@janeharris6925

6 months ago

The caldera has been moving northeast for millions of years. I grew up in Billings and was a professor at Idaho State University in Pocatello Id for 7 years.

I think the finding just reinforces the obvious as you can follow old lava fields heading that direction at least from the Oregon Idaho border. Apparently as the earth’s crust moves -shifts over the earth, south west, it rolls over this magma hot spot. It must have weaker spots in it as about every 600,000 give or take years there is a catastrophic eruption. My best guess is that the field is headed toward Billings, but there are several thick mountain ranges in that area which will have to pass the hot spot before the crust thins again.

Have you heard of Mountains of the Moon? It is a lava field between Boise and Sun Valley which is famous for filling with wildflowers in the spring. Also, the area west of Pocatello to Idaho Falls is one large area of broken lava flows and lava buttes mixed with sandstone buttes as that area at one time was all under the seas.

Once the continent shifts enough it will get away from the mountain ridges in between and return to the sand and limestone layer that lies beyond the north east borders of Yellowstone and there will very massive eruptions once it gets into the Yellowstone basin.The area covered previously was relatively clear of mountain ranges so it could erupt more regularly. Hope this is informative.

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