Here are some facts about the Yellowstone Volcano.
- The Yellowstone Volcano, also known as the Yellowstone Caldera, is a supervolcano located in the National Park of the same name, in the states of Wyoming and Montana, US.
- The Yellowstone Volcano is one of the largest volcanic areas in the world. The park contains about half of the Earth’s geothermal features and about 60 percent of all the world’s geysers.
- The volcano was created during an eruption that took place about 640,000 years ago. The caldera is over a spot where hot, molten rock rises towards the surface.
- Major eruptions of the Yellowstone Volcano happen about every 600,000 to 800,000 years. Two of the past explosions have been among the most powerful ever.
- The magma is the reason for the many geysers and hot springs in the park. Yellowstone has over 300 geysers, and over 10,000 hot springs and bubbling mud holes.
- A geyser is created when the steam is forced through the surface by the high temperatures beneath the surface. Old Faithful is the most famous geyser at Yellowstone and erupts almost every 91 minutes.
- The huge magma chamber in the Yellowstone Volcano is at least 50 percent larger than first thought. It measures about 37 miles long, 18 miles wide and up to 7 miles deep in parts.
- Yellowstone is considered to be the world’s first National Park. Its 3,468 square miles of mountains, canyons, forests, geysers and hot springs attract 2 million tourists every year.
- There are between 1,000 and 2,000 earthquakes each year at the Yellowstone Volcano. In early 2010, there were over 1,600 small earthquakes within the space of a few weeks.
- A major volcanic eruption at Yellowstone is not likely to happen soon. Geologists studying volcanic activity at the park predict that it might not happen for at least another 30,000 years.
What next? Discover more facts about volcanoes, or visit our mountains resources page.
