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Caldera Chronicles

Caldera Chronicles is a weekly article written by U.S. Geological Survey Yellowstone Volcano Observatory scientists and colleagues.

Caldera Chronicles

Filter Total Items: 364
The Melting Roads of Yellowstone National Park

The Melting Roads of Yellowstone National Park

Perhaps you’ve heard the legend of the melting roads in Yellowstone National Park.  The rumor is based in truth but, as you might expect, badly...

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Water Released from Crystallizing Magma can Trigger Earthquakes in Yellowstone

Water Released from Crystallizing Magma can Trigger Earthquakes in Yellowstone

Many people assume that earthquakes at Yellowstone are due to magma and the region “heating up.” It turns out that most Yellowstone seismicity is...

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Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing at Yellowstone 101

Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing at Yellowstone 101

Thermal infrared images tell us how much thermal energy is being emitted from the Earth’s surface.  But how does this work, and how are these images...

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Humble yet significant: A case study of youthful faults on Yellowstone’s fringe

Humble yet significant: A case study of youthful faults on Yellowstone’s fringe

Surficial geologic mapping by the Wyoming State Geological Survey (WSGS) has shed light on geologically young faults in the Jackson Lake area, just...

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Mapping Mayhem: How to solve a Yellowstone puzzle with unknown pieces

Mapping Mayhem: How to solve a Yellowstone puzzle with unknown pieces

What goes into making a geologic map?  Follow along as geologists investigate a perplexing incongruity in adjoining geologic maps in the north part of...

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The mineral fingerprints of hydrothermal explosions from Yellowstone Lake

The mineral fingerprints of hydrothermal explosions from Yellowstone Lake

Sediment cores show that Yellowstone Lake has been a site of repeated hydrothermal explosions over the last 13,000 years. Clues hidden in that...

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Using modern tools to look at past earthquakes: How lidar data help to better understand the 1959 Hebgen Lake event

Using modern tools to look at past earthquakes: How lidar data help to better understand the 1959 Hebgen Lake event

The Hebgen Lake earthquake is the largest to have struck the Intermountain West region of the United States. High-resolution topographic data from...

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The Underloved Tuffs of Yellowstone

The Underloved Tuffs of Yellowstone

The thick ash deposits from past large Yellowstone explosive eruptions are well known, and can be seen throughout the region.  But there are also...

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The Flight of the Nez Perce

The Flight of the Nez Perce

Summer 2023 marks 146 years since the flight of the Nez Perce, when an indigenous tribe crossed Yellowstone in an attempt to reach Canada and during a...

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How hot are Yellowstone’s boiling waters? Some are hotter than others

How hot are Yellowstone’s boiling waters? Some are hotter than others

Yellowstone has numerous hot springs, but not all of them boil at the same temperature. This is because the boiling temperature depends on the...

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A plan for monitoring the Yellowstone Volcanic System

A plan for monitoring the Yellowstone Volcanic System

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory recently published a monitoring plan for better understanding and tracking earthquake, magmatic, and hydrothermal...

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Record Flooding in Yellowstone: What Did the Seismic Network Record?

Record Flooding in Yellowstone: What Did the Seismic Network Record?

You’ve probably heard about the record flooding that took place in Yellowstone on June 10–13, 2022, but did you ever think if the many seismometers in...

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How might the devastating June 2022 floods in and around Yellowstone National Park influence seismic and hydrothermal activity?

How might the devastating June 2022 floods in and around Yellowstone National Park influence seismic and hydrothermal activity?

Last week, flooding at Yellowstone caused catastrophic damage in the region, destroying homes, roads, and bridges, and isolating entire communities...

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The Dynamic Floor of Yellowstone Lake over the Past 14,000 Years

The Dynamic Floor of Yellowstone Lake over the Past 14,000 Years

Studies of sediment on the floor of Yellowstone Lake reveal a dynamic history marked by some of the largest-known hydrothermal explosions on Earth...

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The underappreciated fossil riches of Yellowstone

The underappreciated fossil riches of Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park is known for its impressive thermal features and abundant wildlife, including bears, wolves, and bison. But did you know the...

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Honing our skills: YVO scientists refine their strategy for responding to geological events

Honing our skills: YVO scientists refine their strategy for responding to geological events

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory consortium recently held its first in-person meeting in 4 years.  The workshop provided a chance not only to...

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"Parkitecture” in Yellowstone

"Parkitecture” in Yellowstone

Visitors to many National Parks in the USA notice and enjoy the iconic buildings made with local materials. These structures are so unique that the...

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A new season of geoscience field work in Yellowstone!

A new season of geoscience field work in Yellowstone!

May means the start of geological field work in Yellowstone, and the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory has a lot planned for 2022!

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A Geological Excursion between Tower and Canyon Junctions in Yellowstone National Park

A Geological Excursion between Tower and Canyon Junctions in Yellowstone National Park

For the first time in two years, Yellowstone National Park visitors will be able to drive from Tower to Canyon Junctions across Dunraven Pass, now...

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The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2021 annual report—available at a website near you!

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2021 annual report—available at a website near you!

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2021 annual report has been published!  Your one-stop shop for the year that was in Yellowstone geological...

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A 10,000-year history of geo-ecological change in Lower Geyser Basin

A 10,000-year history of geo-ecological change in Lower Geyser Basin

Today, Lower Geyser Basin in Yellowstone is a treeless plain characterized by steaming ground, geysers, and mudpots. But thousands of years ago, it...

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