The Yellowstone Supervolcano may be actually be more gigantic than was previously thought after scientists reviewed geoelectric imaging of the boiling underground caldera, according to the Environmental News Network.
Geologists from the University of Utah made a picture of the volcanos electrical conductivity at its sourcean underground plume of molten lava.
Existing images of the plume in 2009 were based on seismic waves, a process not dissimilar from an X-ray image.
The new technique looks at electrical conductivity generated by heat and molten briny water, and revealed a plume that went as much as 400 miles from east to west, although geoelectric imaging only goes as far as 200 miles deep.
Due to the tilt seen in the newer image, scientists believe this could raise the possibility that the plume is surrounded by a larger area of molten lava than initially thought.
Scientists say the geoelectric imaging is different because it reveals electric conductivity, as opposed to seismic imaging, which reveals molten rock.
