Magnitude 4.2 earthquake strikes near Yellowstone

The 4.2 magnitude earthquake struck just after 7:30 a.m. local time at a depth of 8.7 miles, the University of Utah said.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, “The Yellowstone region is one of the most seismically active areas in the United States.” The area sees an average of 1,500 to 2,500 quakes a year, but most are too small for humans to detect — 99% of them are below magnitude 2.

However, USGS has about 50 seismographs, which capture and measure earthquakes, located throughout the park.

The park is situated on top of a “supervolcano,” with the potential to unleash a cataclysmic eruption. But the volcano has only had three major eruptions in the last 2.1 million years, according to the National Park Service. The first eruption spewed ash as far away as present day Missouri and ejected 6,000 times the volume of material ejected from the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens, NPS said. The most recent major eruption occurred 631,000 years ago.

Yellowstone, a popular national park among tourists, is located in the northwest corner of Wyoming. It also spills into neighboring Montana and Idaho.