Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
But volcanic activity is not a thing of the past in Yellowstone. The magma, which
some scientists think is just 5 miles beneath the surface of the park in places as op-
posed to the typical 40, has created two enormous bulges, known as resurgent domes,
near Sour Creek and Mallard Lake. The Sour Creek Dome is growing at an impress-
ive rate of 1.5 inches per year, causing Yellowstone Lake to tip southward, leaving
docks on the north side completely out of the water and flooding the forested shore of
the south side. In addition, there are roughly 2,000 earthquakes every year centered
in Yellowstone, most of which cannot be felt. The earthquakes shift geothermal activ-
ity in the park and keep the natural plumbing system that feeds the geyser basins
flowing. They also suggest volcanic activity. In early 2010, a series of more than
2,000 small earthquakes (the largest registered 3.8 on the Richter scale) rocked the
park, with 16 quakes registering a magnitude greater than 3.0. A 1985 swarm, still
the largest to date, recorded more than 3,000 earthquakes over three months, with the
largest registering at 4.9 on the Richter scale.
Still, the scientists at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory have no reason to sus-
pect that an eruption, or even a lava flow, is imminent. For more than three dec-
ades scientists have been monitoring the region for precursors to volcanic erup-
tions—earthquake swarms, rapid ground deformation, gas releases, and lava
flows—and although there is activity, none of it suggests anything immediately
foreboding. Current real-time monitoring data, including earthquake activity and
deformation, are available online at
http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/monitoring.html
.
The bottom line is that the volcano is real and active, but certainly not a threat in the
immediate future, and not a reason to stay away from this awe-inspiring place.
As miraculous as these water features are to see—with dramatic color displays and water
dances that put Las Vegas's Bellagio fountains to shame—and to smell (think hot rotten
eggs), what you can't see is perhaps even more compelling: Thermophiles are heat-loving
microorganisms that inhabit the geothermal features throughout the park. A source of ongo-
ing scientific study, these thermophiles are modern examples of the earth's first life forms
and are responsible for the discovery of DNA fingerprinting.
As spellbinding as they are, particularly in winter when the warm steam beckons, it is
critically important to stay on boardwalks in geothermal areas and never touch the water. In
addition to being boiling hot, many features are highly acidic or alkaline and could cause
extreme chemical burns. The ground around the features is often thin and unstable, occa-
