14 DAY TRIAL // A paper published in yesterday's issue of the journal Science announces the discovery of a previously unknown magma reservoir under the Yellowstone National Park in the US.
This patch of wilderness, spanning across the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, counts itself among the most active and dynamic volcanic systems until now documented across the globe.
According to a team of researchers led by University of Utah seismologists, the Yellowstone National Park's hidden anatomy is a tad more complex than previously assumed.
A better understanding of Yellowstone's plumbing
As illustrated in the image below, the park doesn't have just one magma chamber hidden under its surface and fueling its mammoth volcano, i.e. the Yellowstone Caldera, otherwise known as the Yellowstone Supervolcano.
Au contraire, University of Utah specialists and their colleagues say that a previously undocumented reservoir sits under the Yellowstone Caldera, spanning between a depth of 12 to 28 miles (about 20 to 45 kilometers).
This reservoir is estimated to be about 4.4 times larger than the magma chamber resting on top of it. In fact, researchers estimate that it holds enough partly-molten rock to fill Arizona' Grand Canyon about 11.2 times over.
In case anyone was wondering, the Grand Canyon's volume is one of about 1,000 cubic miles (nearly 4,200 cubic kilometers). So, yes, there is a whole lot of hot rock lurking in the underground beneath the Yellowstone Caldera.
Interestingly, neither the magma chamber nor the newly discovered reservoir is full of molten rock. Rather, they hold insanely hot rocks with pockets of molten material nestled in between them.
It is estimated that, whereas the magma chamber comprises about 9% completely molten material, the reservoir hidden under it contains just 2% molten rocks.
The newly discovered reservoir is not a threat
A study published back in last year's August showed that, were the Yellowstone National Park's volcano to erupt, the whole of North America would be coated in ash.
Still, the University of Utah team behind this latest investigation into the park's inner makeup say that, even with this massive reservoir lurking under it, the Yellowstone Caldera does not seem to be a threat, at least not in this day and age.
The reservoir has always been there, we just didn't know anything about it. Now that we are aware of its presence in the underground, this does not mean we should stop visiting Yellowstone.
“The actual hazard is the same, but now we have a much better understanding of the complete crustal magma system,” study co-author Robert B. Smith said in a statement.
“The magma chamber and reservoir are not getting any bigger than they have been, it’s just that we can see them better now using new techniques,” added researcher Jamie Farrell.
Besides, it's important to keep in mind that, as indicated by geological evidence at hand, the last three massive eruptions that shook the Yellowstone Caldera 2 million, 1.2 million and 640,000 years ago were all fueled by the magma chamber alone.
