Yellowstone Volcanic Floor Rises

Underground volcanic material spans larger area than previously believed

(NEWSER) - The volcanic plume that powers Yellowstone’s geysers and hot springs may be bigger than we thought, and it could someday erupt—not for the first time. The “hotspot” unleashed three major blasts long ago, covering a huge portion of the continent with ash, the BBC reports. Researchers made their discoveries by studying changes in the electrical conductivity of the area’s molten rocks and hot water, marking a shift from a 2009 study that examined seismic waves. Click through for more on the Yellowstone findings . More»

You might want to reconsider feeding the bears

(NEWSER) - Remember those admonishments not to feed the bears? Well, the grizzlies at Yellowstone are hungry this year, reports the AP, and cranky as a result—which doesn't bode so well for human visitors. Two people have already died in 2010 after encountering starving grizzlies. "Pack your bear spray: there's going to be run-ins," advises one scientist. The problem is the decimation of the bears' favorite food: As winter approaches, they feast on nuts from whitebark pinecones to pack on the pounds for hibernation. More»

Officials say park still safe to visit despite 10,000-acre blaze

(NEWSER) - A wildfire at Yellowstone has consumed almost 10,000 acres of pine forest and closed one of the main roads through the national park. Hundreds of firefighters are working to manage the blaze and keep it away from the park infrastructure. The fire has been burning for at least two weeks but officials hope it will die down soon when cooler, wetter weather moves in. "What we're facing here is this little window where this fire can be very active," a park official told the Billings Gazette. More»

(AP) - Yellowstone National Park officials are crediting relatively low gas prices and the park's affordability after a record number of people visited in July. America's first national park hosted more than 900,500 people last month, up more than 11% from July 2008 and 6% from the previous monthly record set in July 1995. More»

(NEWSER) - The recent rash of earthquakes at Yellowstone National Park has geologists intrigued but unworried; that’s not the case with online doomsayers who think the park's volcano is getting ready to blow, the AP reports. About 900 quakes, most undetectable by humans, hit in the week following Christmas. “Something is brewing,” went a post on the aptly named Armageddononline.org, “especially considering that Yellowstone is over 40,000 years overdue for a major eruption.” More»