Scientists Discover Secret Magma ‘Lid’ That’s Stopping Yellowstone from Exploding
Scientists have found a hidden magma ‘cap’ beneath Yellowstone National Park that’s keeping one of the world’s largest volcanoes from erupting.
The discovery shows this volatile layer of magma, sitting just 2.4 miles under the surface, acts like a safety valve – trapping dangerous pressure and heat below it.
Researchers used a 53,000-pound truck to create tiny earthquakes and sent seismic waves into the ground, writes ABC News. These waves bounced off underground layers, revealing the sharp boundary where the magma cap sits.
Big question
“For decades, we’ve known there’s magma beneath Yellowstone, but the exact depth and structure of its upper boundary has been a big question”, said Brandon Schmandt, professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Rice University and co-author of the study. “What we’ve found is that this reservoir hasn’t shut down — it’s been sitting there for a couple million years, but it’s still dynamic.”
The team was surprised by their findings. “Something physically happening” at that depth was unexpected, Schmandt noted.
The magma cap contains a mix of melted rock and water bubbles trapped in porous stone. While such bubbles can sometimes drive explosive eruptions, the data suggests Yellowstone isn’t about to blow.
Imminent eruption
“Although we detected a volatile-rich layer, its bubble and melt contents are below the levels typically associated with imminent eruption”, Schmandt explained. “Instead, it looks like the system is efficiently venting gas through cracks and channels between mineral crystals.”
Schmandt described the system as ‘steady breathing’, with bubbles rising and releasing safely through the rock.
The research, published in Nature, used new seismic imaging techniques developed by co-author Chenlong Duan. Despite Yellowstone’s challenging geology producing noisy data, the team persisted. “When you see noisy, challenging data, don’t give up”, Duan said.
Their persistence paid off – they captured one of the first ‘super clear’ images of the magma reservoir’s top, offering valuable insights into Yellowstone’s behavior.
