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Understanding Yellowstone's caldera

Yellowstone Mud Pot
Courtesy of NPS
Yellowstone Mud Pot

Beneath Yellowstone lies a reservoir of magma, filled with molten and superheated rock and exsolved gases.

Scientists have long known that the chamber existed, but they hadn’t been able to locate the upper boundaries of it. And the contents closest to the surface of that chamber had remained a mystery, until now.

Seismologists from the University of Utah and University of New Mexico have gathered specialized data of the ground beneath Yellowstone’s caldera, providing them with crucial information about the potential threats of this massive volcanic system.

Jamie Farrell, coauthor of the study, and a U of U research associate professor of geology and geophysics and chief seismologist for the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, talks about the findings.

Photo of Jamie Farrell
Courtesy of University of Utah