Recent activity in Yellowstone National Park has been marked by the discovery of a new volcanic vent in the Norris Geyser Basin. This vent is emitting steam and is classified as 'very young' due to its geothermal temperature. Scientists from the US Geological Survey (USGS) made the discovery after a park scientist observed steam billowing from the area. The new vent highlights the potentially active nature of the Yellowstone supervolcano, which has a history of significant eruptions, including an event over 640,000 years ago.
Lying five miles beneath the surface of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming is a timebomb more than 640,000 years in the making. The Yellowstone supervolcano is a vast reservoir of magma with the potential to unleash a category eight eruption over 100 times more powerful than Krakatoa.
'While driving south from Mammoth Hot Springs towards Norris Geyser Basin early on August 5 last summer, a park scientist noticed a billowing steam column through the trees and across a marshy expanse,' the USGS explained.
According to the team, this indicates the new vent is 'very young' in nature.
'Are the new feature and the activity that started in 2003 hydrologically connected?' USGS asked. 'Probably. One could run a line along the axis of the older active area and it would intersect the new feature.'
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