The media’s attention in recent weeks has been focused on two hurricanes — one that’s already a natural disaster and one that could potentially be. However, near Yellowstone National Park, another potential natural disaster has local residents on edge — and the media isn’t paying much attention to it.
According to the Idaho Statesman, a “swarm of low-magnitude earthquakes” that have been rocking the southeast corner of Idaho has geologists and residents worried that a much bigger quake might be about to hit the area.
The series of quakes have centered around the town of Soda Springs. The most powerful quake measured a 5.3 on the Richter scale this past weekend, although quakes as powerful as 4.5 magnitude were still being felt as of late Tuesday night.
And, while scientists say that a widespread fear that the earthquakes could activate a volcano in nearby Yellowstone National Park is completely unfounded, experts do warn that a major destructive event is possible, if unlikely.
“There is most likely not going to be a larger earthquake but there is the possibility of a larger one,” Idaho State University geologist David Pearson said. “I don’t want to say everything is fine here because there’s the possibility it won’t be.”
That larger earthquake could be up to magnitude 7.0 on the Richter scale — enough to cause destruction and possibly death. While such powerful quakes are unusual for Idaho, it’s worth noting that the area is one of the most geologically active in the United States,.
“Foreshocks, aftershocks and swarms are all very normal for earthquakes,” Idaho State geosciences assistant professor Shannon Kobs Nawotniak said. “It will take a little while for the rocks to finish settling into new positions, and each wiggle as it settles into place is giving us another small earthquake.”
“While we can’t guarantee that there won’t be a larger quake in this area, the possibility is extremely low,” Nawotniak added, according to the Idaho State Journal. “We live in a seismically active area, so everyone should always be up to date on their earthquake safety, just like they would for a fire drill. It is prudent to be prepared, even when the likelihood of the event is very low.”
However, as Pearson noted, “(w)e don’t necessarily know” what will happen next. That’s not reassuring news for Idaho residents.
And, as for the supervolcano talk going around on social media — as well as rumors that the quakes are related to North Korea’s nuclear test this past weekend — Pearson unequivocally shot that sort of amateur theorizing down.
“This has nothing to do with North Korea or Yellowstone,” Pearson said, noting that monitoring devices placed in the park itself would alert them to any potential catastrophe from that angle.
However, given Soda Springs’ proximity to major Idaho towns like Pocatello and Idaho Falls, a 7.0 magnitude quake would be destructive enough in and of itself — especially in an area not accustomed to such events. We’ll keep a close watch on what happens next.
H/T RedFlag News
https://conservativetribune.com/media-ignores-earthquake-swarm/