- Explainer
Earthquake Swarms Are Shaking Yellowstone's Supervolcano. Here's What That Means.
Hundreds of earthquakes have rocked the famous supervolcano in the past few days, but this seismic activity is regular in the region.
Something is rocking the massive supervolcano beneath Yellowstone National Park.
Thanks to a recent earthquake swarm, the Yellowstone supervolcano has seen upwards of 200 quakes since February 8, along with countless smaller tremors. The largest earthquake was an unremarkable magnitude 2.9, and all of them have hit about five miles beneath the surface. Larger earthquakes have rocked the region in the past, some as destructive as the Hebgen Lake quake and others causing minimal damage.
With this most recent swarm, scientists say there's no reason to worry. "Supervolcano" and "earthquake swarm" might seem like daunting terms on the surface, but in Yellowstone National Park, these geologic features are relatively nonthreatening.
Here, we take a closer look at
