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Most Dynamic Super-volcano Beating Under Yellowstone National Park

yellowstone national parkLove to visit the Yellowstone National Park, or are you planning to make a visit recently? But, do you know, once you are there, you are standing directly on top of the largest, most dynamic magmatic system on the planet!? Relax. It won’t be erupting any time soon. Geologist Daniel Dzurisin and his colleagues have uncovered a surprising source of volcanic activity beneath tourists’ feet. This was probably the reason for closing trails in 2003.

The Yellowstone caldera formed 640,000 years ago in an explosion of magma. The explosion is more than 1000 times greater than the Mount St Helens eruption in 1980. It is known fact that the caldera floor rises and falls, but, the source of the motion remains uncertain. Researchers used a series of satellite measurements to determine the fluctuations in elevation – up to 120 millimeters – over a seven-year period. The team was led by Charles Wicks of the US Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California.

Via: New Scientist

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