The US Geological Survey (USGS) has published the results of a new study of geysers and groundwater in Yellowstone Park. According to the results, hydrothermal explosions may occur even when water is not boiling temperature, and earthquakes create fractures that promote the water gas saturation.
The geological agency noted that most of the geysers eruption occurs when the water is boiling. However, the water in the Yellowstone caldera is saturated with gases (carbon dioxide and nitrogen), which stands out from the giant magma reservoir, whereby the water pressure is significantly increased, leading to the eruption of geysers. Earlier, the USGS has indicated that this process can lead to steam explosions in the territory of the volcano, and they can provoke its hydrothermal eruption, which could go as early as catastrophic.
However, the results of a new study of water showed that the eruption of geysers of water saturation gases can occur even when the water is not boiling temperature.
Earlier, in April 2016, put forward this hypothesis Canadian scientists. At the same time, American geologists point out that earthquakes in the caldera of Yellowstone form ground broken, and as a result of the released gases more quickly get into the ground water, so that the water pressure rises significantly.
As noted in the USGS, further studies of hydrothermal features in Yellowstone can help predict such events, and will remain a priority for scientists departments.