A giant volcano in Yellowstone, which can cause massive destruction when it erupts, is holding twice as much magma as previously thought, a new study has found.
The discovery was made by analyzing the Earth’s wobbles to create three-dimensional images of a magma chamber beneath an earth formation.
Previous images showed a concentration of just 10%, but the new study notes that between 16 and 20% of the crater contains magma.
Ming Chen, assistant professor at Michigan State University (MUS) and co-author of the paper, said the discovery “does not indicate the possibility of an eruption in the future.”
“Any sign of change in the system will be detected by the network of geophysical instruments that continuously monitor Yellowstone,” Chen said in a statement.
Unfortunately, Chen was unable to see the final results.
The volcano is located in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Montana, on top of a huge pool of molten rock, and last erupted 640,000 years ago. It is one of the largest active continental volcanic fields in the world.
The images were created by Ross Maguire, a PhD researcher at Michigan State University, who used a technique known as seismic tomography to create the images. But this was not enough to determine the capacity of the magma.
Chen used her supercomputing skills to more accurately model images of how seismic waves propagate across the Earth. The result is sharper, more focused images.
At the same time, the study indicates that the supervolcano is not ready for an eruption, and if it did, the eruption could cover the United States with a “nuclear winter.”
A detailed HowStuffWorks report revealed the process that could happen in the event of a volcanic eruption.
He says a mixture of magma, rocks, steam, carbon dioxide and other gases will eventually come out of the ground, creating a cracked dome shape.
The dissolved gases then explode, spewing magma throughout the park.
They say the eruption could kill up to 90,000 people almost instantly and erupt a 10-foot layer of molten ash up to 1,000 miles from the park.
Source: Daily Mail
