Since Christmas, over 100 minor earthquakes have occurred in Yellowstone National Park renowned for its geysers, especially Old Faithful. However, if this was to ever blow its top, so to speak, the results would indeed be catastrophic!! Lord have mercy! Situation Update No. 2 On 30.12.2008 at 04:22 GMT+2 Yellowstone National Park was jostled by a host of small earthquakes for a third straight day Monday, and scientists watched closely to see whether the more than 250 tremors were a sign of something bigger to come. Swarms of small earthquakes happen frequently in Yellowstone, but it's very unusual for so many earthquakes to happen over several days, said Robert Smith, a professor of geophysics at the University of Utah. "They're certainly not normal," Smith said. "We haven't had earthquakes in this energy or extent in many years." Smith directs the Yellowstone Seismic Network, which operates seismic stations around the park. He said the quakes have ranged in strength from barely detectable to one of magnitude 3.8 that happened Saturday. A magnitude 4 quake is capable of producing moderate damage. "This is an active volcanic and tectonic area, and these are the kinds of things we have to pay attention to," Smith said. "We might be seeing something precursory. "Could it develop into a bigger fault or something related to hydrothermal activity? We don't know. That's what we're there to do, to monitor it for public safety." The strongest of dozens of tremors Monday was a magnitude 3.3 quake shortly after noon. All the quakes were centered beneath the northwest end of Yellowstone Lake. A park ranger based at the north end of the lake reported feeling nine quakes over a 24-hour period over the weekend, according to park spokeswoman Stacy Vallie. No damage was reported. "There doesn't seem to be anything to be alarmed about," Vallie said. Smith said it's difficult to say what might be causing the tremors. He pointed out that Yellowstone is the caldera of a volcano that last erupted 70,000 years ago. He said Yellowstone remains very geologically active — and its famous geysers and hot springs are a reminder that a pool of magma still exists five to 10 miles underground. "That's just the surface manifestation of the enormous amount of heat that's being released through the system," he said. Yellowstone has had significant earthquakes as well as minor ones in recent decades. In 1959, a magnitude 7.5 quake near Hebgen Lake just west of the park triggered a landslide that killed 28 people. No one has any clue whether earthquake swarms precede Caldera eruptions. It's been 75,000 years since the last one. Also, Caldera eruptions don't gently ooze magma like shield volcanoes. The thin crust above the 10 kilometer-deep magma chamber (Yellowstone park and its geysers), falls into the magma chamber, and the resulting blast would destroy several states. Safe in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
I just sent this article to my brother and husband as we are planning on a fishing vacationing again there this summer...God willing and the creek don't rise. When I read the article I thought, all I can do is pray, pray that there is not devastation, pray that this little puppy continues to slumber, not for my sake but for thousands. I rest in knowing that whatever God's will is for us, it's always for our best.
I don't think there are any eschatological references to Yellowstone, although it is a popular source for Protestant fundamentalists and the like, who believe in an imminent end. The US will have much weightier problems in the future to worry about.
Eschatological references or not, it's still a concern. One of the biggest volcanoes in the world sits under Yellowstone Park. A big eruption could fit into prophecy by causing a widespread famine or other disasters. I'm not saying this will happen, nor am I sitting up nights worrying about it, but to dismiss the danger because it doesn't seem to fit into any prophecies is a bit hasty. Numerous ecological disasters have happened without a single eschatological reference to back them . . . yet, they happened nonetheless. http://www.solcomhouse.com/yellowstone.htm
Sean, Perhaps my placing this thread under Signs of the Times made you think I believed there was an eschatological connection. I've known for several years that Yellowstone was a caldera of a volcano with enormous destructive capability. The current swarm of minor earthquakes brought about a rush of recall and a bit of fear and trembling. Though it may not happen in our lifetime, I'm reminded to be prepared for what God is about to accomplish; I dare say that will be a bit earth-shattering! Safe in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
I have a friend who has been living by divine providence for the last decade who got a word or a message after the great earthquake and Tsunami of 26 December 2004. It mentioned that the earth's plates/boundaries had been affected by the forces of the quake and that there would be repercussions from that seismic event [it's hard to believe that it was four years ago!] All of these quakes/volcanoes are somehow connected and as a result there may be great instability between the teutonic plates and earthquake zones.
