Yellowstone volcanic hotspot studied
Published: March 1, 2007 at 9:00 AM
SALT LAKE CITY, March 1 (UPI) -- A 17-year U.S. study shows the power of the huge volcanic hotspot beneath Yellowstone National Park is much greater than thought.
The $2.3 million, 1987-2004 University of Utah study revealed the approximately 300-mile-wide underground plume of molten rock known as the Yellowstone hotspot exerts itself forcefully even when not triggering eruptions and earthquakes.
"The Yellowstone hotspot has had a much bigger effect over a larger area with more energy than ever expected," said University of Utah geophysics Professor Robert Smith, who led the study.
"We're seeing large-scale deformation of the Earth's crust in the western United States because of the effects of the Yellowstone hotspot," added Christine Puskas, a geophysics doctoral student and the study's first author.
The research -- conducted by Smith, Puskas, postdoctoral fellow Wu-Lung Chang and former Utah researcher Chuck Meertens -- focused on the Yellowstone caldera, a gigantic volcanic crater formed by a catastrophic eruption 642,000 years ago that was 1,000 times bigger than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.
The research is to appear in the March 2 issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research -- Solid Earth.
The $2.3 million, 1987-2004 University of Utah study revealed the approximately 300-mile-wide underground plume of molten rock known as the Yellowstone hotspot exerts itself forcefully even when not triggering eruptions and earthquakes.
"The Yellowstone hotspot has had a much bigger effect over a larger area with more energy than ever expected," said University of Utah geophysics Professor Robert Smith, who led the study.
"We're seeing large-scale deformation of the Earth's crust in the western United States because of the effects of the Yellowstone hotspot," added Christine Puskas, a geophysics doctoral student and the study's first author.
The research -- conducted by Smith, Puskas, postdoctoral fellow Wu-Lung Chang and former Utah researcher Chuck Meertens -- focused on the Yellowstone caldera, a gigantic volcanic crater formed by a catastrophic eruption 642,000 years ago that was 1,000 times bigger than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.
The research is to appear in the March 2 issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research -- Solid Earth.
© 2007 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
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