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Yellowstone Volcano Observatory

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The map displays volcanoes, earthquakes, monitoring instruments, and past lava flows.

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To view an earthquake cross-sectional plot, click "Draw Plot" to start drawing on the map. Once the plot area is selected, click on "View Plot" to view chart or "Clear Plot" to start over.

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Current Updates and Notifications
Yellowstone
green NORMAL, 2025-09-02 20:08:33 UTC

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) is a consortium of nine state and federal agencies who provide timely monitoring and hazard assessment of volcanic, hydrothermal, and earthquake activity in the Yellowstone Plateau region. The USGS arm of YVO is also responsible for monitoring and reporting on volcanic activity in the intermountain west U.S. states.

Young Volcanoes in AZ, CO, MT, NM, UT and WY

High Threat Potential 1

Yellowstone

Moderate Threat Potential 1

Black Rock Desert Volcanic Field

Dotsero Volcanic Center

San Francisco Volcanic Field

Valles Caldera

Low to Very Low Threat Potential 1

Carrizozo Lava Flow

Markagunt Plateau Volcanic Field

Red Hill-Quemado Volcanic Field

Uinkaret Volcanic Field

Zuni-Bandera Volcanic Field



1. View the threat rankings of US Volcanoes. 

Yellowstone Monitoring Map

Image of Yellowstone Volcano monitoring map.

The monitoring map for Yellowstone has moved to the top of the volcano and volcano observatory home page. 

See Data

Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles

Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

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YVO Quick Links

News

Some like it hot! Studying thermophiles in Yellowstone National Park

Some like it hot! Studying thermophiles in Yellowstone National Park

How to Take a Volcano’s Temperature

How to Take a Volcano’s Temperature

Hydrothermal hats and visitor safety: Walking in the boots of the Yellowstone National Park Geology Team

Hydrothermal hats and visitor safety: Walking in the boots of the Yellowstone National Park Geology Team

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Publications

The first instrumentally detected hydrothermal explosion in Yellowstone National Park The first instrumentally detected hydrothermal explosion in Yellowstone National Park

Hydrothermal explosions are one of the geological hazards most likely to impact people in Yellowstone National Park, but their frequency is poorly known. Infrasound and seismic sensors identified an explosion in Norris Geyser Basin on 15 April 2024, at 14:56 MDT (20:56 UTC)—the first instrumentally detected hydrothermal explosion in the Yellowstone region. The event affected an area tens...
Authors
Michael Poland, Alexandra Iezzi, Jamie Farrell, R. Vaughan
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Astrogeology Science Center, Volcano Science Center, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory

Magmatic volatiles in the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field: The knowns, the unknowns, and the uncertainties Magmatic volatiles in the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field: The knowns, the unknowns, and the uncertainties

The Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field has a large magmatic system supplying heat and mass into the overlying hydrothermal system. To interpret changes in the composition and/or emission rates of hydrothermal fluids as possible indicators of volcanic unrest requires discriminating between magmatic, crustal, hydrothermal, and hybrid sources and processes. Significant progress in...
Authors
Shaul Hurwitz, Jacob Lowenstern
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory

Lithium from magma to mine in an early Yellowstone hotspot caldera Lithium from magma to mine in an early Yellowstone hotspot caldera

Renewable energy technologies rely on the extraction of metals not historically in high demand, such as lithium (Li), for which ore deposit models are incompletely understood. One of the world’s largest Li deposits is hosted in lake sediments of the 16.4 Ma McDermitt caldera, which formed during the early stages of Yellowstone hotspot volcanism in the western United States. Eruptive and...
Authors
Kathryn E. Watts
By
Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
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Multimedia

Hundreds of hats laid out for display with a truck in the background providing a sense of scale
Hats collected by the Yellowstone National Park Geology Program from sensitive thermal areas in 2025
Hats collected by the Yellowstone National Park Geology Program from sensitive thermal areas in 2025
Thumbnail image of a man with his arms in the air in a meadow with cliffs in the background Lava flows in Yellowstone! (Yellowstone Monthly Update September 2025)
Lava flows in Yellowstone! (Yellowstone Monthly Update September 2025)
Color photos of the summit of Mount Rainier with snow on the mountain and clouds below.
Aerial view of the summit of Mount Rainier taken during the gas flight.
Aerial view of the summit of Mount Rainier taken during the gas flight.
Thumbnail showing man in orange vest in front of a steaming geyser basin A year since the Biscuit explosion… are animals leaving the park? (Yellowstone Monthly Update August 2025)
A year since the Biscuit explosion… are animals leaving the park? (Yellowstone Monthly Update August 2025)
Woman in red vest standing on white terrace in front of reddish hot spring under blue sky. Mountains in the background.
Extracting wind-blown litter from a thermal feature in Yellowstone National ark
Extracting wind-blown litter from a thermal feature in Yellowstone National ark
Smiling woman standing on a boardwalk and holding an open pizza box. Scrubby ground and forested hill in background.
Removing trash from Geyser Hill, Yellowstone National Park
Removing trash from Geyser Hill, Yellowstone National Park
Woman in red vest fastens warning sign to wooden barrier. River, meadow, and forested hill in background.
Yellowstone National Park geology team installs safety signage near a hot spring
Yellowstone National Park geology team installs safety signage near a hot spring
person wearing safety vest and rubber bots and gloves at the edge of a colorful hot spring scraping a bacteria sample
Sampling thermophilic cyanobacteria from a hot spring in Yellowstone's Lower Geyser Basin
Sampling thermophilic cyanobacteria from a hot spring in Yellowstone's Lower Geyser Basin
Black gloved hand holding rock sample coated in green algae-like bacteria
Sample of thermophilic cyanobacteria collected from a hot spring in Yellowstone’s Lower Geyser Basin
Sample of thermophilic cyanobacteria collected from a hot spring in Yellowstone’s Lower Geyser Basin
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Young Volcanoes in AZ, CO, MT, NM, UT and WY

High Threat Potential 1

Yellowstone

Moderate Threat Potential 1

Black Rock Desert Volcanic Field

Dotsero Volcanic Center

San Francisco Volcanic Field

Valles Caldera

Low to Very Low Threat Potential 1

Carrizozo Lava Flow

Markagunt Plateau Volcanic Field

Red Hill-Quemado Volcanic Field

Uinkaret Volcanic Field

Zuni-Bandera Volcanic Field



1. View the threat rankings of US Volcanoes. 

Volcanoes Hazards Program Links

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