Yellowstone—the year 2022 in review
Happy New Year! Now that we’ve started in on a new calendar, it’s time for the traditional look back at Yellowstone activity in the year that was.
View ArticleAcknowledging Annie: How research and monitoring get done in Yellowstone
Studying Yellowstone’s volcanic, earthquake, and hydrothermal activity requires careful consideration of impacts on the landscape and heritage of the park. YVO has been fortunate to work with Annie...
View ArticleBipartisan Infrastructure Law funds geologic mapping in Idaho
RESTON, Va.— The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Idaho Geological Survey are investing about $300,000, to conduct detailed geologic mapping and geochemical sampling in Sheep Creek-Mineral Hill...
View ArticleYellowstone Recognized as One of the First 100 IUGS World Geological Heritage...
Yellowstone is well known as a unique and exceptional ecological environment—its nickname is “Wonderland” for a reason. At a recent meeting of the International Union of Geological Sciences,...
View ArticleBipartisan Infrastructure Law funds geologic mapping in western Rockies
RESTON, Va.— The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and a coalition of state geological surveys are investing about $525,000, to conduct geochemical sampling the Western Phosphate Field, a region of 350,000...
View ArticleThe first geological map of Yellowstone National Park
Geological mapping requires a high level of skill in Earth science, willingness to go into remote wilderness areas and endure rugged conditions, patience, perseverance, and curiosity. Today, mapping...
View ArticleBuilding maps to help geothermal energy and greater sage-grouse coexist in...
A U.S. Geological Survey study finds that geothermal energy development contributes to population declines of greater sage-grouse. A new tool can help managers and energy developers consider impacts...
View ArticleEvaluating Actions to Improve the Productivity of Snake River Fall Chinook
Snake River fall Chinook salmon swim from the sea nearly 600 miles inland to lay their eggs in the mainstem Snake River western Idaho. Here, the eggs hatch, and young Chinook grow up strong before...
View ArticleAshton to Island Park: 2.1 million years of volcanic history in 30 minutes
A 30-minute drive along U.S. Route 20 in Idaho between Ashton and Island Park will take you through the history of the first two caldera systems that formed in the Yellowstone region, 2.1 and 1.3...
View ArticleWater Levels to be Measured in 1,400 Southern Idaho Wells
Water levels to be measured in 1,400 southern Idaho wells
View ArticleThermal Infrared Remote Sensing at Yellowstone 201: Processing the images
Thermal infrared images not only make nice pictures, they also give us quantitative information about thermal energy being radiated from Earth’s surface. This information can be very useful in...
View ArticleA Hawaiian-style lava flow in southwestern Montana
The Timber Hill basalt tells a story of bygone days, when southwestern Montana looked very different and was a site of vigorous volcanic eruptions.
View ArticleThe 2022 Yellowstone Volcano Observatory annual report—hot off the (virtual)...
Interested in knowing more about Yellowstone’s activity, as well as research results, from the past year? We’ve got you covered—the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2022 Annual Report is now online!
View ArticleIf an eruption is so unlikely, why do we monitor Yellowstone at all?
Monitoring data from Yellowstone are not just useful for assessing the potential for volcanic eruptions there. We can also use what we learn from those data to track other types of geologic hazards,...
View ArticleEverything is Relative: Precise Earthquake Location
Locating an earthquake in an absolute sense can come with considerable uncertainty, but locating earthquakes relative to one another is far more accurate and can provide exciting insights into...
View ArticlePhones out and a toppled chimney? There’s much more to the story of the 1975...
Yellowstone gets rattled by plenty of small earthquakes—between 1,500 and 2,500 located events in a typical year—but large damaging earthquakes have occurred there, too. The largest one recorded within...
View ArticleOut with the old, in with the new: Upgrading satellite communication...
New satellite communication technology is being tested at Yellowstone monitoring stations and could have a big impact on how real-time data are collected and transmitted to YVO scientists.
View ArticleFor the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People: The Explorations that led to the...
Long before the boardwalks, hotels, and roads, Yellowstone stood on the edge of the American wilderness. Its discovery and exploration by Euro-Americans led to the founding of the world’s first...
View ArticleNew views of how magma is stored beneath Yellowstone provided by hundreds of...
Data from a major deployment of seismometers in 2020 is revealing new insights into the characteristics of the magma chamber beneath Yellowstone caldera, including how melt is distributed in the...
View ArticleSo, where are you from? Tracing thermal waters in the rivers of Yellowstone...
Scientists can determine the sources of hydrothermal fluids in park rivers by monitoring water chemistry. The result? A “budget” of which geyser basins release the most hydrothermal fluids.
View ArticleA deep dive into surficial geologic mapping
Geologic maps are a fundamental tool for earth scientists to assemble and communicate geologic information. Under the umbrella of geologic mapping are subcategories of maps that emphasize different...
View ArticleWhich is more hazardous to Yellowstone visitors, wildlife or hot springs?
Although it is a common assumption that animals cause numerous wounds and deaths in Yellowstone, hot springs actually account for more injuries and fatalities. And it isn’t close.
View ArticleUsing high-resolution commercial satellite images to help map and monitor...
Thanks to a newly funded project from NASA’s Commercial SmallSat Data Scientific Analysis Program, and an agreement with commercial satellite companies, YVO scientists can now delve more deeply into...
View ArticleMedia Alert: Low-Level Helicopter Flights to Image Geology Over Parts of...
Editor: In the public interest and in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the USGS is announcing this low-level airborne project. Your assistance in informing the local...
View ArticleIndigenous people were never “afraid” of Yellowstone
A long-told myth about Yellowstone is that indigenous people were “afraid” of the area owing to the geysers and thermal activity. But archeological evidence and oral histories and even an early map...
View ArticleUSGS study highlights potential of significant critical mineral resources in...
RESTON, Va.— Better recovery of critical minerals from unmined deposits, active mines, existing processing facilities, and legacy mine sites could potentially meet decades of demand, according to a...
View ArticleThe Big Buttes of the Eastern Snake River Plain
Big Southern Butte is one of the largest rhyolite domes in the world. Along with its neighboring siblings, it stands in sharp contrast to the sea of surrounding basalt on the Eastern Snake River Plain...
View ArticleSmallmouth bass mercury levels linked to habitat types along the Snake River
Mercury concentrations are twice as high in smallmouth bass found in reservoirs than those in the free-flowing sections of the Snake River in Idaho and Oregon, according to a joint U.S. Geological...
View ArticleNew Research Investigating Microplastics in Fish
Plastics are found everywhere, making their way into our waterways and oceans as litter or improper waste disposal. Microplastics-tiny plastics not easily seen by the naked eye-are suspected of posing...
View ArticleThe Yellowstone Volcano Observatory reviews 2023—the year that was!
Happy 2024! The start of the year means that it is time once again for our annual look back at geological activity and research that occurred in Yellowstone in 2023.
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