Yellowstone Earthquake of 1959

Abstract:

On August 17th, 1959, an earthquake hit near Hebgen Lake in southwest Montana. It is one of the largest earthquakes observed in the United States, and the area surrounding it is still experiencing the effects to this day. The initial earthquake lasted less than 1 minute and triggered a massive landslide that was traveling 100 mph, caused many fault scarps, and damaged roadways. The landslide moved than 80 million tons of rock down into the canyon below, which formed Earthquake Lake. The rocks and debris also covered the popular camping site, Rock Creek campground. The surrounding areas of Hebgen Lake were affected by the earthquake by the lake rising nearly 8 feet (2.4 meters) and caused roads and highways along the shoreline to collapse into the water. In addition to the landslide, a few more effects were cracks and geysers that developed as a result of the earthquake. Although earthquakes can cause extensive damage in the environment, they can also be very important to the hydrothermal systems by helping to remove blockage of minerals in geysers.