New cracks form - Grand Teton National Park near Yellowstone

[Astronuc]

US National Park service issued the following notification:

Hidden Falls Area Emergency Closure
Closure updated July 10, 2018. Temporary closure remains in effect until rescinded. It is unknown how long the closure at Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point areas will be in place.

Closure and Public Use Limit
The following area is temporarily closed to public entry: The area around Hidden Falls, including the viewing area and trails in the immediate vicinity. The Inspiration Point area is also closed. Visitors are able to hike around Jenny Lake, up into Cascade Canyon, and along the cascade below Hidden Falls. The Jenny Lake Shuttle Boat is operational.

Authority
The Superintendent is closing the portion of the park to all public use. This closure is necessary for one or more of the following reasons:

• Maintenance of public health and safety

Determination
The National Park Service has determined that the closure is necessary due to the recent expansion of cracks and fissures in a large rock buttress above the Hidden Falls viewing area.

Ref: https://www.nps.gov/grte/learn/management/temporary-closures-and-compendium-amendments.htm#onthisPage-5

https://www.nps.gov/grte/learn/management/upload/HiddenFallsClosure_071018_Final.jpg

I understand USGS is monitoring seismometers in the region.

 

[davenn]

Hidden Falls Area Emergency Closure
Closure updated July 10, 2018. Temporary closure remains in effect until rescinded. It is unknown how long the closure at Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point areas will be in place.

I had to do a quick search in google Earth ... looks to be a beautiful wilderness area

sounds like some serious rockfall possibilities Dave

 

[Astronuc]

It's a beautiful area, which includes the headwaters of the Snake River.
https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/snake-river.htm

Some historical perspective
http://www.discovergrandteton.org/teton-geology/earthquake-activity/
https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone/yellowstone_geo_hist_52.html

https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone/monitoring_map.html
https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone/status.html

http://quake.utah.edu/
http://quake.utah.edu/earthquake-center/quake-map - current monitoring from western Wyoming,southern Idaho and Utah.

 

[Astronuc]

Update (2 years and 9 months later) - low risk of a volcanic eruption in the Yellowstone Caldera.

January 2021 - Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update for January 2021


https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/yellowstone-volcano-observatory

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) is a consortium of nine state and federal agencies who provide timely monitoring and hazard assessment of volcanic, hydrothermal, and earthquake activity in the Yellowstone Plateau region. The USGS arm of YVO is also responsible for monitoring and reporting on volcanic activity in the intermountain west U.S. states.

They have a Facebook page with videos of their monthly updates.
March 2021 - https://www. facebook. com/watch/? v=257670319296188
April 2021 - https://www. facebook. com/watch/? v=310701684004676
(It appears that one has to have a FB account to access. Remove the spaces in the urls to access)

Interesting comment about tectonic extension in Idaho and Utah, and probably down into Arizona, and maybe over to Nevada.

The most recent volcanic eruption was a little over 900 years ago at Sunset Crater in the San Francisco volcanic field near Flagstaff, Arizona. It appears more likely that a volcanic eruption will occur in the four-corners area (intersection of Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico) than in Yellowstone.
https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/san-francisco-volcanic-field/ Threat Potential: Moderate

There seems to be some conflicting information from YVO: Threat Potential: High
https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone/