Yellowstone Wyoming Earthquake: Magnitude 3.3 Hits Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park
Image Credit: tourvact.com

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming was hit by an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.3, one of many earthquakes that the park is assailed with every year.  According to local news sites and the US Geological Survey (USGS) May 8, 2011,

“Earthquakes are part of the ecosystem of Yellowstone and pose no danger.”

The earthquake was felt Sunday, May 8, 2011 at 04:32:20 UTC; Saturday, May 7, at 10:32:20 pm at epicenter. Reportedly, visitors usually feel earthquakes with magnitudes of 3 to 4, which are harmless.

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake, which occurred in 1959, near the Hebgen Lake though, had killed 28 people. According to geologists however, the Yellowstone caldera itself is unlikely to experience large earthquakes because the weakened bedrock is less likely to burst due to high subsurface temperatures.

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