Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
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When the glaciers retreated from Yellowstone, the hydrothermal system lit up
If you could travel to Yellowstone 20,000 years ago, what would you see? Erupting geysers? Scenic thermal springs? Herds of bison and elk? No! In fact, you would see an ice sheet that was thousands of feet thick!
A window into Yellowstone's interior, part II: The Yellowstone crust-mantle volcanic system
Yellowstone is one of the most dynamic places on Earth, with active volcanism, seismic swarms, strong earthquakes, episodic ground deformation of up to nearly 20 cm/yr (8 in/yr), and extraordinarily high heat flux that is greater than 40 times the continental average (in places it is up to 2000 times average!).
A window into Yellowstone's interior, part I: How Yellowstone shapes the western USA
In 1922, Dr. Thomas Jaggar, MIT professor and founder of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, took a horse-pack trip through Yellowstone. After the journey, Jaggar stated: "Anyone who has spent summers with pack-train in a place like Yellowstone comes to know the land to be leaping. ... The mountains are falling all the time and by millions of tons. Something underground is shoving them up."
Feeling perturbed: Seasonal disturbances of Yellowstone's hydrothermal systems
Yellowstone National Park's Norris Geyser Basin is a hydrothermal basin full of geysers and ...
The Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology studies water and seismicity in the Yellowstone area
As you know the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) is more than just one agency—it's a consortium of institutions that collaborate to monitor and better understand Yellowstone. Included as part of YVO are the state geological surveys of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho—the three states in which Yellowstone is located.
YVO – not just Yellowstone! Meet the volcanoes of the American Southwest!
The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) is aptly named – the consortium of 8 organizations collaborates to study and monitor the active geologic processes and hazards of the Yellowstone Plateau. However, that's not all we do.
The Steamboat Geyser Eruption of June 4, 2018: A personal perspective
Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week's contribution is from...
Yellowstone's active hydrothermal system - What's with the hot water?
Steamboat Geyser in Norris Geyser Basin has been measured as the World's tallest geyser (70-120 meters; 230-294 feet).
Leveling surveys and the discovery of uplift at Yellowstone
Today, YVO scientists monitor ground deformation at Yellowstone using the Global Positioning System (GPS) and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR). Both techniques rely on signals from Earth-orbiting satellites. But how did scientists study deformation in the "old days" (meaning, prior to...
Way to go, Idaho…Geological Survey!
As you know, the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory is made up of 8 separate agencies that work together to monitor and understand the Yellowstone volcanic system. These agencies include the state geological surveys of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho.
Steamboat Counter
Steamboat Geyser, in the Norris Geyser Basin, appears to have entered a phase of more frequent water eruptions, much like it did in the 1960s and early 1980s. Although these eruptions do not have any implications for future volcanic activity at Yellowstone (after all, geysers are supposed to erupt, and most are erratic, like Steamboat), they are nonetheless spectacular.
The inside scoop on the 2018 YVO science meeting
As you know from past issues of Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles, the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) is made up of several different agencies.