New Quake Swarm Has Started Near Yellowstone Lake!

Been tracking this small seismicity in and around Yellowstone Lake, and have real time eyes on it.

And activity has just picked up.

You can see some of these quakes here on the YLT station:

www.quake.utah.edu...



As usual it comes and goes, but she's definitely swarming again. And some different kind of signatures this time too. You know the double tap type signatures we've seen before? Well some of these are like that, except with 4 and 5 events all at once...Hmm...Weird!

These are confirming on multiple stations around the lake, from several networks. Here's from another station on the PB network:
www.iris.edu...

No question, she's rockin' again!

Could it be weather related? Sorry, Im in the UK so have no clue to the conditions..


Thanks for the heads up TA..

That thing blows... We ALL get a piece of that American Apple pie...

Hi TA,

well, so yet again we see a possible link between a major quake in another region triggering lesser ones in Yellowstone. Granted, the first acknowledged example of remote triggering was an AK quake affecting YS, so I guess this latest m 7.5 off the AK/BC coast yesterday could fit the bill as well.

Just wondering: did you happen to check the seismo archives for YS to see if there was a similar pattern after the Oct 28 m 7.7 BC quake?

reply to post by EvanB

Doesn't look like what we typically get with wind. Where it's wind effects (moving tree roots and so forth), the traces tend to be much less spasmodic. These look like real quakes -- albeit quite small ones.

Folks, no question at all that this is seismicity. I've got spectro on it, and been at this way too long to confuse these signatures with anything BUT seismicity.

I have an email off to my contacts already, so let's see if I can bring you any more info.

I am hoping these aren't happening near the big bulge at the bottom of the Lake.

As usual, we are running a bit ahead of updates from the UoU:
www.seis.utah.edu...

They are not showing it yet, but it's a weekend, so probably tomorrow they will start backfilling the events.

A woman I know said recently that she'd like to move to the Yellowstone region. She didn't know about the potential of a superquake, and I didn't tell her (it's a scary thought if you don't yet have it in your personal universe). She's a long way from actually doing it. And I know, even if you live hundreds or thousands of miles away it will get you, but the thought of living right on top of it, naw.

Originally posted by JustMike
Hi TA,

well, so yet again we see a possible link between a major quake in another region triggering lesser ones in Yellowstone. Granted, the first acknowledged example of remote triggering was an AK quake affecting YS, so I guess this latest m 7.5 off the AK/BC coast yesterday could fit the bill as well.

Just wondering: did you happen to check the seismo archives for YS to see if there was a similar pattern after the Oct 28 m 7.7 BC quake?

No, I haven't, but pretty sure it didn't trigger anything like this, this persistent. I see where you're going with that, but it is just too soon to draw any kind of correlation. Remember, first thing I did after that 7.7 was to check YS and LV- and nothing. In fact, pretty sure this has nothing to do with the 7.7, In the case of Denali, which you speak of, it was right after the quake.

Does this thing happen often? I mean has this happened recently and calmed down?
I hope Yogi and Booboo are ok.

Originally posted by boymonkey74
Does this thing happen often? I mean has this happened recently and calmed down?
I hope Yogi and Booboo are ok.

Yes quake swarms at YS are considered common, and they happen from time to time. I just get nervous when they happen around the Lake with that big bulge under there. Since I have no way of locating these events, other than the general area of the Lake, I don't know exactly where the epicenters are. And for now, that makes this a bit mysterious until UU reports- or until I get some more info from my contacts...

In the meantime, I would characterize this swarm so far as pretty mild compared to what we've seen in the past. Hoping it stays that way.

reply to post by TrueAmerican


As an interested layman (I have a geology degree I have never used lol).. Would I be right in saying that its the small ones you have to watch?.. I know that with normal volcanoes harmonic tremors are a key factor in determining an eruption...

However Yellowstone is a whole different animal.. Thus cant really use the smaller scale as a guideline... I would also be interested to know the volume of water in that lake and whether it is fed by underground sources... Temprature differential between magma and water increases explosiveness..

Gonna do some digging...

Ok, in looking carefully at first arrivals, I'm now pretty sure these are not coming from the bulge area. They appear to be coming from the southwest side of the lake somewhere, or in that vicinity. They might be just outside the lake's perimeter, too.

It's always fascinating trying to decipher this stuff. We'll know more soon.

Any chance this snow plows on south lake road!

It is directly south of the lake...not far from the shore!

Just saying...they plow that road to access channel controls for the lake!

Ok, a little more news...Been working at this... It appears that so far all the seismicity is sub 2.5, or otherwise they would be showing up on the USGS's main lists. I've pulled data and been over with spectro, and found the most intense of the events, noted their counts, and so I am in a good position now to confidently state if and when it intensifies from this point.

So far highest mags are in the 1.5 to 2.0 area, but most are below that. This is definitely mild in overall magnitude average compared to the biggest previous swarms of years past. So far. Just have to keep watching.

reply to post by TrueAmerican


For those of us who are idiots.....can you explain what you mean by a bulge in the lake and the potential danger a swarm there would pose?

I think I have an idea, but want to make sure. Thanks!

Originally posted by smyleegrl
reply to post by TrueAmerican

 

For those of us who are idiots.....can you explain what you mean by a bulge in the lake and the potential danger a swarm there would pose?

I think I have an idea, but want to make sure. Thanks!

Not an expert.. But lakes usually form on the business end of a volcano over the "plug" where below is where the magma chamber is... Any bulge or deformation would indicate an upsurge of magma or disolved gasses to the surface causing the land on ground level to warp or bulge... In other words... Not good.

reply to post by EvanB


Okay. Gotcha. That's what I thought, but you know the saying about assumptions.

Appreciate the info!

Originally posted by Aleister
A woman I know said recently that she'd like to move to the Yellowstone region. She didn't know about the potential of a superquake, and I didn't tell her (it's a scary thought if you don't yet have it in your personal universe). She's a long way from actually doing it. And I know, even if you live hundreds or thousands of miles away it will get you, but the thought of living right on top of it, naw.

no need to worry about location for this volcano, if it erupts everyone worldwide will be done for as it's well known as a possible extinction level event and the possibility isn't in the magnitude, it's in the likelihood of it erupting.

thanks OP for bringing this to our attention and that's why i love this place, so much information our anemic govt. and MSM will never tell us about.

To update this, activity has appeared to die back down to just about nothing, as is so typical...umm, wait wait...more just started as I am typing this line...lol

:shk:

Sheesh... ok, back to watching...

Another few small ones there, but nothing tragic.

Ok, so if I am reading my S&P differentials right, most of these should be occurring at a spot about 4 to 6 km from station PB.944 and/or station WY.YLT- which are both kind of close together (6.3 km apart to be exact). So we'll see once the reports come in.

Update:

Just got the word from one of my contacts, and I quote:

Moderate swarm just south of West Thumb, so not really under the lake. The largest is about a M2.1, so not big enough to get autolocated. They will get located and posted to the UU website tomorrow.

So that's confirmation. Pretty much right where I had supposed. I wanna see how close to PB.B944 they are though tomorrow when they post. Us wannabe's gotsta be sure ya know.

Originally posted by Aleister
A woman I know said recently that she'd like to move to the Yellowstone region. She didn't know about the potential of a superquake, and I didn't tell her (it's a scary thought if you don't yet have it in your personal universe). She's a long way from actually doing it. And I know, even if you live hundreds or thousands of miles away it will get you, but the thought of living right on top of it, naw.

Although you have a solid point with the risks, there is always going to be some form of natural disaster possibility, no matter where you live. I grew up in Massachusetts and now live on a very large cattle ranch in southern Montana, and I must say it is absolutely beautiful here. By far the best part of the country I have ever seen. Combined with low taxes (no sales tax) and low numbers of both laws AND police officers to enforce them I can honestly say the motto holds strong.... "The Last Best Place."