Over 178 Quakes in Yellowstone this Week, But You Shouldn’t Worry

I am a confessed earthquake and geology nerd which is why I find the ecosystem of Yellowstone National Park fascinating. You might be interested to know there have been at least 178 earthquakes within the park over the past week, but you really shouldn't worry.

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First the facts: Yes, there have been (as of this writing) 178 measurable earthquakes according to the USGS Earthquake website. Many have been rather strong with the largest measuring 3.1 on the Richter Scale.

Most have been centered near Yellowstone Lake as you can see on the USGS map.

Does this mean we're all doomed and the super-volcano is about to blow? Of course not. As we've mentioned before, this is how Yellowstone conspiracy theories start and why they're wrong. As Mike Poland who is the current Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory has told us, these hundreds of quakes would be thousands in the event of an imminent event. While 178 over the past 7 days is a lot even by Yellowstone standards, the end of days isn't here...yet.

I highly recommend checking out our interview with Mike explaining how you can interpret what's going on at Yellowstone. He's a nice guy who knows a thing or two about volcanoes and stuff. You should pay attention to what he says about this amazing geology in our backyard.