Yellowstone Tsunami: Earthquake sends 30-foot waves over the park “sounds like the end of the world” | Science

The park is home to the menacing Yellowstone Caldera, a supervolcano named after its potential for global catastrophe in the event of an eruption. This area, located beneath the states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, is constantly monitored by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) for signs that such an eruption is on the way. However, on the evening of August 17, 1959, Lake Hepburn was taken into custody by geologists during a landslide that would inevitably create a new lake on the Madison River following the landslide.

The catastrophic 7.5 magnitude earthquake killed 28 people and caused more than 9 million m (now £ 200 or 6,266 million) in damage.

Historian Larry Morris recalls the saga minute by minute in his 1959 book The Yellowstone Earthquake Disaster.

Describing a story, he wrote: “Air Force warrant officer Victor James said: ‘I heard a terrible noise.

“’I saw the whole mountain collapse. It was bad.

“‘I saw a lot of fighting during World War II, but I’ve never heard a roar like this.’

According to the text, another survivor said: “The roar sounded like the end of the world.”

Mr. Morris explained how one of the audience ended up in death.

He added, “In Montana’s Madison River Canyon, Irene and Burley (Pud) Bennett and their four children settled in a few hours ago and saw beautiful moonlight while they slept.

“Then Irene and Pudum woke up with an ‘incredible noise’.

“what is happening?” He got up, but was caught by the murmur of the wind, rocks and water.

Read more: Yellowstone Scientists’ Fears Unveiled When Earthquake Hits Region: “Eruption Impossible to Stop”

“Then the landslide fell into the Madison River, tearing the river from its bed, injuring 30 feet of waves up and down.”

The campers felt the full force of the waves.

As the Madison River relocated, a large wall of muddy water and debris spilled over their camp.

Mr. Morris added: “The Bennett family, who were camped downhill, was hit by one of the tsunamis.

“When she arrived, Irene was face down on the river bank, unsettled under a pine, and shivering, cold and wet.

“His whole body was bruised and bleeding, and his lips were swollen.”

Fortunately, the Bennett family were rescued by the emergency personnel who responded to the disaster.

Today, tourists to the area can stop by the Earthquake Lake Observatory, located 27 miles north of Yellowstone, to alleviate the horrors of half a century ago.

The “1959 Yellowstone Earthquake Disaster” was published by The History Press in 2016 and is available for purchase here.