Is Yellowstone a mantle plume?

Recently scientists have found evidence for a plume that is 350 km (about 220 mi) in diameter extending from the core-mantle boundary all the way to the base of the crust at Yellowstone. This new finding does not mean that Yellowstone is any more or less likely to erupt. Instead, it provides a clearer picture of the heat engine that drives the activity that we see at the surface, from geysers to earthquakes. But this result is far from the final word on the topic. Much more work is needed to confirm the existence of the plume and to understand the subtleties of how the plume relates to volcanism at the surface.

Further Reading:

• Volcanoes
• Volcanic Landforms