Yellowstone National Park is considered one of the world's most dynamic volcanic systems. Underneath lies a massive reservoir of hot lava filled with molten rock that could fill the entire Grand Canyon 11 times over, according to scientists.

Researchers announced Thursday they used seismic tomography to produce a complete visualization of the volcano's inner plumbing system under Yellowstone, beginning from the Earth's mantle reaching up to the surface.

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Yellowstone intersects the borders of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho and is famous for its incredible geothermal features that include geysers, steam vents, hot springs and mud pits all nestled atop a massive supervolcano that's already erupted thrice before

Scientists are aware of the existing large magma chamber lurking beneath Yellowstone that caused eruptions some 2 million, 1.2 million and 640,000 years ago. This new study reveals a second and deeper reservoir 4.5 times larger.

Seismologist Jamie Farrell from the University of Utah said this existing second magma chamber doesn't affect how large the volcanic eruption in Yellowstone will be, and these findings don't change the volcanic hazard in Yellowstone.

He adds this new data provides scientists the information to better understand magma movement from the mantle to the Earth's surface.

This gigantic magma chamber located in the lower crust of the planet is found some 12 to 28 miles under the park. It has a volume of 11,500 cubic miles or 11.2 times the volume of Arizona's Grand Canyon, said geophysics professor Fan-Chi Lin from the University of Utah.

The magma chamber can be described as filled with extremely hot and mostly solid sponge like rock mixed in with completely molten rock. Researchers believe two percent of the magma is completely liquid.

To date, the upper and lower magma chambers sit on a plume or upwelling produced by the Earth's mantle some 40 miles underground that creates a flow of hot materials upwards to the surface.

Prior to this new study, scientists weren't able to confirm the existence of the second chamber. Using seismic tomography, a technique similar to a CT scan for the human body, scientists used seismic waves that travel through the Earth to image the subsurface, revealing rocks and different layers and densities.

This study was published in the journal, Science.

TagsNew Magma Chamber Found in Yellowstone Park; Big Enough to Fill Grand Canyon, US, yellowstone national park, yellowstone volcano, magma reservoir chamber yellowstone volcano