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Updates are compiled for the previous month and posted in the first week of the new month.

YELLOWSTONE VOLCANO OBSERVATORY MONTHLY UPDATE
Monday, November 2, 2009 3:21 PM MST (Monday, November 2, 2009 22:21 UTC)


YELLOWSTONE VOLCANO (CAVW #1205-01-)
44°25'48" N 110°40'12" W, Summit Elevation 9203 ft (2805 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL
Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN

October 2009 Yellowstone Seismicity Summary

During the month of October 2009, 218 earthquakes were located in the Yellowstone National Park region. The largest event was a magnitude 2.5 on October 15 at 3:39 PM MDT, located about 7 miles south southeast of West Thumb, Yellowstone NP. This event was the largest event in a swarm of 138 earthquakes that occurred October 12-23, with magnitudes ranging from -0.2 to 2.5.

Earthquake activity in the Yellowstone region is at relatively normal background levels.

Ground Deformation Summary: Continuous GPS data show that uplift of the Yellowstone Caldera has stopped for now. The WLWY station, located in the northeastern part of the caldera, underwent a total of ~23 cm of uplift between mid-2004 and mid-2009. Its record can be found at:
http://pboweb.unavco.org/shared/scripts/stations/?checkkey=WLWY&sec=timeseries_plots×eries=raw

The general uplift and subsidence of the Yellowstone caldera is of scientific importance and will continue to be monitored closely by YVO staff.

An article on the recent uplift episode at Yellowstone and discussion of long-term ground deformation at Yellowstone and elsewhere can be found at: http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/publications/2007/upsanddowns.php

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The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) is a partnership of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Yellowstone National Park, and University of Utah to strengthen the long-term monitoring of volcanic and earthquake unrest in the Yellowstone National Park region. Yellowstone is the site of the largest and most diverse collection of natural thermal features in the world and the first National Park. YVO is one of the five USGS Volcano Observatories that monitor volcanoes within the United States for science and public safety.

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) was created as a partnership among the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Yellowstone National Park, and University of Utah to strengthen the long-term monitoring of volcanic and earthquake unrest in the Yellowstone National Park region. Yellowstone is the site of the largest and most diverse collection of natural thermal features in the world and the first National Park. YVO is one of the five USGS Volcano Observatories that monitor volcanoes within the United States for science and public safety.


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