×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Friday
11
Sep 2026
weather symbol
Athens 34°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> technology

The Yellowstone Supervolcano Has Just Seen 878 Earthquakes in Two Weeks

But don't freak out just yet

Newsroom July 7 11:32

Δείτε περισσότερα άρθρα μας στα αποτελέσματα αναζήτησης

Add Protothema.gr on Google

Yellowstone has had a turbulent June. In just two weeks, the supervolcano that lies underneath the national park was hit with 878 earthquakes.

The dense series of earthquakes, called an earthquake swarm, began on June 12. Within one week, the USGS had already recorded 464 earthquakes.

“This is the highest number of earthquakes at Yellowstone within a single week in the past five years,” reported the USGS in a statement released last week.

The majority of the earthquakes were no greater than a magnitude of 1, but the largest reached a magnitude of 4.4, which is the biggest earthquake experienced in Yellowstone since March 2014.

But, thankfully, we don’t need to freak out anytime soon. It is extremely unlikely that these swarms will set off the supervolcano. In fact, the USGS sets the probability of the supervolcano erupting in the coming year at 1 in 730,000, and has kept its volcano alert level at green.

“Swarms in Yellowstone are a common occurrence,” Jamie Farrell, a research professor at the University of Utah, which is part of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO), told Newsweek.

“On average, Yellowstone sees around 1,500-2,000 earthquakes per year. Of those, 40 to 50 percent occur as part of earthquake swarms.”

And while the most recent swarm is larger than average, Farrell says there isn’t any evidence that the activity is related to magma moving in the subsurface.

Geologists are constantly monitoring the Yellowstone supervolcano for unusual activity. If the volcano was about to blow, Farrell says they would start seeing increased seismicity, large changes in surface deformation, changes to the hydrothermal system and changes in gas output.

“Typically if we see just one of these things, it doesn’t necessarily mean there is an eruption coming. If we start to see changes in all these things, then a red flag may be raised,” said Farrell.

The Yellowstone supervolcano doesn’t blow very often. In the past two million years, it has only experienced three major eruptions.

But even if it did erupt, Jacob Lowenstern, a scientist in charge of the YVO, says it would be fairly inconsequential.

“If Yellowstone erupts, it’s most likely to be a lava flow, as occurred in nearly all the 80 eruptions since the last ‘supereruption’ 640,000 years ago,” he told Newsweek’s Hannah Osborne.

>Related articles

US-Venezuela oil deal: Venezuela retains ownership, Rodríguez says

Analysis: How Venezuela’s oil reserves change the game for the US, OPEC and the Strait of Hormuz

Historic Deal: US takes control of Venezuela’s oil, gaining control of 65 billion barrels

“A lava flow would be a big deal at Yellowstone, but would have very little regional or continental effect.”

Regardless, Farrell and the rest of the team at the University of Utah assure us they are continuing to monitor the swarm. So there won’t be any nasty surprises sneaking up out of Yellowstone anytime soon.

Source

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#earthquake#Supervolcano#University of Utah#usa#Utah#Yellowstone#Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO)
> More technology

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

Jerusalem Patriarchate Signs Cooperation Memorandum with Greek State to Protect Cultural Heritage

September 11, 2026

Hellenic Hematology Society warns of risks from unproven treatments, explains what it says about plasmapheresis

September 11, 2026

“How could Artificial Intelligence wipe out humanity?” — What AI itself tells Business Insider

September 11, 2026

Pierrakakis meets Romanian President in Bucharest, discusses economic cooperation

September 11, 2026

Felony charges filed against two doctors over the death of Giorgos Mazonakis

September 11, 2026

The Danish government wants to ban cell phones in elementary and middle schools

September 10, 2026

Cindy Crawford says having a daughter who looks like her can be annoying, but it has its perks

September 10, 2026

Breaking: The two doctors arrested over the death of Giorgos Mazonakis

September 10, 2026
All News

> Greece

In reverence, the emotional deposition in Jerusalem, see photos & video

The Holy Temple of the Resurrection opened after many days due to the war between Israel and Iran

April 10, 2026

In the final stretch for the accreditation of joint master’s degrees: Aiming for their launch in the coming academic year

April 10, 2026

Schedule for Epitaph Procession today (10/4)

April 10, 2026

Perfect weather for Easter excursions, according to Tsatrafyllia’s forecast

April 10, 2026

Easter in Greece: The customs that continue in Greek tradition – From Nafpaktos to Corfu

April 10, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα