The geoscientists discovered a magma cap in Yellowstone National Park which probably plays an essential role in prevention of a massive eruption in one of the largest volcanic systems active in the world.
The “rich volatile” hood in magma is about 2.4 miles below the surface of the earth and acts essentially as a lid – a pressure and a trapping heat below, according to the team of researchers It discovered it.
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It was found after scientists used a vibrosis truck of 53,000 pounds to generate tiny earthquakes that send seismic waves to the ground, according to the newspaper, published last week Nature. The measured waves reflected on the underground layers, revealing a net border with the depth where the magma cap is located.
Scientists were surprised to see “something that happens physically” at this depth, said Brandon Schmandt, professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Rice and co-author of the study, in a statement.
Photo: smoking morning glory swimming pool in the Upper Basin de Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. (Marina_Poushkina / Getty Images / Istockphoto)
The stability of dangerous volcanic systems is “strongly influenced” by the depth of storage of the upper magma, according to the document. In addition, the Magma tank with the upper crust under the Caldera of Yellowstone was not well limited, the researchers said.
“For decades, we have known that there is magma under Yellowstone, but the exact depth and structure of its upper border have been a big question,” said Schmandt. “What we have found is that this tank has not closed – it has been sitting there for a few million years, but it's always dynamic.”
In 2022, researchers discovered that Yellowstone's supervolcano substantially No more magma tank Under the Caldeira that we did not think about it previously. The lava also flows to shallow depths that have fueled the previous eruption.
The researchers have modeled various rock, cast iron and volatile conditions to determine the materials that the magma cap is made up – a mixture of silicate and supercritical water bubbles in the porous rock. The bubbles are formed when the magma rises and decompress, making the gases separate like water and carbon dioxide.
Photo: The Grand Prismatic Hot Spring is one of the hydrothermal parks of the national parks created by the Yellowstone Supervolcano. Photographed on July 22, 2014 in Yellowstone National Park, Wy. (Jonathan Newton / The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Volcanic eruptions can then occur as bubbles accumulate and increase burst, resulting in an explosion.
However, an eruption in Yellowstone is probably not imminent, the researchers said.
The data of seismic imaging and advanced computer modeling indicate that the magma tank actively releases the gas but remains in a stable state. The system was described by Schmandt as a “regular breathing”, the bubbles rising and releasing through the porous rock of the magma hood.
“Although we have detected a layer rich in volatile, its bubble and its melted content are lower than the levels generally associated with an imminent eruption,” said Schmandt. “Instead, it seems that the system effectively sells gas through cracks and canals between mineral crystals.”
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The complex geology of Yellowstone has proven to be a difficult environment for data, the researchers said. Disposed seismic waves produced noisy data that were difficult to interpret.
“When you see noisy and difficult data, do not give up,” said Chenlong Duan, co-author of the study.
The geoscientists were able to capture one of the first “super clear” images of the top of the Magma tank under the caldera of Yellowstone using the structural seismic imagery technique, said Duan, which developed the technique.
The discovery could offer clues to future activity in the vast volcanic system of Yellowstone, the The researchers said.
Hidden Magma Cap Discovery in Yellowstone National Park Originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com
