Below Yellowstone National Park is a subterranean chamber of molten rock and gases that make it one of the largest active volcanoes in the world. It is known as the "Yellowstone Caldera" and it was first discovered in 1871. The Yellowstone volcano has erupted three times in history, with each eruption being spaced by roughly 660,000 years.Discovery Channel: What's Under Yellowstone
December 2008 Earthquakes
In late December of 2008, Yellowstone experienced over 250 earthquakes that ranged from being barely detectable to a 3.9 magnitude that rattled the park on Saturday, December 27, 2008. Utah geophysics professor Robert Smith said the activity was "certainly not normal," and the quakes were significant because they could have been caused by hypothermal activity related to the supervolcano. The park is a geologically active site and the December 2008 earthquakes mark the most intense activity the area as seen in years.U.S. News & World Report: Yellowstone Earthquakes Under Supervolcano Caldera (December 30, 2008)
USGS: Yes! Yellowstone is a Volcano
From YouTube: USGS Scientist-in-Charge of Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, Jake Lowenstern, answers the following questions to explain volcanic features at Yellowstone: "How do we know Yellowstone is a volcano?", "What is a Supervolcano?", "What is a Caldera?","Why are there geysers at Yellowstone?", and "What are the other geologic hazards in Yellowstone?"
USGS: Yes! Yellowstone is a Volcano
From YouTube: USGS Scientist-in-Charge of Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, Jake Lowenstern, answers the following questions to explain volcanic features at Yellowstone: "How do we know Yellowstone is a volcano?", "What is a Supervolcano?", "What is a Caldera?","Why are there geysers at Yellowstone?", and "What are the other geologic hazards in Yellowstone?"
USGS: Yes! Yellowstone is a Volcano
From YouTube: USGS Scientist-in-Charge of Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, Jake Lowenstern, answers the following questions to explain volcanic features at Yellowstone: "How do we know Yellowstone is a volcano?", "What is a Supervolcano?", "What is a Caldera?","Why are there geysers at Yellowstone?", and "What are the other geologic hazards in Yellowstone?"
References
Fast Facts
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Fact:
The Yellowstone supervolcano has erupted 3 times in Earth's history
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Last eruption occurred around 640,000 years agoDiscovery Channel: What's Under Yellowstone
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The last eruption released 8,000 more times ash and lava than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. HelensDiscovery Channel: What's Under Yellowstone
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Volcanologists with the U.S. Geological Survey believe that supervolcanoes are likely to give decades of warning before eruptingDiscovery Channel: What's Under Yellowstone
