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The Daily Utah Chronicle

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The Daily Utah Chronicle

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U scientists investigate second magma layer in Yellowstone volcano

(Grand Prismatic Spring, Midway Geyser Basin, is a 200 foot-wide, steaming boiling hot spring. This large, vividly colored hot spring captures the essence of Yellowstones world renown geysers and hot springs. The wide array of colors on the sides of the spring are produced by bacteria that thrive in hot water.)
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(Grand Prismatic Spring, Midway Geyser Basin, is a 200 foot-wide, steaming boiling hot spring. This large, vividly colored hot spring captures the essence of Yellowstone’s world renown geysers and hot springs. The wide array of colors on the sides of the spring are produced by bacteria that thrive in hot water.)

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(Grand Prismatic Spring, Midway Geyser Basin, is a 200 foot-wide, steaming boiling hot spring. This large, vividly colored hot spring captures the essence of Yellowstone's world renown geysers and hot springs. The wide array of colors on the sides of the spring are produced by bacteria that thrive in hot water.)

U seismologists have discovered an additional magma reservoir below the crust of Yellowstone’s super-volcano.

The volcano may be one of the world’s most famous because its potential eruption is rumored to be massive enough to alter the western landscape. Research suggests that underneath Yellowstone’s initial magma crust, there’s an additional layer of magma.

U seismologists, Jamie Farrell and Hsin-Hua Huang, are two of six collaborators who helped discover and analyze the additional layer.

“The goal of this research was to image the lower crust beneath Yellowstone,” Farrell said. “And for the first time to image the connection between the previously known upper-crustal magma reservoir and mantle plume the feeds the Yellowstone hot-spot.”

Below Yellowstone’s first magmatic layer is another that is 12 to 30 miles deep. In it, there is a magma reservoir that is 4.5 times larger than the one above it. It is connected to the upper crust and the mantle-plume of the volcano.

This discovery is what Farrell called Yellowstone’s “plumbing-system,” and Huang said their studies have provided the first 3-D image to show the entire magmatic system beneath the volcano. Models can now be produced to show what the magma bank looks like.

Huang said research was dependent on local and distant earthquake data recorded by seismic systems and the Earthscope Transportable array, a series of broad-band seismographs. Once data was efficiently collected, the team then conducted seismic tomography analysis, which Huang said was similar to a medical CT scan. This process was able to provide the 3-D images.

Farrell claimed this technique will be able to reveal increased earthquake and hydrothermal activity and monitor the rise of ground temperatures and gas emissions in the area. New findings will be placed into mathematical models where the movement of heat and fluids from deep to shallow crust can be monitored, Farrell said.

“This discovery does not only reach some academic achievement for the U, but also demonstrates the long-term effort of operating this seismic network,” Huang said.

[email protected]

@chriswritine

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