The volcanic system underneath Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming is apparently a lot bigger than previously believed, said researchers during a presentation at the annual meeting of the Seismological Society of America.
Computer models of Yellowstone's dormant volcano indicate the magma chamber beneath the surface is a continuous space, not separate chambers, and that the space is about 50 percent larger that scientists expected.
"We are getting a much better understanding of the volcanic system of Yellowstone," Jamie Farrell, a seismology graduate student at the University of Utah, was quoted saying in the LiveScience piece.
The magma chamber is the source of the park's hydrothermal springs and geysers and is responsible for the elevated surface formations seen throughout the park.
"This crustal magma body is a little dimple that creates the uplift," said Bob Smith a seismologist at the University of Utah and author of a related study presented at the meeting. "It's like putting your finger under a rubber membrane and pushing it up and the sides expand."
According to data supplied by the National Parks Service, the Yellowstone volcano last erupted about 640,000 years ago, leaving behind a caldera approximately 30 by 40 miles wide.
"Though another caldera-forming eruption is theoretically possible, it is very unlikely to occur in the next thousand or even 10,000 years," reads a statement posted on the park service's website. "There is no evidence that a catastrophic eruption at Yellowstone National Park is imminent. Current geologic activity at Yellowstone has remained relatively constant since earth scientists first started monitoring some 30 years ago."
The most likely activity would be lava flows such as those that occurred after the last major eruption, said the park service. Meanwhile, "such a lava flow would ooze slowly over months and years, allowing plenty of time for park managers to evaluate the situation and protect people."
