Yellowstone Volcano Observatory

Today, we shed light on what makes up geyser cones.

Our search for eruption precursors focused on gas emissions at Steamboat Geyser. We made repeated measurements over time to look for sudden changes in gas emissions preceding a geyser eruption.

If there were an Olympic medal for hydrothermal systems, Norris Geyser Basin would bring home the gold.

What values do these road-less areas offer for science, for recreation, for wildlife? As public land owners, we all shape the future of the  Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and other wild landscapes.

Did you know that there are similar caldera systems spread across the globe? And many of these are far more volcanically active than Yellowstone!

The lack of any basalt in Yellowstone caldera—the existence of a magmatic "shadow"—is good evidence that the rhyolite magma chamber is still at least partially molten.

Images acquired using inexpensive cameras from airborne platforms can be used to monitor surface changes in thermal areas over a variety of spatial and temporal scales.

 Yellowstone National Park contains rock formations that span over half the Earth's 4.6-billion-year lifespan! 

Hydrothermal explosions are the most likely of Yellowstone's various volcanic hazards, and the potential for additional future explosions is not insignificant.

The U.S. Geological Survey produces seismic hazard maps for the United States and the 2018 nationwide long-term assessment shows that the Yellowstone region has some of the highest seismic hazard values in the Intermountain West.

Exploration and sampling of Yellowstone's thermal areas indicates that Yellowstone's hot springs often have surprisingly complex plumbing systems. It is not uncommon to find hot spring pools, which have one type of chemistry, and steam vents, which have totally different chemistry, located in close proximity—or even occupying the same space! Learn what happens when these mix or overlap.