The Yellowstone Volcano—What I Don’t Get

So it comes up on the news from time to time, from one

scientist or another. The Yellowstone volcano is past due to erupt. I get

that.

Under Yellowstone Park is a layer

of magma that, if it gets loose, has enough molten lava to fill the Grand

Canyon. I guess I get that as well, although one has to define past

due.

(VOX) The Yellowstone supervolcano

— thousands of times more powerful than a regular volcano — has only had three

truly enormous eruptions in history. One occurred 2.1 million years ago, one

1.3 million years ago, and one 664,000 years ago.

I get that as well. But when dealing with numbers that huge,

I’m not all that likely to cancel a summer trip with the kids to see Old

Faithful. But there’s lots more interesting stuff on the subject at VOX

and you might find it interesting to check out—take your mind off politics for

the moment.

Now, for what I don’t get.

We all know now that fracking (the

use of pressurized fluid to fracture a rock layer) is followed by clusters of

small earthquakes. Earthquakes are triggers for volcanic action--Oklahoma went

from 2 earthquakes a year in 2008 to 3 a day.

Yet we’re currently fracking in a

cluster of sites in Wyoming near the southern base of Yellowstone.

What I don’t get is tickling the sleeping bear of the

Yellowstone volcano.