What makes yellowstone so active

Rush hour here is a little different with bison often causing traffic jams -- nicknamed bison jams -- as cars wait for the animals to cross the road.

Human history in the region goes back more than 11, years. The earliest intact archeological deposits in the park were discovered at a site on the shore of Yellowstone Lake. Yellowstone is a supervolcano. The first major eruption of the Yellowstone volcano occurred 2. That's among the largest volcanic eruptions known, and marks Yellowstone as a supervolcano a term used to describe any volcano with an eruption of more than cubic miles of magma. With the U. Geological Survey and University of Utah, the National Park Service established the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory in to monitor volcanic and seismic activity in the area.

Yellowstone is home to the largest concentration of mammals in the lower Year Published: Protocols for geologic hazards response by the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory The Yellowstone Plateau hosts an active volcanic system, with subterranean magma molten rock , boiling, pressurized waters, and a variety of active faults with significant earthquake hazards. Year Published: Steam explosions, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions -- what's in Yellowstone's future?

Lowenstern, Jacob B. Year Published: Tracking changes in Yellowstone's restless volcanic system No abstract available. Stauffer, Peter H. Filter Total Items: 2. Date published: May 17, This EarthWord is straight up steampunk Date published: November 3, New study investigates groundwater from the air. Filter Total Items: 8.

List Grid. December 31, May 26, Yellowstone is one of a few dozen volcanoes on earth capable of "supereruptions" that expel more than 1, cubic km of ash and debris. The plumes from such eruptions can rise 30 to 50 km into the atmosphere, three to five times as high as most jets fly.

Yellowstone has produced three supereruptions in the past 2. The most recent was. Attribution: Yellowstone. January 22, July 31, Attribution: Natural Hazards.

January 29, June 30, In terms of large explosions, Yellowstone has experienced three at 2. This comes out What type of eruption will Yellowstone have if it erupts again?

The most likely explosive event to occur at Yellowstone is actually a hydrothermal explosion —a rock-hurling geyser eruption—or a lava flow. Hydrothermal explosions are very small; they occur in Yellowstone National Park every few years and form a crater a few meters across. Every few thousand years, a hydrothermal explosion will form a crater as Can we drill into Yellowstone to stop it from erupting?

In some cases, limited scientific drilling for research can help us understand magmatic and hydrothermal hot water systems; however, drilling to mitigate a volcanic threat is a much different subject with unknown consequences, high costs, and severe environmental impacts. In addition to the enormous expense and technological difficulties in Do earthquakes large enough to collapse buildings and roads accompany volcanic eruptions?

Not usually. Earthquakes associated with eruptions rarely exceed magnitude 5, and these moderate earthquakes are not big enough to destroy buildings and roads. The largest earthquakes at Mount St. Helens in were magnitude 5, large enough to sway trees and damage buildings, but not destroy them. During the huge eruption of Mount Pinatubo in Can an eruption at one volcano trigger an eruption at another volcano?

There are a few historic examples of simultaneous eruptions from volcanoes or volcanic vents located within about 10 kilometers 6 miles of each other, but it's difficult to What is the relationship between volcanism and the geysers and hot springs in Yellowstone? Heat and volcanic gases from slowly cooling magma rise and warm the dense salty water that occupies fractured rocks above the Yellowstone magma chamber.

That brine, in turn, transfers its heat to overlying fresh groundwater, which is recharged by rainfall and snowmelt from the surface. Water boiling at depth below the surface is hotter than the Filter Total Items: 7. Year Published: Yellowstone Volcano Observatory annual report The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory YVO monitors volcanic and hydrothermal activity associated with the Yellowstone magmatic system, conducts research into magmatic processes occurring beneath Yellowstone Caldera, and issues timely warnings and guidance related to potential future geologic hazards.

View Citation. In Wyoming Geological Association Guidebook. Hendrix, M. Geology underfoot in Yellowstone country. Lillie, R. Parks and plates: The geology of our national parks, monuments, and seashores. Smith, R. New York: Oxford University Press. Tuttle, S. Yellowstone National Park in Geology of national parks. Yellowstone's hydrothermal systems are the visible expression of the immense Yellowstone volcano. More than 10, hydrothermal features are found here, of which more than are geysers.

Discover a bit of what dynamic processes are going on below the lake's surface. Yellowstone is one of the most seismically active areas in the United States. The erosion of rock and the deposition of geologic material has created some stunning landscapes. Fossil of plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, and trace fossils found within Yellowstone document million years of life.

Discover the natural wonder of Yellowstone and our role in the conservation of wildlife. Explore This Park. Info Alerts Maps Calendar Reserve. Alerts In Effect Dismiss. Dismiss View all alerts. The physical landscape of Yellowstone National Park is the result of many geological forces.