Top 5 Yellowstone geological stories of 2025 (Yellowstone monthly update - January 2026)

Happy New Year! Let's go back and take a look at the top five geologic stories for Yellowstone in 2025.

Number five: Rumors. It was a year of internet rumors, mostly related to animals fleeing the park, and none of which were true.

Number four: Hydrothermal activity. Yellowstone is an incredibly dynamic place, and 2025 was no different, with several new features forming and existing features reactivating.

Number three: Earthquakes and deformation. There were 1136 located earthquakes in the Yellowstone region in 2025, which is on the low end of average. But some interesting deformation started during the year.

Number two: Steamboat Geyser. There were only three eruptions of Steamboat Geyser, the world’s tallest active geyser, in 2025. In 2026, we will likely see the continuing decline of activity as this most recent active phase comes to an end.

Number one: Biscuit Basin. Sporadic eruptions from Black Diamond Pool continued throughout the year, many of which were captured by new monitoring equipment!

For questions, email yvowebteam@usgs.gov

Read Caldera Chronicles https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone/caldera-chronicles

Visit Yellowstone Volcano Observatory website https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone