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Images related to Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

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animated gif of satellite images showing development of a small hydrothermal pool between October 2024 and February 2025
Animated GIF of the development of a new hydrothermal feature during late 2024 to early 2024, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Animated GIF of the development of a new hydrothermal feature during late 2024 to early 2024, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Animated GIF of the development of a new hydrothermal feature during late 2024 to early 2024, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Animated GIF of high-resolution satellite images of the Porcelain Basin area of Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, showing the development of a new thermal pool in the circled area.  There is no indication of the pool in images from October 19 and December 19, 2024.  A small depression is visible in the January 6, 2025, image.  In the Feb

Satellite images that depict lessening snow over time in the Yellowstone region during May to June 2025
Landsat images of snow cover in Yellowstone during May-June 2025
Landsat images of snow cover in Yellowstone during May-June 2025
Landsat images of snow cover in Yellowstone during May-June 2025

Landsat 8 and 9 images of southwest Yellowstone National Park from 9-May (left), 25-May (center), and 18-June (right), 2025. The red labels are for the Madison (MP) and Pitchstone Plateaus (PP). The Yellow labels are for Shoshone (SL), Lewis (LL), Heart Lake, and Yellowstone (YL) Lakes. The Blue labels are for Lower (LGB) and Upper (UGB) Geyser Basins.

Landsat 8 and 9 images of southwest Yellowstone National Park from 9-May (left), 25-May (center), and 18-June (right), 2025. The red labels are for the Madison (MP) and Pitchstone Plateaus (PP). The Yellow labels are for Shoshone (SL), Lewis (LL), Heart Lake, and Yellowstone (YL) Lakes. The Blue labels are for Lower (LGB) and Upper (UGB) Geyser Basins.

Temperature graph with spike and subsequent drop on May 31, 2025, due to Black Diamond Pool eruption
Temperature record from Black Diamond Pool runoff channel on May 31, 2025
Temperature record from Black Diamond Pool runoff channel on May 31, 2025
Temperature record from Black Diamond Pool runoff channel on May 31, 2025

Water temperature in a runoff channel of Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, measured on May 31, 2025.  The spike and subsequent drop over the span of about four minutes, followed by the low temperature recorded over about the following hour, is due to a small eruption that occurred from the pool at 8:39 p.m. that day.

Water temperature in a runoff channel of Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, measured on May 31, 2025.  The spike and subsequent drop over the span of about four minutes, followed by the low temperature recorded over about the following hour, is due to a small eruption that occurred from the pool at 8:39 p.m. that day.

At sunset a small plume of muddy water erupts from an otherwise placid, steaming pool surrounded by barren rocky ground
Eruption from Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, captured by a webcam on May 31, 2025
Eruption from Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, captured by a webcam on May 31, 2025
Eruption from Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, captured by a webcam on May 31, 2025

This frame capture of a video from a webcam shows a small eruption emanating from Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin, a subbasin of Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park, on May 31, 2025.  This was the site of a hydrothermal explosion on July 23, 2024.

Webcam view of a steaming and murky pool surrounded by barren ground with rocky cliffs in the distance.
Biscuit Basin webcam view
Biscuit Basin webcam view
Biscuit Basin webcam view

Image from the webcam installed at Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park.  The view is of Black Diamond Pool, where a hydrothermal explosion occurred on July 23, 2024 (many of the rocks behind and to the right of the pool were deposited during that event).  The background cliff is the Summit Lake rhyolite lava flow, which is about 111,000 years old.&n

Image from the webcam installed at Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park.  The view is of Black Diamond Pool, where a hydrothermal explosion occurred on July 23, 2024 (many of the rocks behind and to the right of the pool were deposited during that event).  The background cliff is the Summit Lake rhyolite lava flow, which is about 111,000 years old.&n

Webcam on a mast attached to a battery box on a boardwalk overlooking a murky and steaming pool
Biscuit Basin webcam temporary deployment
Biscuit Basin webcam temporary deployment
Biscuit Basin webcam temporary deployment

Temporary webcam deployed on the boardwalk in Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park.  The pan/tilt/zoom camera provides a static view every 15 minutes and records video on site for later download as needed.  Black Diamond Pool, site of a hydrothermal explosion on July 23, 2024, is in the background.  This work was completed under Yellowstone Nation

Temporary webcam deployed on the boardwalk in Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park.  The pan/tilt/zoom camera provides a static view every 15 minutes and records video on site for later download as needed.  Black Diamond Pool, site of a hydrothermal explosion on July 23, 2024, is in the background.  This work was completed under Yellowstone Nation

barren chalky ground with a milky-blue pool in the middle and a small hill with scrub vegetation in the background
New hydrothermal feature near "Tree Island" in Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
New hydrothermal feature near "Tree Island" in Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
New hydrothermal feature near "Tree Island" in Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

View looking northwest at a new thermal pool in the Porcelain Basin area of Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, that probably formed in a series of mildly explosive events between late December 2024 and early February 2025.  The rocks and white material (silica mud) surrounding the pool were probably ejected as the feature formed.  The pool is

View looking northwest at a new thermal pool in the Porcelain Basin area of Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, that probably formed in a series of mildly explosive events between late December 2024 and early February 2025.  The rocks and white material (silica mud) surrounding the pool were probably ejected as the feature formed.  The pool is

This is a graph showing earthquake magnitudes and equivalent energy release.
Graph showing earthquake magnitudes and equivalent energy release
Graph showing earthquake magnitudes and equivalent energy release
Graph showing earthquake magnitudes and equivalent energy release

Graph showing the average annual occurrence and equivalent energy release for earthquakes of different magnitudes. Plot is from the EarthScope Consortium (https://www.iris.edu/hq/inclass/fact-sheet/how_often_do_earthquakes_occ…).

Plot showing acoustic signals over time
May 3, 2025, bolide acoustic signal recorded by infrasound station in Yellowstone National Park
May 3, 2025, bolide acoustic signal recorded by infrasound station in Yellowstone National Park
May 3, 2025, bolide acoustic signal recorded by infrasound station in Yellowstone National Park

Infrasound recorded on May 3, 2025, at 9:33 p.m. MDT.  This image is the thumbnail for a video posted on the USGS Yellowstone Volcano Observatory website. 

Two woman point out a pit in snowy landscape with equipment in the pit. Sparse trees and blue sky in background.
Digging through the snow to install a semi-permanent GPS site in Yellowstone National Park
Digging through the snow to install a semi-permanent GPS site in Yellowstone National Park
Digging through the snow to install a semi-permanent GPS site in Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park Geology Program team members Samantha Hilburn (left) and Margery Price (right), both Physical Science Technicians, pose with a snow pit dug near Lewis Canyon for installation of a semi-permanent GPS site, installed in collaboration with USGS scientists. USGS photo by Dan Dzurisin, May 2025.

Yellowstone National Park Geology Program team members Samantha Hilburn (left) and Margery Price (right), both Physical Science Technicians, pose with a snow pit dug near Lewis Canyon for installation of a semi-permanent GPS site, installed in collaboration with USGS scientists. USGS photo by Dan Dzurisin, May 2025.

Map of Yellowstone thermal areas with insets showing high-resolution satellite views of selected regions
Map of Yellowstone thermal areas with insets showing high-resolution satellite views of selected regions
Map of Yellowstone thermal areas with insets showing high-resolution satellite views of selected regions
Map of Yellowstone thermal areas with insets showing high-resolution satellite views of selected regions

Map of Yellowstone’s thermal areas. Inset commercial satellite images highlight thermal areas that are mentioned below: Sulphur Hills (©2022, Maxar, USG), Turbid Lake (©2022, Maxar, USG), and Lower Geyser Basin (©2015, Maxar, USG).  This work utilized data made available through the NASA Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition Program.  We acknowledge th

Map of Yellowstone’s thermal areas. Inset commercial satellite images highlight thermal areas that are mentioned below: Sulphur Hills (©2022, Maxar, USG), Turbid Lake (©2022, Maxar, USG), and Lower Geyser Basin (©2015, Maxar, USG).  This work utilized data made available through the NASA Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition Program.  We acknowledge th

Colored plots showing seismic reflections at the top of the Yellowstone magma chamber, and a cartoon explanation.
Seismic reflections from the top of the magma reservoir beneath Yellowstone Caldera
Seismic reflections from the top of the magma reservoir beneath Yellowstone Caldera
Seismic reflections from the top of the magma reservoir beneath Yellowstone Caldera

Seismic reflection data showing the top of the magma reservoir beneath Yellowstone Caldera along a cross section that runs from Canyon Village in the northwest (X) to near Lake Butte in the southeast (X`).  The top panel shows seismic P-wave (compressional wave) reflectivity, with evidence for the sharp reservoir top labeled.

Seismic reflection data showing the top of the magma reservoir beneath Yellowstone Caldera along a cross section that runs from Canyon Village in the northwest (X) to near Lake Butte in the southeast (X`).  The top panel shows seismic P-wave (compressional wave) reflectivity, with evidence for the sharp reservoir top labeled.

Color map showing eruption extent
March 10, 2025—Kīlauea summit eruption reference map
March 10, 2025—Kīlauea summit eruption reference map
March 10, 2025—Kīlauea summit eruption reference map

This reference map depicts the Kīlauea summit eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater that began on December 23, 2024. As of this posting on March 10, the eruption has had twelve episodes, with a thirteenth likely to occur the next 24 hours.

This reference map depicts the Kīlauea summit eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater that began on December 23, 2024. As of this posting on March 10, the eruption has had twelve episodes, with a thirteenth likely to occur the next 24 hours.

Graphic depicting melt embayment in quartz crystal, and how H2O compositions change within the embayment
Melt embayments and diffusion profiles to determine magma ascent rate
Melt embayments and diffusion profiles to determine magma ascent rate
Melt embayments and diffusion profiles to determine magma ascent rate

Quartz crystals (A) often contain melt embayments (tubular melt-filled pockets burrowed into the side of volcanic crystals) (B), which preserve volatiles (water, carbon dioxide, and sulfur) that have different concentrations in different parts of the embayment (C).

Quartz crystals (A) often contain melt embayments (tubular melt-filled pockets burrowed into the side of volcanic crystals) (B), which preserve volatiles (water, carbon dioxide, and sulfur) that have different concentrations in different parts of the embayment (C).

Simplified schematic of a volcanic plume
Simplified schematic of a volcanic plume
Simplified schematic of a volcanic plume
Simplified schematic of a volcanic plume

Simplified schematic of a volcanic plume ejecting ash, crystals and fragments of rock from a vent. This rising plume will eventually hit a zone of neutral buoyancy in the atmosphere, where it is then carried by the wind. Material is ejected from both the upward moving jet and falls from the umbrellaing plume.

Simplified schematic of a volcanic plume ejecting ash, crystals and fragments of rock from a vent. This rising plume will eventually hit a zone of neutral buoyancy in the atmosphere, where it is then carried by the wind. Material is ejected from both the upward moving jet and falls from the umbrellaing plume.

Map of Roadside Springs thermal area, Yellowstone National Park
Map of Roadside Springs thermal area, Yellowstone National Park
Map of Roadside Springs thermal area, Yellowstone National Park
Map of Roadside Springs thermal area, Yellowstone National Park

Map showing the Roadside Springs thermal area, located just north of Nymph Lake along the Norris-Mammoth highway.  Hydrothermal ground is shaded purple.  New hydrothermal features formed in 2003 on the north side of Nymph Lake, and also in 2024 a bit further north from the lake.  Figure by Jefferson Hungerford, Yellowstone National Park.

Map showing the Roadside Springs thermal area, located just north of Nymph Lake along the Norris-Mammoth highway.  Hydrothermal ground is shaded purple.  New hydrothermal features formed in 2003 on the north side of Nymph Lake, and also in 2024 a bit further north from the lake.  Figure by Jefferson Hungerford, Yellowstone National Park.

Aerial view of a thermal area, with forest, lakes/ponds, and barren ground
Aerial view of Roadside Springs thermal area, Yellowstone National Park
Aerial view of Roadside Springs thermal area, Yellowstone National Park
Aerial view of Roadside Springs thermal area, Yellowstone National Park

Aerial view looking to the west at the Roadside Springs hydrothermal area and Nymph Lake showing the locations of thermal features that formed in 2003 and 2024.  Yellow line marks the Mammoth-Norris highway.   Figure by Jefferson Hungerford, Yellowstone National Park.

Aerial view looking to the west at the Roadside Springs hydrothermal area and Nymph Lake showing the locations of thermal features that formed in 2003 and 2024.  Yellow line marks the Mammoth-Norris highway.   Figure by Jefferson Hungerford, Yellowstone National Park.

Plot showing speeds of various animals and sprinters compared to magma ascent rates at different volcanoes
Range of speeds for several animals, athletes, and magmas from various volcanic eruptions.
Range of speeds for several animals, athletes, and magmas from various volcanic eruptions.
Range of speeds for several animals, athletes, and magmas from various volcanic eruptions.

Range of speeds for several animals, athletes, and magmas from various volcanic eruptions. Eruptions shown include the 25,400-year-old Oruanui eruption of Taupo (New Zealand), the 2.08-million-year-old Huckleberry Ridge Tuff of Yellowstone (USA), and the 767,000-year-old Bishop Tuff of Long Valley (USA). Magma ascent rates determined by Myers et al. (2018).

Range of speeds for several animals, athletes, and magmas from various volcanic eruptions. Eruptions shown include the 25,400-year-old Oruanui eruption of Taupo (New Zealand), the 2.08-million-year-old Huckleberry Ridge Tuff of Yellowstone (USA), and the 767,000-year-old Bishop Tuff of Long Valley (USA). Magma ascent rates determined by Myers et al. (2018).

Map of the Northwestern United States showing major volcanic features associated with the Yellowstone mantle plume
Map of the Northwestern United States showing major volcanic features associated with the Yellowstone mantle plume
Map of the Northwestern United States showing major volcanic features associated with the Yellowstone mantle plume
Map of the Northwestern United States showing major volcanic features associated with the Yellowstone mantle plume

Map of the Northwestern United States showing major volcanic features associated with the mantle plume currently underneath Yellowstone caldera.  Colors indicate general basaltic (blues) versus rhyolitic (reds) compositions, with shades indicating age (darker shades are older).  Rough outlines of calderas that formed due to the Yellowstone hotspot are give

Map of the Northwestern United States showing major volcanic features associated with the mantle plume currently underneath Yellowstone caldera.  Colors indicate general basaltic (blues) versus rhyolitic (reds) compositions, with shades indicating age (darker shades are older).  Rough outlines of calderas that formed due to the Yellowstone hotspot are give

Map showing the geologic domains of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in differing colors
Geologic domains of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Geologic domains of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Geologic domains of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Map of the geologic domains of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). Boundaries are approximate.

Schematic showing magma storage beneath Yellowstone caldera as colored shapes
Schematic showing magma storage beneath Yellowstone caldera based on magnetotelluric data
Schematic showing magma storage beneath Yellowstone caldera based on magnetotelluric data
Schematic showing magma storage beneath Yellowstone caldera based on magnetotelluric data

Schematic showing magma storage beneath Yellowstone caldera. Nested calderas resulting from the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff, Mesa Falls Tuff, and Lava Creek Tuff caldera forming eruptions are shown as solid black, green, and orange lines, respectively.

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