A team of geologists has found evidence of rhyolitic volcanism in Yellowstone caldera shifting northeast. The study, published in the journal Nature, used an electromagnetic geophysical method to survey the ground beneath the caldera.
Yellowstone National Park’s caldera is a volcanic super-volcano with three major eruptions in the past 2.1 million years. Researchers investigated the material beneath the caldera to better understand volcanic eruptions and predict future events.
A new approach was taken, involving a magnetotelluric survey that measured electromagnetic geophysical properties. The survey revealed seven unique regions of magma beneath the caldera, with some feeding into others at depths ranging from 4 to 47 kilometers.
The most interesting melt storage reservoirs were located in the northeast parts of the caldera, suggesting they would be active in the future. These reservoirs contain both basaltic and rhyolitic magma, with higher amounts found in the northeast compared to other areas.
This research provides new insights into Yellowstone’s volcanic activity and may help predict when it might erupt again.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2025-01-yellowstone-volcanic-shifting-northeast-geologists.html