Latest News in the Business and Financial World

Friday, April 23, 2021
Log in
  • Home
  • Company News & Financials
  • OTC Markets
  • Tech & Science
  • Health & LifeStyle
  • About WS OTC
    • Analysts & Contributors
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising
    • Feedback
    • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • Mobile
  • Latest News
    • New Theories Explain the Disappearance of the Mayan Civilization
    • What Happens If Coral Reefs Die?
    • Monsanto Loses Lawsuit for its Herbicide Products
    • Mankind (MNKD) shares Plunge after FDA Approves Afrezza, inhaled Insulin for Diabetes patients
    • Psychologists Confirm that Violent Video Games Boost Aggressiveness
    • World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor Release Date on Nov 13
    • iPass Global Hotspot Map Unveils Worldwide Wi-fi Coverage

Pages

  • About Wall Street OTC
  • Advertising
  • Analysts & Contributors
  • Contact
  • Feedback
  • Mobile
  • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • Terms of Service

Recent Posts

  • SF Hospital Slaps New Parents with $19K Bill for Baby Treatment
  • Furious Trump Blasts Harley-Davidson for Moving Production Overseas
  • Warning! MRI Machines Could Poison You
  • Flight Attendants More Likely to Get Certain Cancers
  • More Red Meat Allergy Cases Related to Lone Star Tick Bites

Magma Chambers Underneath Yellowstone Park Reveal Supervolcano Secrets

Apr 25, 2015 By David Warren Leave a Comment

Email, RSS Follow

yellowstone geyser magma reservoirApart from the hot springs and bubbling geysers, Yellowstone National Park is also home to a massive volcanic hot spot. Beneath Yellowstone’s super-volcano, which is responsible for three gigantic eruptions in the last 2 million years, a newly-found reservoir of hot melted rock was mapped for the first time.

Despite not having erupted in the last 640,000 years, the Yellowstone National Park’s super-volcano is one of the planet’s largest active volcanoes.

With a jaw-dropping 11,000 cubic-mile volume, this newly discovered magma reservoir lies 12 to 28 miles underneath the surface. Hsin-Hua Huang, Utah University seismologist and study author, explains that the team’s research unveiled a larger and deeper magma reservoir whose discovery only begins to connect the dots as to how Yellowstone Park is connected to deep heat plumes stemming from the Earth’s mantle.

Missing Link Between Magma Chambers

Image Credit: Hsin-Hua Huang, University of Utah

Image Credit: Hsin-Hua Huang, University of Utah

Scientists were already aware of the plume transporting molten rock from 60 kilometres underneath the Earth’s surface. They had also imaged the magma reservoir located 10 kilometres underneath the surface (the shallow chamber). What they hadn’t been aware of was this massive reservoir, which is 4.5 times larger than the shallow chamber previously mentioned.

This amount of hot rock would be enough to completely fill the Grand Canyon 11 times.

Despite not having erupted for over 640,000 years, geologists were convinced that massive amounts of lava had to exist underneath Yellowstone Park’s volcano. The only issue was finding this magma. These large amounts of energy escape as carbon dioxide gas and reach the surface through geothermal features.

Scientists reasoned that Yellowstone National Park was producing significantly larger carbon dioxide quantities than its previously imaged magma chamber could have accounted for. Another nagging question was how this magma chamber connected to the Earth’s mantle.

Peter Cervelli, geophysicist with the US Geological Survey’s Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, explains that Huang and his team’s discovery is precisely the missing link which scientists had long anticipated but never found. The internal plumbing system has finally been mapped so that geophysicists can now understand precisely how the mantle plume is connected to the shallow magma chamber.

Intricate Transport System Between Magma Chambers

This newly discovered reservoir is mostly comprised of solid rock. Only 2 percent of its 11,200 cubic-mile volume is magma, which is enclosed in the solid rock’s pores. As compared to this reservoir, of the shallow chamber’s volume, 10% is magma.

What geologists realized was that, from the top of the mantle’s plume, magma is transported 12 miles through the intricate net of vertical cracks (dikes) until finally reaching the first reservoir. A similar system of dikes is most likely involved in transporting the magma towards the shallow chamber, although such a system is yet to be proven.

“Now we really have a complete image of the Yellowstone plumbing system,” Jamie Farrell, study co-author, said.

Discovering the Massive Reservoir

A method called “seismic tomography” was used to accurately map the magma reservoir.

seismic tomography

Huang and his team employed seismometers in their search for the massive magma reservoir. They were attempting to detect seismic waves stemming from earthquakes and analysing the time variations required for them to register on distinct instruments.

Different density materials conduct seismic waves differently. Hotter, molten material, for instance, conducts seismic waves slower, so that a delay in their detection would appear. Pulling data from two different networks and comparing the results, researchers were able to construct an accurate map of the deeper magma reservoir.

The mathematical method used by the research team to map out this magma reservoir would incorporate seismic data the world over with that of local Yellowstone earthquakes, merging the travel time information in order to connect “amazing three-dimensional images of this entire connected system.”

The technique itself, Huang mentions, wasn’t new. However, no one had previously applied it to Yellowstone National park’s volcano.

Geologists can now use this technique for additional modelling projects, especially in the case of hard-to-reach super-volcanoes hidden underneath the oceans. Apart from having explained the clear discrepancy between the carbon dioxide amounts given off by Yellowstone’s geothermal spots and its shallow magma reservoir, Huang’s research also sheds light on how super-volcanoes are fed.

In the future, geologists may apply the same seismic tomography methods in their attempts of estimating a volcano’s current state.

Image Source: zmescience.com , blogs.discovermagazine.com and pdgm.com

Email, RSS Follow
The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts

David Warren

David Warren is a serious tech aficionado. Five years ago he finished his studies at the California Institute of Technology, Caltech, where he earned a degree in Computer Science. Two years ago he got hired as a data protection analyst in an American multinational. When he’s bored with security protocols he enjoys writing reviews and previews of his favorite gadgets and games.

Latest posts by David Warren (see all)

  • Scientists Take A Closer Look At One Of The World’s Largest Volcanic Eruptions - Oct 15, 2017
  • Insects Such As Fruit Flies Can Unexpectedly See In High-Res - Sep 10, 2017
  • The Swimming Style Of Plesiosaurs Explained By A Robot - Sep 1, 2017

Filed Under: Tech & Science

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 72 other subscribers

Mom holding newborn's hands

SF Hospital Slaps New Parents with $19K Bill for Baby Treatment

Jun 29, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Harley-Davidson biker

Furious Trump Blasts Harley-Davidson for Moving Production Overseas

Jun 28, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

MRI machine

Warning! MRI Machines Could Poison You

Jun 27, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Flight Attendants More Likely to Get Certain Cancers

Jun 27, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Lone star tick sitting on a succulent leaf

More Red Meat Allergy Cases Related to Lone Star Tick Bites

Jun 26, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Time magazine cover

Time Admits Sobbing Cover Girl Was Not Separated from Parents

Jun 26, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Sunshine and green leaves

Vitamin D Deficiency Could Boost Risk of Lung Disease

Jun 25, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Green-light laser pointer

Greek Boy’s Retina Severely Damaged by Laser Pointer

Jun 22, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Red Tesla car

Tesla Suing ‘Whistleblower’ over Data Theft

Jun 21, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Boiled eggs and mayonnaise

Eating too Clean Can Lead to Orthorexia

Jun 20, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

NYC mayor Bill de Blasio

NYC Will Allow People to Smoke Pot in Public

Jun 20, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

A kitten and a puppy sleeping in a bed while hugging each other

Who Is Smarter Between Cats and Dogs? Researchers Have an Answer (Study)

Jun 19, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Orthodox church in Greece

Being Religious Is Tied to Longer Lifespan, Study

Jun 19, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Bacon and eggs for breakfast

How Does the Keto Diet Work?

Jun 18, 2018 By Anne-Marie Jackson Leave a Comment

Related Articles

  • A kitten and a puppy sleeping in a bed while hugging each other

    Who Is Smarter Between Cats and Dogs? Researchers Have an Answer (Study)

    Jun 19, 2018
  • Pluto and other transneptunian objects on a scale

    The Icy Transneptunian Objects Are Not Proof that Planet Nine Exists

    Jun 5, 2018
  • Sunny day

    Days Are Getting Longer as Moon Drifts Farther Away

    Jun 5, 2018
  • Coronal mass ejection

    NASA Scientist Building Solar Probe: ‘I See God’s Hand in the Wonders of Space’

    May 30, 2018
  • Steam Link device next to its box

    Apple Rejects Steam Link from the App Store Due to Unspecified Business Conflicts

    May 25, 2018
  • Two-headed deer

    Two-Headed Deer found in Minnesota Forest Baffles Scientists

    May 16, 2018
  • Woman watching the sea

    Hawaii Inching Closer to Banning Sunscreen

    May 9, 2018
  • Cows grazing

    In the Next 200 Years, Cows Will Be the Largest Mammals Left (Study)

    Apr 20, 2018
  • Nintendo Switch Ad

    Nintendo Switch Beats Wii U in Sales during Holiday Quarter

    Feb 1, 2018
  • Geminid Meteor Shower in Rural America

    December Meteor Shower Could Be the Most Spectacular This Year

    Dec 16, 2017

Categories

  • Business
  • Company News & Financials
  • Diversified Financial
  • Entertainment
  • Featured
  • Health & LifeStyle
  • Micro Cap
  • Mid Cap
  • National News
  • Nature
  • OTC Exchange
  • OTC Markets
  • OTC Research
  • Science
  • Small Cap
  • Sports
  • Tech & Science
  • U.S.
  • Uncategorized
  • Wall Street
  • World
  • World Indexes

Copyright © 2021 wallstreetotc.com

About · Privacy Policy · Sitemap · Terms of Service · Contact