Tree-ring 14C links seismic swarm to CO2 spike at Yellowstone, USA

Abstract

Research Article| December 01, 2010 Tree-ring 14C links seismic swarm to CO2 spike at Yellowstone, USA William C. Evans; William C. Evans * 1U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA *E-mail: wcevans@usgs.gov. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Deborah Bergfeld; Deborah Bergfeld 1U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar John P. McGeehin; John P. McGeehin 2U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, Virginia 20192, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar John C. King; John C. King 3Lone Pine Research, 2604 Westridge Drive, Bozeman, Montana 59715, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Henry Heasler Henry Heasler 4National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information William C. Evans * 1U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA Deborah Bergfeld 1U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA John P. McGeehin 2U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, Virginia 20192, USA John C. King 3Lone Pine Research, 2604 Westridge Drive, Bozeman, Montana 59715, USA Henry Heasler 4National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190, USA *E-mail: wcevans@usgs.gov. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 28 Apr 2010 Revision Received: 29 Jun 2010 Accepted: 01 Jul 2010 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2010 Geological Society of America Geology (2010) 38 (12): 1075–1078. https://doi.org/10.1130/G31345.1 Article history Received: 28 Apr 2010 Revision Received: 29 Jun 2010 Accepted: 01 Jul 2010 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation William C. Evans, Deborah Bergfeld, John P. McGeehin, John C. King, Henry Heasler; Tree-ring 14C links seismic swarm to CO2 spike at Yellowstone, USA. Geology 2010;; 38 (12): 1075–1078. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G31345.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Mechanisms to explain swarms of shallow seismicity and inflation-deflation cycles at Yellowstone caldera (western United States) commonly invoke episodic escape of magma-derived brines or gases from the ductile zone, but no correlative changes in the surface efflux of magmatic constituents have ever been documented. Our analysis of individual growth rings in a tree core from the Mud Volcano thermal area within the caldera links a sharp ∼25% drop in 14C to a local seismic swarm in 1978. The implied fivefold increase in CO2 emissions clearly associates swarm seismicity with upflow of magma-derived fluid and shows that pulses of magmatic CO2 can rapidly traverse the 5-km-thick brittle zone, even through Yellowstone's enormous hydrothermal reservoir. The 1978 event predates annual deformation surveys, but recognized connections between subsequent seismic swarms and changes in deformation suggest that CO2 might drive both processes. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.