In the last eight days, there have been more than 400 earthquakes at Yellowstone National Park where the volcanic system powers the geysers, mudpots and steam vents. read more. Image: Grand Prismatic Spring
Location & Size:Yellowstone Nat'l Park: (250 by 300 feet across)
Two strong 7.6 quakes hit Indonesia: read.
Straits Times - January 3, 2009
Yellowstone's Supervolcano seats over an explosive "caldera" chamber of magma 34 by 45 miles...
-View links to Yellowstone EQ reports (and maps) here, and here.
Of the many quakes that continue today, all but a few are within a mile or two of each other... And at every depth between 7.2 km and the surface, suggesting pressurized movement along the same chimney right down to the magma chamber at ~ 8 km...
Facts about this Massive Super-volcano.
James Pethokoukis writes:
"there is some potential for hydrothermal explosions and earthquakes may continue or increase in magnitude. There is a much lower potential for related volcanic activity." read more.
Hydrothermal! :D
The recorded movements may be from heated water or magma but even if only a single magma vent is established, it could depressurize the magma chamber to the point of explosive release of gases from the magma to create the super volcano effect across the whole 70 km caldera...
Thought to carry possibility of strength over 4800 x's that of Mt. St. Helens!
From Scientific American:
The geologic record shows that the giant caldera we affectionately call Yellowstone has blown every 600,000 years or so over the past 2 million years. The last big eruption? About 640,000 years ago when the park spit out about 240 cubic miles worth of rock, dirt, magma and other stuff. more.
