Earth Science News
Measuring the Magma Beneath Yellowstone
Not Yet Ready to Erupt
Photos courtesy to AdobeStock
Yellowstone National Park is a wonderland of geysers, bubbling mud pots, fumaroles, hot spring travertine terraces, and deep hot pools in vibrant colors. All that thermal energy derives from one central observation: Yellowstone is not a wonderland at all, but the caldera of a supervolcano! Over the years, there have been dire predictions of the disaster that will befall all of North America when the volcano lets loose. Indeed, it has let loose with three catastrophic eruptions in the last 2.1 million years. But is another eruption likely any time soon? Should I cancel my reservation at the Yellowstone Lodge?