A magnitude 3.3 earthquake was detected in Yellowstone National Park on Thursday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The tremor occurred at 9:20 a.m. ET along the Yellowstone River, with its epicenter located just seven miles from the Yellowstone caldera, a large volcanic depression.
This seismic event comes amidst ongoing scientific attention to the supervolcano, which has not erupted in approximately 640,000 years. Experts suggest the volcano may be overdue for a catastrophic eruption that could impact the central United States.
Recent research has highlighted an increase in seismic activity in the region. Last year, an international research team identified tens of thousands of previously unrecorded earthquakes under the supervolcano using artificial intelligence to analyze 15 years of recordings. This discovery suggested that the number of quakes was significantly higher than previously believed.
In the past three weeks leading up to Thursday's earthquake, 11 minor quakes had been recorded by the USGS in the vicinity of the caldera. Thursday's earthquake reportedly resulted in only light shaking within the vast 2.2 million-acre national park, which spans across Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.