A few weeks ago there was a 6.5 earthquake in Nevada (click here). It was kind of rare for Nevada and usually, the North American Craton normally has quakes, but, they are primarily minor but deep in the Earth. However, this was unusual.
Naturally, the first thing that came to mind was the Yellowstone Caldera. I examined maps of major fissures and fault lines in the USA and didn't really think it would go beyond some aftershocks and dismissed the idea. In the back of my mind is the reality of the movement of the Hawaiian hotspot and the high level of activity in the ring of fire in the Pacific. It has been very active. But, that is the Pacific Plate and the North American plate is huge and really isn't affected that much by the Pacific Plate.
Then this happened.
June 4, 2020
By Jens Skapski
Earthquake swarms, geyser eruptions and ground uplift: (click here) Large volcanic areas like the Yellowstone caldera in US-state Wyoming are showing their dynamic processes in different ways. However, sometimes this normal background activity is said to be more dramatic.
You are probably here and reading this text because you think something unusual is going with the world's most famous apocalypse volcano. Maybe because you have seen some activity that you can't explain immediately. But more likely because you came across a newspaper article or a YouTube video that tells you some strange things are happening and you decided to google for further information. If this is the case, please take 3 or 4 minutes to read the following article.
Right at the beginning: I am "sorry" to disappoint you but this article won't tell you that the world is going to end. I would like to talk about news agencies, bloggers, YouTubers and other parts of the internet community who earn money with other people's fear.
And apologizes to everyone for the irritating headline but this is the only way to get the attention of people who are addressed here....
Now, for the most part, when Yellowstone rumbles it is normal and benign. What bothers me this time is that three weeks ago there was a major earthquake in Nevada. I think the park should be closed until this activity settles down and we know this is nothing more than benign activity. Give it a month or so and then let the Park Rangers and scientists decide about what is going on with Yellowstone.
I think this time it is important to be prudent. Besides, there is the virus and parks should be closed for a little while longer anyway. I think media services should want to pay attention to this even if just for fun. I wouldn't ignore it as nothing.
