Yellowstone Earthquakes Revive Eruption Fears

Above, the Clepsydra Geyser. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yellowstone National Park has been experiencing a "swarm" of earthquakes in the northwest areas of the park this past week.

According to the Daily Star (U.K.):

A 4.5 magnitude shaker struck Yellowstone Magnitude Park on Thursday, according to data from the US Geological Survey. 

Earthquakes in the area are not rare – with 1,500 to 2,000 hitting the area every year – but the latest incident was the only one this year reported by USGS. 

Scientists say Thursday’s earthquake was part of the swarm hitting the area since Monday. 

Yellowstone volcano, located in the US state of Wyoming, is one of the most feared on the planet and described as a “ticking time bomb” – with various scientists claiming its eruption could be catastrophic. 

Experts have long claimed the so-called “super volcano” could wipe out the entire planet.

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And, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle:

The small earthquake that struck Yellowstone National Park on Thursday night was part of a swarm that has been hitting the area since Monday, scientists say. 

The quake was centered near West Yellowstone, but was also felt by people in Gardiner and Bozeman. 

“As of 10 a.m. this morning we had located a total of 235 earthquakes in the area,” said Jamie Farrell, University of Utah research professor of seismology. 

Yellowstone gets about 1,500 to 2,000 earthquakes every year. About half of those come in earthquake swarms — lots of earthquakes in a small area in a short amount of time.

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