Science Article Summary - 6

Science Article Summary - 6

Hundreds of Quakes Are Rattling Yellowstone

[1]	K. Johnson, “Hundreds of Quakes Are Rattling Yellowstone,” The New York Times, Feb. 2010.[Online]. Available: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/science/01yellowstone.html?ref=science. [Accessed Feb. 2, 2010].

As more earthquakes are striking the earth causing devastation, more people are worried than ever about an eruption taking place at Yellowstone National Park.  Many people believe that the next eruption of this volcano could place the humans as extinct beings, so the 100 tiny earthquakes that the park has been having per day for the past two weeks is worrisome for some.  Although people may be up in arms about this event, many scientists note that this earthquake "swarm", the second largest ever recorded in its history, is no actual cause for concern and has little indication of causing a larger earthquake or volcanic eruption.  The reason this is causing so much commotion now is obviously because of the Haiti earthquake where many people have seen the devastation brought forth on that nation and are alarmed at such a scene happening here in the United States.  Although scientists are not alarmed now, if these small earthquakes continue for a long time the scientists are more than willing to increase the investigation and observation processes that are used to monitor the health of the park.  The main scientist analysis team at the park note that they look for simple indicators of change that will lead to problems such as abnormal geysers, changes in water temperature, and muddy water in pools that should be clear.