12/30/2008
Unusual Earthquake Swarms at Yellowstone Attract Attention
An unusual number of earthquake swarms at Yellowstone National Park, which is situated over the caldera of a volcano which erupted 640,000 years ago, has interested scientists as the phenomenon enters its third day.
Said Robert Smith, a professor of geophysics at the University of Utah: "They're certainly not normal. We haven't had earthquakes in this energy or extent in many years. This is an active volcanic and tectonic area, and these are the kinds of things we have to pay attention to. We might be seeing something precursory. Could it develop into a bigger fault or something related to hydrothermal activity? We don't know. That's what we're there to do, to monitor it for public safety."
The area's most recent volcanic activity occurred about 70,000 years ago.
Quake MAP.
The consequences of a super-eruption, AFTER THE JUMP...
(via livescience)
Posted 1:56 PM EST by Andy Towle in Nature, News, Wyoming | Permalink
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God hates Wyoming!!!!!!!
Posted by: jeffy | Dec 30, 2008 2:30:43 PM
Jeffy
not funny
WHEN the yellowstone supervolcano (matter of when not if since it is a regularly occuring phenom throughout history)blows 3/4 of america and canada will be gone with the few spots not blown to bits and or smothered under suffocating gas and ashes would suffer a quick and probably 2-5 yr drop in temps resulting in an ice age.
The rest of the world would suffer lack of sun light and cooler temps for 2 yrs killing off crops world wide resulting in famines devastating all life.
Humanity did survive the last yellowstone supervolcano eruption but at only 1/3 the number at best. there would be a total collapse of civilization returning survivors to the cave man days (worse than dark ages) with many survivors resorting to cannibalism due to the lack of crops etc.
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besides the yellowstone thing we also face a not if but WHEN scenario in the canary island super tsunami. the canary islands were created by volcanos and are due to have another huge eruption resulting in a tsunami that would see 500 mph wave 200 ft high hitting the eastern USA and washing away everything 20 miles in. Bye Bye Boston, NY, DC, Miami, etc
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Discounting both WHENs not if's we also face an asteroid really close fly by at the end of 2009.
Drink up all and move to australia
:-)
Even then we face a huge amount of gamma rays hitting us due to the explosion of a binary star system 8,000 light years away and we aren't sure when the radiation is going to hit cooking us all to a crisp.
Posted by: Jimmyboyo | Dec 30, 2008 2:58:02 PM
PS On the gamma radiation thing
Estimates are 1 second from now to 12,000 yrs in the future. Not if but WHEN
12,000 yrs would be cool if we ever get our asses off this planet.
Posted by: Jimmyboyo | Dec 30, 2008 3:01:16 PM
jimmyboyo --
life is so fragile and short, you know.
Posted by: David B. | Dec 30, 2008 3:08:41 PM
None of this data can be factual because the universe came into being 4,000 years ago. That's what Rick Warren believes, anyway.
Posted by: Jeremy | Dec 30, 2008 3:18:17 PM
Hey, we all gotta die sometime...party like it's 1999, oh wait, 2009.
Posted by: B-rod | Dec 30, 2008 4:38:53 PM
Well thanks for the science update, Captain Bring-me-down!
Posted by: Sean Crowley | Dec 30, 2008 6:38:15 PM
Yeah, thanks a bunch, Admiral Buzzkill! =)
Posted by: rlsaz | Dec 30, 2008 7:27:15 PM
Wow, it's probably because of the gays and it's going to erupt right after Obama takes his hand off the bible.
Posted by: Yeek | Dec 31, 2008 9:53:55 AM
Yes, we're doomed.
But, alas, i'm still waiting for the killer bees i heard about many years ago on "In Search of..." They must be due this summer by now.
rob@egoz.org
Posted by: rob adams | Jan 1, 2009 6:04:35 AM