and no skunks! Yes, they are still stinking up the neighborhood every night. I cannot wait for winter; they hibernate. :-)))

David, it is amazing to me, how much of the park is closed now, and ground temperatures are getting well above 200 degrees. One would think that with conditions like that, they'd be warning people around the park to consider packing up really soon. However, unless you surf the web, and look for this kind of news, you'd never know about it.

I do know that the heightened activity of the sun is having a huge effect on our planet, and is accounting for a lot of the earthquakes, severe storms etc. Just a couple of days ago, the earth's magnetic field finally went back into "North." It was dipping into the South range throughout much of August. It was looking like a pole-shift was happening...maybe it still is. Times like this, one realizes that we can't control the world, and that there is something to be said for the power of prayer.

Ellen

The adder.

Not to be confused with the heffalump.

Ps -- was trying to have a photo of the heffalump, but couldn't get the link to Lady Thatcher to work...

cheers!

You have adders in the UK? uuuuuueeeewwww, eeeekkkk!!!!

When I was considering a move to Arizona at one time, first thing, right on top, in their relocation packs is a list of all their poisonous *friends of the desert*...just so you'll be aware. That immediately changed my mind about ever moving there. Did you know that the scoprion is the deadliest of all?..very deadly....and the black widow ranks second I think, deadlier than the rattle snake, which came last on the list of deadly. (And you know how cute rattle snakes are.} Also in there was the Brown Recluse Spider, which we have here too... oh god, I have the chills...
Rounding off the list was the Gila Monster. Lovely.

So, I hope your Dad's ok Holly.

and what is a heffalump for gad's sakes?

There ya go Holly - one beautiful adder. Mostly confined to Scotland and the north of England, and not very common... and not particularly deadly as far as Im aware!

A tsunami? Nahhhh... might just do for the low counties.. I'll head West a few miles and be quite safe in the Pennines :o) Plus, you know, the chances of anything as 'exciting' as a tsunami in England... very remote!

Oh aye, and guns are illegal thanks to a nutter who went into a Scottish school and killed a load of little kids and a teacher (I think) before doing for himself.

Not to mention the free health system.

All in all, I love my country :o)

Heffalump? Was always a childs word for elephant in my day :o)

Carrie

ohhh, thank you carey

thanks, barb, dad's fine. a couple of days of flu-like body ache and a couple of shots from a dr and then good as new.

thanks carrie too. guess black adder should've been a clue :) heffalump link on its way barb...

So no, I did not read Winnie the Pooh as a child, or adult. I *bearly* know the little bear ( or the heffalump ...)

They're black, they're brown, they're up, they're down
They're in, they're out, they're all about!
They're far, they're near, they're gone, they're here!
They're quick and slick, they're insincere!

Beware! Beware! Be a very wary bear

A heffalump or woozle is very confusil
A heffalump or woozle's very sly!
They come in ones and twosles but if they so choosles
Before your eyes you'll see them multiply

They're extraordinary so better be wary
Because they come in ev'ry shape and size
If honey's what you covet, you'll find that they love it
Because they'll guzzle up the thing you prize

Beware! Beware! Be a very wary bear

Actually, not that much of the park is closed; less than 1 mile of trail, namely part of the Back Basin trail in the Norris basin, on which, interestingly enough, is Steamboat Geyser, which, when erupting, is the largest geyser in the world. Norris is probably the most geologically active geyser basin in the park, and has been so as long as we can tell. Geysers, hot springs, fumaroles come and go frequently there. Similar increases in the ground temperature occurred in the same area in 1995, and in the Mud Volcano area in 1978-79. Also, Norris is the hottest geyser basin in the park. Drill hole measurements have recorded temperatures as high 459 degrees F 1000 feet underneath the basin.

What the original article fails to note is that the two resurgent domes in the park, Mallard Lake (about a mile north of Old Faithful) and Sour Creek (about six miles north of Fishing Bridge), after rising for several decades, began to go down several years ago. They have begun a slight rise again. Some geologists suspect that the rising and falling of these two domes, as well as Elephant Back Mountain, a ridge between the two domes but does not connect them, is a pressure-relief system for the caldera that tends to allow the entire caldera floor to rise and fall evenly.

The analogy I used earlier of the crust of a cherry pie (one I first heard from a park ranger during an interpretative tour of the West Thumb area) is a good one to visualize how these domes work to release pressure. If you wanted to make a cherry pie and did not put any vents in the crust, what would happen (kids, do not try this at home!)? The crust would blow off, making a sticky mess in the oven. If, however, you cut some vents in the crust, the steam from the cooking cherries is able to escape from the crust through the vents. Furthermore, if you watch what happens to the vent crust while the pie is cooking, you notice that as the contents heat up, the crust actually rises and falls as the pressure caused by the steam increases and then is released.

A similar process is occuring with the resurgent domes in Yellowstone, many geologists believe. The rising and falling of the domes, even in the relatively miniscule time that we've been able to observe them, is probably a pressure-relief system for the caldera.

My guess is that the current activity is simply part of the cycle of pressure buildup and release and probably not anything too new or to worry about.

On a cheery note, what probably concerns me the most about the area in terms of a cataclysmic event is a large earthquake like the Hebgin Lake quake of 1959, when the entire side of mountain slid into the Madison River canyon and dammed the river, and caused 28 deaths and dozens of injuries. It was the largest recorded earthquake in the Rockies and the Intermountain West (7.5 magnitude), with displacements of 22 feet. It was centered in an area just 10 miles west of the western edge of the Park, that is, about 25 miles from where we normally camp.

If you want to read a fascinating, well-written, and scientifically-researched explanation of the unique geological world of Yellowstone and Grand Teton NPs, I highly recommend Robert B. Smith and Lee J. Siegel's Window into the Earth: The Geologic Story of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (Oxford U Press, 2000). Dr. Smith is a professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Utah, is a past president of the Seismology section of hte American Geophysical Union, and has spent his life studying the Yellowstone-Teton region.

I think that one of the reasons I'm drawn to that area is that it provides such a powerful metaphor for our lives. We like to think that we can control and order our lives, that we are the masters of our destiny, just as we're standing atop an active supervolcano. For me, it brings about a sense of humility and wonder, and a wish to let the Spirit guide in the way.

David S.

Effects of an adder bite.

Effects of Lady Thatcher: Unfortunately, a bit more severe.

So very true, David...we can rocket people into outer space, but ultimately we are at the mercy of God and His Creation.

I have a funny feeling that if I met you at a gig, David, we could gab for four hours, and not realize time passed! Thanks for all the information in these few posts; I really learned a lot.

God bless.
Ellen

I get sort-of carried away when talking about
Yellowstone! :-)

One last note:

http://
volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/history.html

provides a good, concise history of the Yellowstone
volcanic geology of the last several million years.

http://www.mines.utah.edu/~rbsmith/research.html

is Dr. Smith's home page, and contains links to many
interesting sites, including

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/

which is the site for the Yellowstone Volcano
Observatory.

David S.

Hey David(and everyone)...I found this one today on Rense: http://www.solcomhouse.com/yellowstone.htm

It has some good illustrations and explanations of a supervolcano, versus a regular one.

Ellen,

That site does have a good explanation.

One quote, with the info taken from Smith's book, made
me think of you:

Volcanic activity began in the Yellowstone National
Park region a little before about 2 million years ago.
Molten rock (magma) rising from deep within the Earth
produced three cataclysmic eruptions more powerful
than any in the world's recorded history. The first
caldera-forming eruption occurred about 2.1 million
years ago. The eruptive blast removed so much magma
from its subsurface storage reservoir that the ground
above it collapsed into the magma chamber and left a
gigantic depression in the ground- a hole larger than
the state of Rhode Island. The huge crater, known as a
caldera, measured as much as 80 kilometers long, 65
kilometers wide, and hundreds of meters deep,
extending from outside of Yellowstone National Park
into the central area of the Park.

Larger than the state of Rhode Island? Eeek!

By the way, if you look on the caldera map, we camp on
the western edge of the caldera, just east (about 14
miles) of West Yellowstone.

When we're camping there, I get up each morning, I
look north and see the wall left over from that huge
eruption, once carved by glaciers and now covered
with lodgepole pines, and look south and see the sides
of National Park Mountain, formed by a huge rhyolite
flow after the last caldera eruption, and look west, and
see the beautiful confluence of the Firehole and Gibbon
rivers that forms the Madison, which eventually flows
into the Missouri, often with herds of bison and elk,
along with their newborn calves, grazing in the rich
grass of the valley.

It's all I can do to restrain myself to my office chair and
not start driving west to go back there.

David S.

I'll have to get there someday...that sounds very inviting!

Our little state is used as a comparison for many things. I think I remember reading that you can fit 60 Rhode Islands within the state of Texas.

Yup...we are living in an itty bitty place!

Take care.
Ellen