Experts Discover Over 86,000 Earthquakes Hiding Underneath Yellowstone Volcano — Thanks to AI

Although millions of tourists visit the Yellowstone National Park each year, the ground beneath their feet hides a secret that often goes unnoticed unless the visitor is an eagle-eyed scientist. It carries fire within its belly. Deep within the grounds of its central-western portion, a 34 by 45-mile magma chamber sits, per SciShow. But a recent study published in the journal Science Advances has uncovered yet another mystery that lurks inside this belly of Yellowstone caldera - over 86,000 earthquakes hidden in the cracks and crevices of this monstrous volcano.

Fire in the belly

Noting in the study, scientists report that the Yellowstone volcano is one of the most seismically active volcanoes on the planet. Bordered by a ring formed by volcanic eruptions nearly 2 million years ago, the volcano sits in a giant crater inside the Yellowstone National Park, promising a potential destructive explosion that could send volleys of nearly 350 miles of ash and dust into the air to cover an entire island.

AI reveals the truth

In this research, scientists employed machine learning to discover that the volcanic belly endured around 86,276 eruption events between 2008 and 2022. Using artificial intelligence, the team studied both the tectonic and magmatic composition of this volcano to extract nearly 15 years of seismic data, which unleashed the stunning mystery.

The research was led by Western University engineering professor Bing Li, in partnership with researchers from the Industrial University of Santander in Colombia and the U.S. Geological Survey. After studying the seismic processes and bursts of seismic events unfolding underneath the Earth’s crust, they uncovered evidence of this chain of undetected earthquakes, also called “earthquake swarms.”

Mystery of 'earthquake swarms' 

Earthquake swarms, according to a press release, are “groups of small, interconnected earthquakes that spread and shift within a relatively small area over a relatively short period of time.” 

The detection came as a result of deploying leading-edge deep learning algorithms and detailed 3D models to construct a 15-year high-resolution earthquake catalogue of the Yellowstone caldera region. According to the observations documented in the paper, more than half of the region’s earthquakes are clustered into swarm-like families characterized by episodes of hypocenter expansion and migration.

Clues lie in 'fractals'

When they examined the rough and bumpy trails in Yellowstone caldera, their instruments detected patterns that they revealed were “fractals.” According to the press release, fractal patterns are typically observed in coastlines, snowflakes, broccoli, and even in the branching of blood vessels, as visualized by Benoit Mandelbrot in 1980. These fractals appearing in Yellowstone were excellent clues that indicated that the grounds were hiding memories of “earthquake swarms,” most likely motivated by the slow churning of underground water coupled with sudden bursts of fluid.

A fable of fluid mechanics 

Beneath the grounds of the Yellowstone volcano, they noticed fault lines, likely carved by the interplay between slowly diffusing aqueous fluids and rapid episodic fluid injections, a dance that ultimately triggered these quakes. The team believes that the mysterious earthquakes discovered in Yellowstone’s volcanic underworld were likely triggered by fluid mechanics rather than typical seismic triggers. The churning of liquid underneath the ground likely stirred the magma chamber, which led to these tremors and, therefore, fault lines.

Li, who is also an expert in fluid-induced earthquakes and rock mechanics, shared in a press release that while Yellowstone and other volcanoes each have their unique features, the insights gained from the study of this particular caldera will enable them to understand other volcanoes as well. “By understanding patterns of seismicity, like earthquake swarms, we can improve safety measures, better inform the public about potential risks, and even guide geothermal energy development away from danger in areas with promising heat flow,” explained Li.

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