Explanation Provided for the Odd Movement of Yellowstone Landmark

A large strip of grass at the Yellowstone National Park has been erratically rising and falling for over 20 years. According to a new study, this is because of wayward magma.

Since the magma has been active for a long time since 2000, it has lifted the Norris Geyser Basin for almost 13 centimeters. In 1979, researchers first discovered the magma at Yellowstone. The years following the 1979 research, they found out that the ground rose and fell.

When a 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit the Norris Geyser Basin in 2014, the area rose and fell erratically until early 2019. As a result, the basin is 5 inches above the area where it was two decades ago.

To understand the reason for this happening, researchers utilized satellite data and GPS to track and outline the events at the basin and the volcanic crater at Yellowstone over time. The devices indicated that the cause of the movement is magma intrusion.

The National Geographic reported that because the magma was stuck under the ground, there was pressure built up. The ground above rose when the magma flowed to a new location and resulted in the ground falling where the magma once was.