New Potential Uplift in NW Yellowstone?

reply to post by Flavian


Thanks, appreciate the support!

Anyway, but hope you realize this "uplift" is not in the caldera that I am talking about. It's to the northwest of the caldera, and thus I am proposing this could be "new", not necessarily to scientists (I'm sure they watch these things extremely closely), but to us, the public.

reply to post by TrueAmerican


Not a problem, i always appreciate the effort and thought you put in (unlike myself who sometimes can't resist typing before i've fully read!).

I do see your point, it is certainly something to keep an eye on for sure. Looking at various science websites over the last 4 or 5 months i have noticed that actually there are several of the large volcanoes are also currently experiencing uplift. Most notably in South America but also in Indonesia - although it has to be said that the Indonesians seem to be not in the slightest bothered or worried about it. I guess that is a side effect of having nature attack you so regularly.

reply to post by Flavian


ok, great, glad you see the difference now!

Now I am not claiming this is "catastrophic" uplift whatsoever. For as you say, some volcanoes experience accelerated uplift like St. Helens did, where it got so bad it was like 5 to 6 feet per day!

It's just another one of those little notations for the Yellowstone watchers to keep an eye on longer term.

For example, what if this uplift starts increasing rapidly all of a sudden? Well, now with this knowledge, someone here at ATS even may catch it first, before it even makes news.

Also, another note about this area: It is the exact area of the massive 1959 quake near Hebgen Lake. Could that quake have been caused by this hotspot migration northwest, when it had to break something big down there and triggered it?

reply to post by TrueAmerican


I think if Yellowstone suddenly started uplifting by 5 or 6ft a day we would see a total and instantaneous collapse of property prices in the area!

On the one hand, seemingly having so many monsters "breathing" around the same time is rather worrying. On the other hand, it could simply be that thanks to technology, now is the first time we have ever bothered gathering and collating the data. Hard to say either way but not keeping an eye would appear to be foolhardy.

Originally posted by Flavian
reply to post by TrueAmerican

 

Most notably in South America but also in Indonesia - although it has to be said that the Indonesians seem to be not in the slightest bothered or worried about it. I guess that is a side effect of having nature attack you so regularly.

I am no scientist, but I have always had a gut feeling that the next massive and I mean humungous (trying hard here to resist using word super) eruption will be in Indonesia/Philipines...but hey ho like I said...what do I know? But just to add to the mix, I also feel that when this happens there it will set off a chain reaction along all the major fault lines.
Just wish somebody with more science would have a look down there....hint hint!

Rainbows
Jane

reply to post by angelchemuel


I hear ya hun, but at the moment, we just had station PS.PSI go down at Toba.

So I got nothing at the moment for the big monster until they fix it.

reply to post by TrueAmerican


I'm thinking more Tambora!
Heck, the whole area has more than its fair share of 'biggies' or otherwise

I'm glad I have piqued your interest though, thank you, as I really would like to have my mind put to rest...'cos I aint likin' what I'm seein'

Rainbows
Jane

reply to post by angelchemuel


I'd be happy to discuss "what you are seeing." Except this thread about Yellowstone may not be the best place to do it. Make a post in Volcano watch 2012 and send me a link?

reply to post by TrueAmerican


The problem with the idea of the hotspot moving northwest is that it makes zero sense whatsoever. The hotspot doesn't move, its in a fixed position and the plates move over it. If it started moving in another direction it would mean that the plates also have to be moving in another direction, which they aren't. Uplift in another area would more likely indicate that magma has found another route to get close to the surface in that area. If you look at the older, bigger calderas marked out on the map, this area could easily be within the boundaries of one of similar size, if say the park collapsed along with the discussed area. Its a big hotspot.

Originally posted by mastervolo
reply to post by TrueAmerican

 

The problem with the idea of the hotspot moving northwest is that it makes zero sense whatsoever. The hotspot doesn't move, its in a fixed position and the plates move over it. If it started moving in another direction it would mean that the plates also have to be moving in another direction, which they aren't. Uplift in another area would more likely indicate that magma has found another route to get close to the surface in that area.

Hmm, you might wanna re read, as I am quite aware of this. I said a "new arm of the hotspot" is possibly migrating nw, and stated possible reasons for it. But I am glad you understand these things about YS too.

reply to post by TrueAmerican


Ah my mistake, I thought you were implying the whole thing had just switched direction. My bad

Originally posted by TrueAmerican
reply to post by angelchemuel

 

I'd be happy to discuss "what you are seeing." Except this thread about Yellowstone may not be the best place to do it. Make a post in Volcano watch 2012 and send me a link?

Sorry to have been OT
You are quite right
Rainbows
Jane

You may find this interesting:
Newberry Hotspot Track

Note the faults between Yellostone and the Pacific Ocean that trend northwest/southeast.

I actually found the whole article there fascinating, not just that section. It goes into a lot of theory and anomalous geographic "features" in the PNW.

Originally posted by abecedarian
You may find this interesting:
Newberry Hotspot Track

Note the faults between Yellostone and the Pacific Ocean that trend northwest/southeast.

I actually found the whole article there fascinating, not just that section. It goes into a lot of theory and anomalous geographic "features" in the PNW.

Yeah, I did too, that's a very interesting article full of all kinds of stuff, and perfect for a post on ATS. Mysterious, unexplained, and yet relevant to the things we talk about around the Pacific NW. Thanks a bunch for that link!

In follow up, someone emailed me back from the USGS, and doesn't feel this is anything to worry about. The minimal vertical ground motion can vary with ground water levels. They point out that different opinions form as different groups decipher these readings and clean/detrend them. They also said that in their opinion, they don't believe that seismicity in western Montana is related to much of anything at Yellowstone.

And also, it appears that not all scientists are on board with the gas chamber proposition for the velocity anomaly north of the nw part of the caldera. It could be due to a fractured state of the rock from the big quake in 1959. The decoupling effect of large areas of fractured rock can have effects on the speed of seismic waves, which is what they use to do the tomography.

So there ya have it folks, that's about all she wrote on this. But I might check back in the future to look at those readings.