Yellowstone's Killer Hazard:
Earthquakes, Not Eruptions…
DENVER — A supervolcano
blasting Yellowstone National Park to smithereens may capture the imagination,
but the region's real risk comes from earthquakes, researchers reported here
Sunday (Oct. 27) at the Geological Society of America's annual meeting.
"The pervasive
hazard in Yellowstone is earthquakes,"
said Robert Smith, a seismologist at the University of Utah. "They are the
killer events."
Smith and his
collaborators analyzed 4,520 earthquakes in and around Yellowstone that struck
between 1985 and 2013. Their goal: Create the best picture ever of the magma
chamber hidden beneath the park's colorful hot springs and spectacular geysers.
A side benefit was a better view of the seismic risk from nearby faults. [Infographic:
Geology of Yellowstone]
No comments:
Post a Comment