When a caldera has the potential to start the next ice age, it makes sense to keep a finger firmly on its seismic pulse. Turns out the Yellowstone Super Volcano’s pulse is spiking after a series of earthquakes were detected within the park’s boundary this month.
Related: Inside Yellowstone’s Super Volcano | National Geographic
A grand total of 464 events were recorded as a part of what geologists at the University of Utah are referring to as a seismic“swarm.” The most severe quake in the swarm was rated near 4.5, with people in Bozeman reporting to have felt small semblences of the tremor.
While such quakes are especially unsettling for residents of the region, scientists say that the current swarm is not abnormal. “Earthquake swarms are common in Yellowstone,” says University of Utah research professor, Jamie Farrell. “On average, [earthquakes swarms] comprise about 50% of the total seismicity in the Yellowstone region.”Â
Find the entire report here:Â Ongoing Yellowstone Earthquake Swarm North of West Yellowstone, MT.