A fissure has opened up in Grand Teton National Park just 60 miles (100km) from the Yellowstone volcano, prompting officials to immediately close the area. Experts have detected expanding cracks in the rock buttress, which is being closely monitored by geologists for movement. It is not known how the fissure opened but the area, which sits over the Yellowstone supervolcano, has been urgently shut down due to 'elevated potential for rockfall'. While it hasn't blown its top for more than 600,000 years, scientists are working to better understand Yellowstone in the hopes of predicting the next eruption. Scroll down for video A fissure has opened up in Grand Teton National Park just 60 miles (100km) from the Yellowstone volcano, prompting officials to immediately shut down the area According to a spokesperson for the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, it is not known how long the closure will be in place. 'The Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point areas are currently closed due to elevated potential for rockfall,' the statement read. The Hidden Falls is 100-foot (30-metre) waterfall near the eastern end of Cascade Canyon and Inspiration Point is a stop on a trek overlooking Jenny Lake. 'The area was closed to protect human safety on July 10 after expanding cracks in a rock buttress were detected. 'Geologists are monitoring the buttress for movement and have initiated a risk assessment for the area.' However, according to the spokesperson, other parts of the park are still open, such as the immediate area around Jenny Lake. The area is not far from the potentially devastating Yellowstone Volcano. Vast eruptions from the Yellowstone Volcano occurred 2.2 million, 1.3 million and 630,000 years ago. When it last erupted, the supervolcano produced one of the largest known blasts on Earth, spewing more than 2,000 times as much ash as Mount St Helens did when it erupted in 1980, killing 57 people. It is not known how the fissure opened but the area (pictured), which sits over the Yellowstone supervolcano, has been closed due to 'elevated potential for rockfall' The Hidden Falls (pictured) is 100-foot (30-metre) waterfall near the eastern end of Cascade Canyon. The area is not far from the potentially devastating Yellowstone Volcano Yellowstone is currently recharging as its magma chambers fill with molten rock from the Earth's mantle – the subsurface layer beneath the crust. Last month, it was revealed scientists have devised a new way to find out how quickly magma is building up beneath the Yellowstone supervolcano. The technique allows experts to accurately estimate the amount of magma entering the supervolcano from deep beneath Earth's crust in a process known as recharging. While the new method does not allow scientists to predict when Yellowstone will erupt, it could help to better understand how the volcano replenishes its deadly magma stores. Inspiration Point (pictured) is a stop on a trek near Jenny Lake. Vast eruptions from the Yellowstone Volcano occurred 2.2 million, 1.3 million and 630,000 years ago Researchers at Washington State University said these pools of molten volcanic rock build in subsurface magma chambers and are key to the eruption process. 'It is the coal in the furnace that's heating things up,' said study coauthor Professor Peter Larson. 'It's heating up the boiler. The boiler is what explodes. 'This tells us what is heating the boiler.' Scientists have devised a new way to find out how quickly magma is building up beneath the Yellowstone supervolcano. The technique allows them to accurately estimate the amount of magma entering the volcano. Pictured is Yellowstone National Park's Grand Prismatic Pool Researchers 'spiked' several hot springs in Yellowstone National Park with the stable radioactive isotope deuterium (pictured). The deuterium was harmless to the environment and approved for use by park officials Once these chambers are filled, the landform could explode at any time, potentially erupting within months or several millennia after a magma recharge. The eruption occurs when the magma chambers burst, throwing as much as 240 cubic miles (1,000 cubic kilometres) of magma into the air. A key driver of the volcano's destructive power is an explosive, silica-rich volcanic rock called rhyolite that breaks through the Earth's crust during an eruption. In the new study Professor Larson and his colleagues focused on the plume of magma heating the rhyolite from below. When it last blew the supervolcano produced one of the largest known blasts on Earth, spewing more than 2,000 times as much ash as Mount St. Helens did when it erupted in 1980 (pictured), killing 57 people in the most disastrous eruption in US history 'This gives us an idea of how much magma is recharging the volcano every year,' said Professor Larson. The researchers 'spiked' several hot springs in Yellowstone National Park with the stable radioactive isotope deuterium. Researchers said the chemical was harmless to the environment and approved for use by park officials. The hot springs the team spiked are closely linked to a maze of hydrothermal vents that play a key role in the Yellowstone volcanic system. Using the temperature of the springs and the time taken for the deuterium to return to normal background radiation levels, the team was able to calculate the amount of water and heat flowing out of the springs. Researchers found that previous studies underestimated the amount of water coursing through the springs and the amount of heat leaving the springs.<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks The giant crack in the Wyoming–based national park has prompted officials to shut down areas from tourists in case of landslides. WoodTV.com, a US-news site affiliated with NBC, reported: "A 100-foot long fissure has prompted the closing of part of Grand Teton National Park." The Grand Teton National Park said in a statement: “The Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point areas are currently closed due to elevated potential for rockfall. “The area was closed to protect human safety on July 10 after expanding cracks in a rock buttress were detected.<doc-sep>
Rangers have temporarily closed off parts of Grand Teton National Park after guides noticed growing fissures in the area just over a week ago. Since Grand Teton is connected to Yellowstone, and Yellowstone is well known for sitting on top of what could well be a giant volcanic time bomb, the news has rung some alarm bells. It really shouldn't. Sure, Yellowstone National Park in the US state of Wyoming happens to be perched on top of the magma equivalent of a powder keg. And, yes, if it blew, we could expect the US to have a new belly button and a climate event that would disrupt global civilisation for a while. So it's understandable that people are anxiously looking out for signs. "Yesterday, Exum guides noticed cracks in the rocks," says Teton park spokeswoman Denise Germann. "They communicated that to rangers this morning, and when they went to investigate they realized it had actually gotten bigger and expanded." According to Germann, the cracks were a noticeable difference to the usual fractures, at around 30 metres (about 100 feet) in length, running along a rock wall about 30 metres high in an area called Hidden Falls. Rangers have sealed off the spot out of concerns that tourists could be crushed should the wall collapse, and are awaiting further investigation. Good call. But is it a sign that is Yellowstone is yawning, or just snoring? While Grand Teton doesn't technically sit on top of Yellowstone's magma chambers, the whole area is prone to ground movement thanks to geological activity - so a few cracks here and there shouldn't come as a surprise. Visible fissures splitting through a rock face would certainly make for a dramatic opening to a Hollywood blockbuster. Thankfully, there's every reason to think if the nearby supervolcano was doing anything unusual, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) would be well on top of it. They've been keeping a close eye on recent swarms of tremors in the area, which we're assured are just "Yellowstone being Yellowstone". The exact amount of warning we'd have before a cataclysmic eruption is still up for debate. Recent research has suggested it could be less than previously estimated. But that's still not a cause to have your bags packed and one eye on the horizon - or a reason to think a few cracks are heralding the 'big one'.