An earthquake that struck the Hayden Valley area of Yellowstone National Park Monday evening rattled the nerves of humans on the scene, but grizzlies that were there were completely unbothered.
“The bears did not do anything, they just kept their heads down and kept eating,” wildlife photographer Julie Argyle told Cowboy State Daily.
She, her husband and some friends were watching a female grizzly with two cubs, and Argyle was taking video of the bears when the quake struck at 6:39 p.m.
“I’ve felt a couple of tremors over the years (in Yellowstone),” said Argyle, who is the postmaster at the Lake Post Office.
“Nothing this major. The first aftershock that came was worse than the quake itself,” she added.
Hollow Earth
People take for granted that the earth beneath their feet feels solid. But that’s not always the case, particularly in Yellowstone.
Argyle said the magnitude 2.67 quake provided a stark reminder that beneath the surface, Yellowstone is a catacomb of geothermal chambers.
She described the experience as “eerie.”
All of a sudden, the ground started shaking. I looked at my husband and said, ‘Do you feel how hollow the earth feels underneath you?’” she said.
No Getting Away From ‘A Big One’
Hollywood depictions of earthquakes frequently portray them as starting with a low rumble that builds into a full-blown cataclysm.
Argyle said the quake she and the others experienced wasn’t like that. Instead, it hit with a sudden snap.
“It was quick. And my friends asked, ‘If it turns into a big one, what do we do?’” she said.
Experts say that Yellowstone has experienced massive quakes and volcanic eruptions in the past – and such events are bound to happen again.
Argyle said that had Monday’s quake been the precursor to a real monster, there wouldn’t have been anything she and the others with her could have done.
“I told them, ‘If it’s going to be a big one, it’s over. You won’t be able to get out of here in time,’” she said.
‘If They Get Worried, We Get Worried’
Argyle said the bears’ complete apathy toward the event was comforting.
“They’re probably used to tremors” and likely feel many smaller ones that can’t be detected by human senses, she said.
So, the fact that the bears were acting as if it was business as usual was a good indication that Mother Earth didn’t have anything apocalyptic in store, Argyle said.
“I truly believe that if it was going to something worse, then the animals would have reacted,” she said.
“If they get worried, we get worried,” she added.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
