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Long Valley Caldera in eastern California formed 0.76 Ma ago in a cataclysmic eruption that resulted in the deposition of 600 km3 of Bishop Tuff. The total current heat flow from the caldera floor is estimated to be ~ 290 MW, and a geothermal power plant in Casa Diablo on the flanks of the resurgent dome (RD) generates ~40 MWe. The RD in the center of the caldera was uplifted by ~ 80 cm between 1980 and 1999 and was explained by most models as a response to magma intrusion into the shallow crust. This unrest has led to extensive research on geothermal resources and volcanic hazards in the caldera. Here we present results from precise, high-resolution, temperature–depth profiles in five deep boreholes (327–1,158...
The 30-by-20-km Long Valley Caldera (LVC) in eastern California (fig.1) formed at 0.76 Ma in a cataclysmic eruption that resulted in the deposition of 600 km? of Bishop Tuff outside the caldera rim (Bailey, 1989). By approximately 0.6 Ma, uplift of the central part of the caldera floor and eruption of rhyolitic lava formed the resurgent dome. The most recent eruptive activity in the area occurred approximately 600 yr ago along the Mono-Inyo craters volcanic chain (Bailey, 2004; Hildreth, 2004). LVC hosts an active hydrothermal system that includes hot springs, fumaroles, mineral deposits, and an active geothermal well field and power plant at Casa Diablo along the southwestern boundary of the resurgent dome (Sorey...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
Introduction The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) was established to ‘To strengthen the long-term monitoring of volcanic and earthquake unrest in the Yellowstone National Park region‘. Yellowstone National Park is underlain by a voluminous magmatic system overlain by the most active hydrothermal system on Earth. Tracking changes in water and gas chemistry is of great importance because anomalous fluxes might signal one of the earliest warnings of volcanic unrest. Because of the tremendous number, chemical diversity, and large aerial coverage of Yellowstone‘s thermal features, it remains daunting to monitor individual features that might serve as proxies for anomalous activity in the hydrothermal system. Sampling...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
The position of the water table within a volcanic edifice has significant implications for volcano hazards, geothermal energy, and epithermal mineralization. We have modified the HYDROTHERM numerical simulator to allow for a free-surface (water table) upper boundary condition and a wide range of recharge rates, heat input rates, and thermodynamic conditions representative of continental volcano-hydrothermal systems. An extensive set of simulations was performed on a hypothetical stratovolcano system with unconfined groundwater flow. Simulation results suggest that the permeability structure of the volcanic edifice and underlying material is the dominant control on water table elevation and the distribution of pressures,...
Although giant calderas (“supervolcanoes”) may slumber for tens of thousands of years between eruptions, their abundant earthquakes and crustal deformation reveal the potential for future upheaval. Any eventual supereruption could devastate global human populations, so these systems must be carefully scrutinized. Insight into dormant but restless calderas can be gained by monitoring their output of heat and gas. At Yellowstone, the large thermal and CO2 fluxes require massive input of basaltic magma, which continues to invade the lower to mid-crust, sustains the overlying high-silica magma reservoir, and may result in volcanic hazard for millennia to come. The high flux of CO2 may contribute to the measured deformation...
A geochemical investigation of springs near Three Sisters volcanoes was conducted in response to the detection of crustal uplift west of the peaks. Dilute, low-temperature springs near the center of uplift show 3He/4He ratios ≥7RA (RA is the ratio in air), and transport in total ∼16 MW of heat and ∼180 g/s of magmatic carbon (as CO2). These anomalous conditions clearly reflect the influence of magma, but they seemingly predate the onset of the present uplift and derive from a previous event. Episodes of intrusion may thus be more common in this area than the age of eruptive vents would imply.
The beautiful blue pools and impressive boiling fountains along Hot Creek in east-central California have provided enjoyment to generations of visitors, but they have also been the cause of injury or death to some who disregarded warnings and fences. The springs and geysers in the stream bed and along its banks change location, temperature, and flow rates frequently and unpredictably. The hot springs and geysers of Hot Creek are visible signs of dynamic geologic processes in this volcanic region, where underground heat drives thermal spring activity.
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
The 2006 second edition of this well received and widely adopted textbook has been extensively revised to provide a more comprehensive treatment of hydromechanics (the coupling of groundwater flow and deformation), to incorporate findings from the substantial body of research published since the first edition, and to include three new chapters on compaction and diagenesis, metamorphism, and subsea hydrogeology. The opening section develops basic theory of groundwater motion, fluid-solid mechanical interaction, solute transport, and heat transport. The second section applies flow, hydromechanics, and transport theory in a generalized geologic context, and focuses on particular geologic processes and environments....
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
Field data from Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone, indicate that geyser frequency is less sensitive to elastic deformation than might be surmised from a review of the literature. Earth-tide influences are not identifiable in any of the geysers we monitored. Though atmospheric-pressure influences are observed, only long-period variations on the order of 5 mBars or greater seem to influence geyser frequency. Long-distance interconnections between geysers are common and add to the difficulty of identifying strain influences. Additional variations in geyser periodicity may be governed by the internal dynamics of the geysers rather than external influences.
This report describes a science strategy for the geologic activities of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for the years 2010-2020. It presents six goals with accompanying strategic actions and products that implement the science directions of USGS Circular 1309, ‘Facing Tomorrow‘s Challenges-U.S. Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007-2017.‘ These six goals focus on providing the geologic underpinning needed to wisely use our natural resources, understand and mitigate hazards and environmental change, and understand the relationship between humans and the environment. The goals emphasize the critical role of the USGS in providing long-term research, monitoring, and assessments for the Nation and the world....
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
The geysers of Yellowstone National Park, United States, attract millions of visitors each year, and their eruption dynamics have been the subject of extensive research for more than a century. Although many of the fundamental aspects associated with the dynamics of geyser eruptions have been elucidated, the relationship between external forcing (Earth tides, barometric pressure, and precipitation) and geyser eruption intervals (GEIs) remains a matter of ongoing debate. We present new instrumental GEI data and demonstrate, through detailed time-series analysis, that geysers respond to both long-term precipitation trends and to the seasonal hydrologic cycle. Responsiveness to long-term trends is reflected by a negative...
In the past few decades numerous studies have quantified the load of dissolved solids in large rivers to determine chemical weathering rates in orogenic belts and volcanic areas, mainly motivated by the notion that over timescales greater than ~ 100 kyr, silicate hydrolysis may be the dominant sink for atmospheric CO2, thus creating a feedback between climate and weathering. Here, we report the results of a detailed study during water year 2007 (October 1, 2006 to September 30, 2007) in the major rivers of the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field (YPVF) which hosts Earth's largest “restless” caldera and over 10,000 thermal features. The chemical compositions of rivers that drain thermal areas in the YPVF differ significantly...
We present and analyze a chemical dataset that includes the concentrations and fluxes of HCO3−, SO42−, Cl−, and F− in the major rivers draining Yellowstone National Park (YNP) for the 2002–2004 water years (1 October 2001 – 30 September 2004). The total (molar) flux in all rivers decreases in the following order, HCO3− > Cl− > SO42− > F−, but each river is characterized by a distinct chemical composition, implying large-scale spatial heterogeneity in the inputs of the various solutes. The data also display non-uniform temporal trends; whereas solute concentrations and fluxes are nearly constant during base-flow conditions, concentrations decrease, solute fluxes increase, and HCO3−/Cl−, and SO42−/Cl− increase during...
The permeability of continental crust is so highly variable that it is often considered to defy systematic characterization. However, despite this variability, some order has been gleaned from globally compiled data. What accounts for the apparent coherence of mean permeability in the continental crust (and permeability–depth relations) on a very large scale? Here we argue that large-scale crustal permeability adjusts to accommodate rates of internal and external forcing. In the deeper crust, internal forcing – fluxes induced by metamorphism, magmatism, and mantle degassing – is dominant, whereas in the shallow crust, external forcing – the vigor of the hydrologic cycle – is a primary control. Crustal petrologists...
The dynamic behavior of magmatic hydrothermal systems entails coupled and nonlinear multiphase flow, heat and solute transport, and deformation in highly heterogeneous media. Thus, quantitative analysis of these systems depends mainly on numerical solution of coupled partial differential equations and complementary equations of state (EOS). The past 2 decades have seen steady growth of computational power and the development of numerical models that have eliminated or minimized the need for various simplifying assumptions. Considerable heuristic insight has been gained from process-oriented numerical modeling. Recent modeling efforts employing relatively complete EOS and accurate transport calculations have revealed...