Whats going on at yellowstone?

Originally posted by Realtruth
Look at RSOE.

We have quite a few blue earthquake Icons, does this mean anything?

hisz.rsoe.hu...〈=eng

[edit on 2-1-2009 by Realtruth]

Unless I am mistaken, the 'blue' colour denotes an earthquake of 4.0 or greater magnitude, as opposed to the simple 'white' for lesser events.

Robert Smith ... was on vacation in Wyoming when the big series of small quakes hit Yellowstone on Friday December 26th.

By Friday, January 2nd, Smith said over 500 tremors had been recorded around the north end of Yellowstone Lake.

“This is a big deal”, said Smith, who has been studying the volcanic and geothermal activity at Yellowstone for over 30 years. There have been clusters, or “swarms” of quakes at Yellowstone before, but not this many for this long says Smith. “What’s important about them is that this is not normal, not usual to have these longer swarms so we pay particular scientific attention to them in terms of how they might relate to faults or to geysers or other hydrothermal features,” said Smith.

For now he says he and others will continue to monitor the tremors for scientific and public safety reasons. The park is closed for winter and accessible only by snowmobile. At this point he says there is no danger. “We’re not offering any warnings we’re just taking precautions and keeping up with the data,” said Smith. Visitors should not be precluded from visiting Yellowstone.”

link

[edit on 2-1-2009 by violet]

Originally posted by SevenandFive
Am I the only one who doesn't think things are "quiet?"
I am still seeing quite a bit of activity on GEE...

On another note - what I do (inexperienced as I am with seismo) is to also monitor another location that isn't as active alongside the Yellowstone ones - you can then see that many other stations also look quite 'busy' and begin to see what an unusual event looks like.

Someone pls put me right if my thinking is wrong

reply to post by MoorfNZ


The last quake that came up on my widget was the Bolivia quake -

Whew... just read through 20 pages of information here. You guys have been busy this evening!! And thanks to every one of you.

Poo's to those of you who come here to scoff at those who have devoted so much time and effort in keeping us all abreast of this potential Yellowstone Event.(and thanks for clogging up the thread for those of us who are here to learn.. not)

I lived through Katrina and her aftermath, so I know first hand what it is like to have your world suddenly swept away. And no, I wasn't in New Orleans but in a town north of the lake.. Believe it or not, Katrina affected much more than just New Orleans. Some of us outside the "bowl" actually bore the brunt of hours of high winds, huge trees on our homes and blocking the roads, and life with no *infrastructure* for weeks/months. And let me tell you, the secret to survival is in your own hands. DO NOT depend upon the government to warn, provide, and assist you with anything. And actually, why should they?? (aside from the taxes we pay, of course..)

Anyways, I swore then after Katrina, I would never be unprepared to live for weeks on my own accord. No power, no gas, no grocery store, no nothing. Weeks! So, thanks to all who have put hours here letting us know the updates of Yellowstone. Many are reading who are not posting, and we appreciate your efforts.

reply to post by MoorfNZ


MoorfNZ, that's a sensible approach. I think I'll try it. It sounds like we are getting the same number of alerts from the FireFox equake ad-on. I got my first alert from the 1:23 PM Yellowstone quake too, then the second one at 1:33 both at 2.7 so maybe the second reading is the official one that has been reviewed by a seismologist.
The ad-on may not be perfect but it's a keeper IMO.

Originally posted by MischeviousElf
Ok as its ATS and as a personal belief too we need to deny Ignorance.

Yellowstone does have a lot of activity in this one area, which is very unusual and concerning.

That was a good post =)

I might as well go ahead and give my own opinion on what I think is currently taking place. For the last 3 or so years we have seen a vertical increase in the landscape. I think these series of earthquakes may be a sign that the uplift we have been seeing is going to stop increasing and start decreasing. As this goes through the process of changing directions, it builds up pressure and tries to flatten. This process triggers off a series of small earthquakes which we are seeing.

This happened once before in 1985, which triggered a large series of small earthquakes. 3,000 in 3 months.

From 1985 to 1995, we had a decrease =)

volcanoes.usgs.gov...
www.yellowstonegis.utah.edu...

Historically, swarms like the ones we are seeing usually also have a increase or decrease in uplift. So for now, we should just watch to see which way its moving, up or down.

There is no fancy gadget that we can play with atm which shows that (that I know of anyway), so it looks like we may have to wait until they get around to telling us.

[edit on 2-1-2009 by SixNine]

reply to post by SixNine

I agree and disagree. The disagreement is due to what else is going on around the world geologically. I don't think 1985 was anything like this, but then again, I was only 7 years old....



[edit on 2-1-2009 by DukeOfDorch]

Originally posted by SixNine

Originally posted by MischeviousElf
Ok as its ATS and as a personal belief too we need to deny Ignorance.

Yellowstone does have a lot of activity in this one area, which is very unusual and concerning.

That was a good post =)

I might as well go ahead and give my own opinion on what I think is currently taking place. For the last 3 or so years we have seen a vertical increase in the landscape. I think these series of earthquakes may be a sign that the uplift we have been seeing is going to stop increasing and start decreasing. As this goes through the process of changing directions, it builds up pressure and tries to flatten. This process triggers off a series of small earthquakes which we are seeing.

This happened once before in 1985, which triggered a large series of small earthquakes. 3,000 in 3 months.

From 1985 to 1995, we had a decrease =)

volcanoes.usgs.gov...
www.yellowstonegis.utah.edu...

Historically, swarms like the ones we are seeing usually also have a increase or decrease in uplift. So for now, we should just watch to see which way its moving, up or down.

There is no fancy gadget that we can play with atm which shows that (that I know of anyway), so it looks like we may have to wait until they get around to telling us.

[edit on 2-1-2009 by SixNine]

Also even if we do see an increase in uplift, this may not be a indication that something is about to happen. I don't think there is any science to indicate what the equilibrium would be pressure wise, so it would still be a guessing game about when a potential eruption may occur. It could be the next day and it could also never happen again. I think eventually science will progress in this area to where it may be able to come up with predictions but at the present time, it's not there.

Originally posted by DukeOfDorch
reply to post by SixNine

 

I agree and disagree. The disagreement is due to what else is going on around the world geologically. I don't think 1985 was anything like this, but then again, I was only 7 years old....



[edit on 2-1-2009 by DukeOfDorch]

Earthquakes/Volcanoes are always going off around the world, it's nothing new. But when you finally open your eyes to all of it, it almost seems surreal how much goes on.

Is there a way to know wether a seismograph is buried down below or if it's exposed to the elements?

Have you already provided a link for such information? If so, I apologize in advance and would be thankful to know of such address.

The only seismogram which looks bumpy would be The Promontory, however it very well could be the wind if it's naked out there.

www.quake.utah.edu...

Originally posted by DukeOfDorch
reply to post by SixNine

 

I agree and disagree. The disagreement is due to what else is going on around the world geologically. I don't think 1985 was anything like this, but then again, I was only 7 years old....



[edit on 2-1-2009 by DukeOfDorch]

Well that is more of a normal thing. You have to understand there has been a lot of technology developed and deployed in recent years that allows earthquakes to be recorded in more areas. There has also been an expansion in the amount of sources for news from all over the world. So it's more of a "If a tree falls and nobody is around to hear it, did it happen?" kind of thing.

Originally posted by Mushussu
reply to post by ScaredInWyoming

 

Lernmore has been keeping a good log of sites to view.
Might be of some help.

And Sageturkey.
are you on now?
Have you smelled anything outside like
ScaredInWyoming?

Hey!
Just got back in.
No, no bad odor here yet. Getting pelted with a wicked sleet storm though.
I've been out talking to friends letting them know what's going on. Even this close, people are pretty much in the dark. Everyone I talk to understands what's going on by the time I'm done. Most are pretty concerned. Haven't caught up on the thread yet, workin on that.

Does anyone know what exactly it would take for the Yellowstone warning system (the mere men that control the decision) to go from "normal" to an alert of any kind?

Originally posted by xsamaelx
Is there a way to know wether a seismograph is buried down below or if it's exposed to the elements?

Have you already provided a link for such information? If so, I apologize in advance and would be thankful to know of such address.

The only seismogram which looks bumpy would be The Promontory, however it very well could be the wind if it's naked out there.

www.quake.utah.edu...

Well the wind effect isn't really due to the wind blowing on the seismogram. You have to understand that there is a lot of energy stored up in wind, just take a look at wind in it's extremes, such as a tornado or hurricane. Wind hits tree's, buildings, cars, roadsigns, and virtually everything else CONNECTED to the ground [edit] and the ground itself![/edit]. The stronger the wind, the more energy hitting these things, the more energy being transferred, the higher the reading on the seismogram.

There isn't anything that can be done about it, it's just a part of the entire process. If you take a dose of chaos theory, you may even venture as far to say that wind may cause earthquakes.



[edit on 3-1-2009 by SixNine]

Originally posted by SpadeofAces
As I scan through the countless earthquakes that have occured recently in and around Yellowstone NP, I find 2 earthquakes that are set apart from the rest.

Earthquake #1:

1.2 2008/12/30 03:02:08 44.595 -110.318 13.0 K DEPTH 56 km ( 35 mi) SSW of Cooke City-Silver Gate, MT

Earthquake #2 More recent

2.4 2009/01/01 10:12:57 44.325 -110.388 37.0 KM DEPTH 68 km ( 42 mi) ESE of West Yellowstone, MT

These 2 earthquakes are the only 2 recently that have been 10k or more below the earth's surface. With the research I've done, the more spontaneous random deep quakes that occur, most likely means the plates are solid, and just now beginning to relieve stress and crack due to pressure and trapped water and steam.

These earthquakes are caused by mineral changes as well, which cause the plate to shrink, and become more dense. Stress builds up, and it pulls the plate apart. There is also an absence of observable aftershock sequences at these depths. I bet we will see more of these random deep quakes if this caldera comes to life more and more as the days go by. The more of these we see frequently, could mean the earth is opening up and letting new magma chambers form below.

Yep, good find. I posted those a few dozen pages ago. They definitely stood out eh?

I recall a few pages back a few members were discussing water levels above normal in a lake or creek something along those lines... So it happens that I just stumbled on this article on Global warming is killing frogs, salamanders in Yellowstone Park posted back in October 2008 which states that some of the lakes and ponds were drying up. Could it be possible that heat generated from an awakening volcano underground was the culprit and not global warming?

Originally posted by worldwatcher
I recall a few pages back a few members were discussing water levels above normal in a lake or creek something along those lines... So it happens that I just stumbled on this article on Global warming is killing frogs, salamanders in Yellowstone Park posted back in October 2008 which states that some of the lakes and ponds were drying up. Could it be possible that heat generated from an awakening volcano underground was the culprit and not global warming?

I would think that with all of the scientists that go in and out of YS that they would have noticed if it was from any thermal vents or even a volcano. But then again mabe we should see if we can find any reports or data from that time to see if perhaps it was just over looked. ie the guy in charge didnt like it

Originally posted by Lil Drummerboy
reply to post by trusername

 

Can somebody do a comparison in time frames / water output against the activity under?

I have been working on this today off and on as time allows and will hopefully have something for us tomorrow if life allows it and someone else doesn't beat me to it. Not as easy of a correlation as it may seem on the surface (no pun intended).

Originally posted by worldwatcher
I recall a few pages back a few members were discussing water levels above normal in a lake or creek something along those lines... So it happens that I just stumbled on this article on Global warming is killing frogs, salamanders in Yellowstone Park posted back in October 2008 which states that some of the lakes and ponds were drying up. Could it be possible that heat generated from an awakening volcano underground was the culprit and not global warming?

I think global warming can be defined as a huge cascading type of problem. I could write for days and just be at the preface to the topic. There is just simply so many things that global warming is effecting and things the effects are effecting (including each other). It makes it very difficult to trace it all or even comprehend it.

Since global warming obviously effects water distribution, it may be effecting volcano's like Yellowstone in a large way. First and foremost I personally think some volcanic systems may require water to act as a coolant in order to maintain stability over long periods of time. You would have to show me hard science that the stability of Yellowstone's volcano isn't directly related to hits hydrodynamic system. If that was to shutdown, the radiation from the magma below wouldn't be absorbed by the water, into steam, and then into the atmosphere in a nice simple system. That energy would stay with the magma and progress into an eruption.

I'm also curious of what the effects of sea level rise will be on tectonic plates. Water has a weight and if you take some off this plate and put it on another, change should occur.