One month after we reported that fears of an eruption at the Yellowstone supervolcano continue to grow following the first eruption of the world’s largest active geyser for the first time since 2014, overnight Reuters reported of continued “unusual eruptions” at the same location after said giant geyser erupted no less three times in the past six weeks, including once this week.
The good news, according to geologists, is that while the pattern is “unusual” it is not indicative of a more destructive volcanic eruption brewing beneath Wyoming.
The bad news, is that with geological events in Yellowstone increasingly described by even the most “reputable” mainstream media and scholars as “unusual”, the broader public is having trouble believing that everything is just normal.
This is what happened: Steamboat Geyser, which can shoot water as high as 300 feet (91 meters) into the air, erupted on March 15, April 19 and on Friday.
As the Bozeman Daily Chronicle adds, the Steamboat Geyser eruption on Friday was reported by a park visitor and was estimated to have begun at 6:30 am; that person was likely the only one who witnessed it firsthand, since boardwalks leading to area are closed due to high snowfall notes Gizmodo.
Why is this unusual? Because the last time it erupted three times in a year was in 2003, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Yellowstone Volcano Observatory said. Also notable: the last time it erupted prior to March was more than three years ago in September 2014.
While this year’s eruptions have (so far) been smaller than a usual Steamboat eruption, the two in April were about 10 times larger than an eruption at the park’s famed Old Faithful Geyser in terms on the amount of water discharged, geologists quoted by Reuters said.
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