Yellowstone National Park is filled with geysers, hot springs, and mudpots — all geophysical features driven by the underground movement of water heated by the underlying volcano. But what does that underground plumbing look like? To find out, a team of researchers flew a 25-m diameter electromagnetic loop over portions of the park; they used the electromagnetic feedback induced in the loop to roughly map the subsurface features of the park.
To their surprise, they found that deep hydrothermal vents in Yellowstone lie in discrete locations; previously, geologists assumed the vents were more widespread. With a better sense of what lies beneath, park officials will be able to build new infrastructure in areas better protected from one of the park’s biggest hazards: hydrothermal explosions caused by a buildup of pressure underground. (Image credits: top – I. Shturma, map – C. Finn et al.; research credit: C. Finn et al.; via Physics World)
Editor’s Note: This article was written and scheduled prior to the historic flooding in Yellowstone in June 2022.
Leave a Reply