[Rockhounds] Using vibrations to see into Yellowstone's magma reservoir

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

Beneath Yellowstone lies a magma reservoir, pulsing with molten and
superheated rock and exsolved gases. Scientists have long known about the
chamber's existence, but have yet to precisely locate its uppermost
boundary and characterize the contents of the chamber closest to the
surface—information crucial for understanding the potential perils this
volcanic feature poses.

That has changed with new research by seismologists from the University of
Utah and the University of New Mexico (UNM), who used hundreds of portable
seismometers and a mechanical vibration source to render 2D seismic
reflection images of the ground beneath Yellowstone's caldera.

Using artificial seismic waves, the team determined that the top of the
chamber is 3.8 kilometers, or about 12,500 feet, below Earth's surface, and
it is sharply delineated from the rock strata above, according to findings
published <https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08775-9> in the
journal *Nature*. The study is titled "A sharp volatile-rich cap to the
Yellowstone magmatic system."

The researchers also determined the portion of the uppermost magma chamber
that is comprised of volatile gases and liquids.

https://phys.org/news/2025-04-vibrations-yellowstone-magma-reservoir.html