Yellowstone: Eruptions Vs. Earthquakes

Yellowstone National park is the largest super-volcano on the continent and possibly the world.

It's an underground boiling cauldron of lava, but just how likely is it to erupt or do scientists have other concerns?

"It's been 640,000 since the last eruption," says Jake Lowenstern, a scientist with the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

The lava pool beneath Yellowstone National Park is more than twice as big as scientists previously believed, that's according to new research from the Geological Society of America.

Scientists from the University of Utah say the lake of molten lava is nearly 50 miles long and 12 miles wide.

Jake Lowenstern, a scientist with the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, says even a small eruption could cause a minor disaster.

"It could cause damage to the rivers, some flooding, it's going to put some ash into the air and the ash could certainly get out to the communities out here."

The park is known for the lava lake that fuels all the hot springs.

Scientists don't think the super-volcano will erupt, but the real risk to the region comes from earthquakes.

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