Yellowstone earthquake activity at background levels
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (KIFI/KIDK)-Yellowstone National Park celebrated its 148th birthday Sunday in the wake of a relatively shaky month.
The U.S. Geologic Survey reports the University of Utah Seismograph Stations located 222 earthquakes in the Yellowstone Park region in February. The largest was a magnitude 2.4 located 2.5 miles northeast of Lake, in Yellowstone at around 6:14 a.m. on February 10.
There were three earthquake swarms during the month.
USGS said the largest swarm occurred about 16 miles east-northeast of West Yellowstone, Montana between February 17-24. It included 68 earthquakes ranging in magnitude from -0.4 to 2.1. The largest swarm event was a minor Magnitude 2.1 earthquake at 5:14 a.m. on February 20.
A swarm of 38 quakes southeast of Old Faithful was reported February 11-12. A small swarm of 13 events occurred about 10 miles northeast of West Yellowstone during February 3-4.
Even so, the USGS describes that earthquake activity as "background levels."
Steamboat Geyser, in the Norris Geyser Basin, experienced four water eruptions in the past month on February 1, 12, 21, and 28. There have been six eruptions so far this year (2020).
