Swarms of Earthquakes in Yellowstone!

[kline]

Wow, thinks for sharing! I remember when it happened, but being down south, it was just a headline on a newspaper, and a 10 minute talk about it in science class. It just seemed so far away, almost in a foreign sense, to my developing mind. I've seen some pictures of the before and after and the changes still blow my mind.


Talking about the dust going around the world: did anyone notice how the sunsets were really brilliant this past summer (if you live in the northern hemisphere)? Alaska's Kasatochi volcano put on one heckuva show, pumping loads of ash into the atmosphere. The ash was pretty intense and circled the northern hemisphere, turning sunsets into gorgeous palettes of intense blues/purples/deep reds. Us atmospheric photographers were LOVING it. Especially when dark rays would show up in a cloudless sunset, thanks to streaks of ash you didn't realize was there ( thanks to being far up into the atmosphere and over the horizon. Sadly though, some conspiracy/UFO believers preached that the rays were actually the shadows of hidden spaceships.)

LOL! Well of course! Everyone knows that.
I guess the sunsets were really amazing too after Krakatoa in the 1800's.
I dont recall after St. Helens of course where I was the Horizon is blocked in every direction by mountains.

 

[gaia227]

Thanks for the thread on this Elphaba! I have been following this for the past few weeks. I lived and worked in Yellowstone for two seasons and do not have the words to describe how beautiful it is. I woke up every morning and felt like I was living in a painting. Yellowstone is so interesting because it is just so active geologically. One season I was there there was a small earthquake (tremor) and a geyser that had not gone off for decades started spewing again and still does to this day (so I'm told). What I love most about Yellowstone is the wildlife and the fact that it is still wild ( a concept some tourists found hard to understand).

Yellowstone basically sits on a huge caldera and if it blows the consequences could be catastrophic. From what I have been reading scientists are very concerned with the increase in quakes.

 

[elfie]

LOL! Well of course! Everyone knows that.
I guess the sunsets were really amazing too after Krakatoa in the 1800's.
I dont recall after St. Helens of course where I was the Horizon is blocked in every direction by mountains.

I was thinking that Krakatoa was the event that led to "a year without summer" from the ash, but it turned out to be an earlier event: Mt. Tambora in 1815 which led to global anomalies in 1816.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tambora

 

[Elphaba]

Gaia, I am sooooo envious! I so want to spend time in Yellowstone... Prismatic Spring is one of those things I want to see with my own eyes and photograph with my own cameras. And that is not the only thing I want to see... I would love to spend a couple of weeks there just trekking all around the park. I honestly think it could probably kick Death Valley out the top spot when it comes to places I love on the mainland.

Elfie: (uh oh, I feel like I am talking to myself when I say "Elfie" LoL) One of the coolest aspects with these anomalies is how the growth rings in trees "record" things. I can't remember if it was a North American or European science thing I saw where old downed trees were cleaved to show the ring layout... it was like the rings paused during that "Year without summer" and the subsequent growth period. Pretty fascinating stuff.

 

[Elphaba]

In regards of the latest swarm of earthquakes at Yellowstone: I have been closely watching them being mapped via Google Earth and it looks like the last couple of days that things have started quieting down. Of course, major earthquakes have been pummeling the Indonesia area, so now I am following the mapping on those. Not sure what I am getting out of it... but it is sooooo interesting. (obviously I am easily pleased... the earth shakes a little and I get all excited... )

 

[kline]

Gaia, I am sooooo envious! I so want to spend time in Yellowstone... Prismatic Spring is one of those things I want to see with my own eyes and photograph with my own cameras. And that is not the only thing I want to see... I would love to spend a couple of weeks there just trekking all around the park. I honestly think it could probably kick Death Valley out the top spot when it comes to places I love on the mainland.

Elfie: (uh oh, I feel like I am talking to myself when I say "Elfie" LoL) One of the coolest aspects with these anomalies is how the growth rings in trees "record" things. I can't remember if it was a North American or European science thing I saw where old downed trees were cleaved to show the ring layout... it was like the rings paused during that "Year without summer" and the subsequent growth period. Pretty fascinating stuff.

Dont worry about making it to Yellowstone if things continue in this direction maybe Yellowstone will come to you!
I wanted to see St. Helens too...didnt think I would spend a week trying to shampoo it out of my hair!

 

[scandi]

In regards of the latest swarm of earthquakes at Yellowstone: I have been closely watching them being mapped via Google Earth and it looks like the last couple of days that things have started quieting down. Of course, major earthquakes have been pummeling the Indonesia area, so now I am following the mapping on those. Not sure what I am getting out of it... but it is sooooo interesting. (obviously I am easily pleased... the earth shakes a little and I get all excited... )

Good Morning and OMG I jumped out of bed with a start as FOX News is saying this morning that scientists are very concerned that the hundreds of earthquakes in Yellowstone since Dec 29th might be a VERY OMINOUS SIGN

They are going to have a guest on in a few which will be interesting so I'll report back. But they showed the circle of the area an eruption of the SUPERVOLCANO would affect immediately, and it went up into the Coast Range of Oregon - almost to the Pacific Ocean!

I'm not an alarmist but this is just how St Helen's acted when she started gettin' nasty.

I am so happy we have a great little group here of interested posters to follow this together. It would be mighty lonesome going thru any developments alone YaYa

 

[scandi]

Dont worry about making it to Yellowstone if things continue in this direction maybe Yellowstone will come to you!
I wanted to see St. Helens too...didnt think I would spend a week trying to shampoo it out of my hair!

Far too funny for this early in the morning Kline ;}


Here is the latest link on the subject:
http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/01/seismic_activity_at_yellowston.php

"Seismic Activity at Yellowstone
January 1, 2009 10:41 PM, by Greg Laden

You have already heard that there has been increased seismic activity at Yellowstone National Park over the last few days. Since December 26th, there have been several earthquakes a day, some jut over 3.0 magnitude, in the vicinity of the north side of Yellowstone's lake. This is a seismically active region, but the level of earthquake activity being seen now is much greater than seen in perhaps decades (though the data are still not sufficiently analyzed to make positive comparisons yet).

Volcano experts have absolutely no clue as to what this means. A major reason for virtually total uncertainty is that Yellowstone sits on top of a very large caldera of the type that is formed by a so-called "super volcano" and the last super volcano to erupt was a few years (like, 70 or so thousand years) before any seismic or other geological monitoring station were set up anywhere. Indeed, the first really serious data collection at Yellowstone began just over 30 years ago. . . ."

{more at link}

 

[gaia227]

Gaia, I am sooooo envious! I so want to spend time in Yellowstone... Prismatic Spring is one of those things I want to see with my own eyes and photograph with my own cameras. And that is not the only thing I want to see... I would love to spend a couple of weeks there just trekking all around the park. I honestly think it could probably kick Death Valley out the top spot when it comes to places I love on the mainland.

.

Oh Prismatic Springs is amazing. It is in the 'midway geyser basin'. Unfortunately, I was talking to a ranger when I was there and the spring is comprimised because tourists throw things into it like it is a wishing well which corrupts the algae mats, the bacteria growth, etc. Thye clean it out once a year and he said they have found teddy bears, trash, shoes, tons of pennies. WHAT are people thinking! Can you imagine throwing your empty soda can into something like that??
There are boardwalks that go all around the geysers basin to protect the algae growth but people can still get close enough to do harm.
Right after I left I saw in the paper that a group of teenagers went down the one of the basin and decided to jump into one of the hot pools. The water can get as hot as 220 degrees. Their skin literally melted off their bodies. When I was there a woman got between a mama bison and her calf because she was trying to set her two yr old son on the mama bisons back to take a picture......the bison rammed her and severly injured her. I will never cease to be amazed at the things people do. They see the word PARK and they think all the animals are tame, all of the natural features are like amusements rides or something. I worked at Old Faithful Snow Lodge and saw Old Faithful erupt many times and I remember a woman out there one day said the park should install benches, speakers so they can play music and TV screens to give people something to do while they wait.......as if being in the Upper Geyser Basin isn't interesting enough.
The back country hiking is just amazing. About 90% of visitors to Yellowstone do not even set foot off of pavement or boardwalks so as you can imagine you can hike for days without seeing a single person.

Maybe next Christmas instead of NYC (saw your post in the jury room) you could plan a trip to Yellowstone.

 

[elfie]

Gaia, I am sooooo envious! I so want to spend time in Yellowstone... Prismatic Spring is one of those things I want to see with my own eyes and photograph with my own cameras. And that is not the only thing I want to see... I would love to spend a couple of weeks there just trekking all around the park. I honestly think it could probably kick Death Valley out the top spot when it comes to places I love on the mainland.

Elfie: (uh oh, I feel like I am talking to myself when I say "Elfie" LoL) One of the coolest aspects with these anomalies is how the growth rings in trees "record" things. I can't remember if it was a North American or European science thing I saw where old downed trees were cleaved to show the ring layout... it was like the rings paused during that "Year without summer" and the subsequent growth period. Pretty fascinating stuff.

Amazing!

Also, I found this article on a site that I read frequently right after this discussion. I thought that was a bizarre coincidence, but with the recent activity, probably not so much. Part of it discusses the tree rings too!
Very cool!

Volcanoes cool the tropics, say researchers

http://www.physorg.com/news150397996.html

 

[Elphaba]

Oh Prismatic Springs is amazing. It is in the 'midway geyser basin'. Unfortunately, I was talking to a ranger when I was there and the spring is comprimised because tourists throw things into it like it is a wishing well which corrupts the algae mats, the bacteria growth, etc. Thye clean it out once a year and he said they have found teddy bears, trash, shoes, tons of pennies. WHAT are people thinking! Can you imagine throwing your empty soda can into something like that??
There are boardwalks that go all around the geysers basin to protect the algae growth but people can still get close enough to do harm.
Right after I left I saw in the paper that a group of teenagers went down the one of the basin and decided to jump into one of the hot pools. The water can get as hot as 220 degrees. Their skin literally melted off their bodies. When I was there a woman got between a mama bison and her calf because she was trying to set her two yr old son on the mama bisons back to take a picture......the bison rammed her and severly injured her. I will never cease to be amazed at the things people do. They see the word PARK and they think all the animals are tame, all of the natural features are like amusements rides or something. I worked at Old Faithful Snow Lodge and saw Old Faithful erupt many times and I remember a woman out there one day said the park should install benches, speakers so they can play music and TV screens to give people something to do while they wait.......as if being in the Upper Geyser Basin isn't interesting enough.
The back country hiking is just amazing. About 90% of visitors to Yellowstone do not even set foot off of pavement or boardwalks so as you can imagine you can hike for days without seeing a single person.

Maybe next Christmas instead of NYC (saw your post in the jury room) you could plan a trip to Yellowstone.

Some people just have no respect for nature... and the ones that think National Parks should be ran like a theme park need to be shot. Mother nature deserves respect... it's not a hard concept... but some people just don't get it.

Sad to hear that Prismatic Springs is being compromised like that. I will never understand the concept of "oh how pretty, lets throw litter in there" train of thought. It even happens up here in DC in man-made structures... at any given time during the height of tourist influx, the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial will be full of garbage. People just have no dang respect...

 

[Elphaba]

Amazing!

Also, I found this article on a site that I read frequently right after this discussion. I thought that was a bizarre coincidence, but with the recent activity, probably not so much. Part of it discusses the tree rings too!
Very cool!

Volcanoes cool the tropics, say researchers

http://www.physorg.com/news150397996.html

Ahhhh thanks for the link! Here's an article on the theory that it might have been volcanic activity that killed the dinosaurs, instead of the comet/asteroid theory.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21755313/

Volcanos are some awesome entities...

 

[elfie]

Ahhhh thanks for the link! Here's an article on the theory that it might have been volcanic activity that killed the dinosaurs, instead of the comet/asteroid theory.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21755313/

Volcanos are some awesome entities...

Very interesting article, thanks for the link. Possibly a combination of the two, even. I know that an abundance of iridium is associated with the K-T boundary, and part of the reason that a comet/meteor/asteroid was suspected since it is a rare element here on earth, but narrowing down the timeline could put more weight one way or the other. I will have to look for updates.

A few years ago it was thought that Earth's magnetic field was beginning a reversal, but recently I haven't seen much discussion about it. I wonder if the volcanic activity is related. Studies indicate that it has happened in the past approximately every 250,000 years but it has been about 750,000 years since the most recent one.

I did find a recent link discussing the magnetic field reversal from Nat Geo:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/06/080630-earth-core.html

 

[ConfusedPopsicle]

the implications of an eruption are scary as hell. i belong to a conspiracy site where people are melting down thinking it's the end of the world coming.

That site wouldn't happen to be ol' GLP would it? I just checked back there for the first time in awhile and it's the same sort of thing. Although, I'm sure all of the conspiracy sites are freaking out about it. There's always something going on! :crazy:

 

[elfie]

hey wait a minute, I just remembered it is YOU that is the amazing astronomer here, Elphaba! :woohoo: Loved your photo of the perigee moon. :blowkiss:

sorry it took me so long.

 

[pfruit]

Gaia, I am sooooo envious! I so want to spend time in Yellowstone... Prismatic Spring is one of those things I want to see with my own eyes and photograph with my own cameras. And that is not the only thing I want to see... I would love to spend a couple of weeks there just trekking all around the park. I honestly think it could probably kick Death Valley out the top spot when it comes to places I love on the mainland.

Elphaba, I feel the EXACT same way as you. It's been my dream to go to Yellowstone since I first learned of the Grand Prismatic Spring years ago. Last year I went to Death Valley and so far it's the most beautiful place I have ever been in my life.

I can't imagine hiking the volcanoes in Hawaii. Wow, I'm so envious of you! I just hope Yellowstone can stay intact until we can see it! raying:

 

[scandi]

You guys are all simply awesome! And thanks for the great links. xoxoxoxoxo

 

[JBean]

we had an EQ here today LA area 4.9

 

[kline]

For those of you who are interested in Yellowstone Park if you get to Montana you might also want to check out Glacier National Park as well.
Beautiful .
Ok, so the Glaciers are melting but on the upside no Earthquakes or Volcanic activity!

 

[Elphaba]

A few years ago it was thought that Earth's magnetic field was beginning a reversal, but recently I haven't seen much discussion about it. I wonder if the volcanic activity is related. Studies indicate that it has happened in the past approximately every 250,000 years but it has been about 750,000 years since the most recent one.

One study I read talked about volcanic activity having an influence on the magnetic field. I do know that Hawaii and its ongoing volcano activity is a prime "chronicle" spot for studying magnetic field shifts and such, because the lava "records" magnetism strength in its makeup.

Earth's magnetic field flipping is a huge mystery, but our sun does it about every 11 years (usually at the height of Solar Maximum). It is all fascinating stuff...

hey wait a minute, I just remembered it is YOU that is the amazing astronomer here, Elphaba! :woohoo: Loved your photo of the perigee moon. :blowkiss:

Thank you... this weekend will be the perigee time for 2009, so if the clouds play nice, I am going to try to shoot it.

we had an EQ here today LA area 4.9

I hope all is well, your way!