The aftermath of a magnitude 6.5 earthquake in Idaho on March 31 continues to rattle the region, with persistent aftershocks causing a popular beach along Stanley Lake to sink underwater. The tremors have sparked concerns about Yellowstone's supervolcano, but experts say there is no connection.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) Volcanoes took to Twitter to allay fears, stating that the Idaho quakes are aftershocks of the March 31 tectonic event, related to the extension of the western United States, and have nothing to do with Yellowstone. Some aftershocks have registered up to magnitude 4.8.
According to Claudio Berti, director and state geologist from the Idaho Geological Survey, the 'disappearing' of the inlet delta at Stanley Lake was likely caused by a combination of liquefaction, compaction of saturated sediments, and possible sliding towards the deeper part of the lake.
The earthquake struck 16 miles north of the Sawtooth Fault, a 40-mile fault line discovered a decade ago and previously considered seismically inactive. Some scientists now believe the fault is longer than thought, possibly taking advantage of openings in the Earth's crust and slowly moving northward.
Researchers plan to use LIDAR technology to gather full seismic data and analyse local soil to better understand the tectonic activity. Meanwhile, Yellowstone's supervolcano remains quiet; it last erupted 70,000 years ago. Since then, the western US has experienced over 10,000 magnitude 6 or higher earthquakes, but none have triggered a supervolcano eruption.
