Images

Landsat 8 nighttime thermal infrared image of Yellowstone National Park from January 31, 2023. Satellite-based thermal infrared data show areas on the surface that are warmer versus cooler, and they can be used to estimate surface temperature and the geothermal radiative heat output from the Yellowstone magmatic and hydrothermal system.

Geology of the unconformity on Mount Everts in Yellowstone National Park.  Sketch at the top was made by geologist William Henry Holmes in 1878 and correctly identifies Cretaceous sediments overlain by much younger rhyolite rocks, including fine ash deposits (“tufa”).  The photo at the bottom shows the same outcrop as viewed from Mammoth Hot Springs (USGS

An example of the repeating seiche—a long-period oscillatory wave that can be present on a lake—measured over the course of a day by the lake-level sensor at the Grant Village boat dock on the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake. The plot shows a cyclic variation of about 2 centimeters that occurs numerous times during June 13, 2021.

Pie diagram showing the chloride flux, in kilotons per year (kt/yr), measured in 2022, with percentages for the four major rivers (Madison, Yellowstone, Snake, and Falls rivers) that drain Yellowstone National Park. Figure developed by Baine McCleskey.

SP Crater (right foreground), like many volcanoes in Arizona’s San Francisco volcanic field, erupted mafic lava that lacks sanidine crystals.

Map of Yellowstone National Park lakes, rivers, and streams, with colors indicating the amount of arsenic in the water.  The Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) defined by the Environmental Protection Agency for arsenic in drinking water is 10 micrograms per liter (µg/L).  In the vicinity of major geyser basins, especially on the Firehole and Madison Rivers, a

Images of an unnamed thermal feature in the Three River Junction thermal area in southwest Yellowstone National Park. A, WorldView-3 satellite image from September 2014. B, National Park Service (NPS) aerial photograph from 2017. Images A and B were acquired before the feature went largely dry in late 2019 or 2020. C, WorldView-3 satellite image from June 2020.

Map of seismicity (red circles) in the Yellowstone region during 2022. Gray lines are roads, black dashed line shows the caldera boundary, Yellowstone National Park is outlined by black dot-dashed line, and gray dashed lines denote state boundaries.

3D rendering of the shear-wave-speed anomaly (ɗVS) below Yellowstone. Regions of strongly reduced shear-wave speed most likely indicate volumes of partially molten crust. Iso-surfaces (surfaces of constant ɗVS) are shown in increments of 5%.

Seismic data coverage of the Yellowstone region and example of seismic noise records. By cross-correlating signals of the background noise recorded at two seismic stations and stacking the signals over many days, useful seismic waveforms can be extracted.

Google Earth image of the north part of Lower Geyser Basin showing the site of the Fountain Hotel and nearby Leather Pool, which was tapped to provide a source of hot water for the hotel.

Graph showing the discharge (blue) and specific conductance (black) measured at the Gardner River monitoring station in Yellowstone National Park during the June 10–13, 2022, flood.

Map of southern Idaho and the Snake River Plain, showing the eastern (ESRP) and western (WSRP) parts of the geologic province. Map by Zach Lifton, Idaho Geological Survey.

Document certifying The Yellowstone Volcanic and Hydrothermal System, USA, as one of the first 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites as declared during the 60th anniversary IUGS meeting held in Zumaia, Spain in October 2022.

Jamie Farrell presents Yellowstone as one of the first 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites during the 60^th anniversary IUGS meeting in Zumaia, Spain in October, 2022.  Photo by Marjorie Chan.

A USGS scientists uses a hammer and chisel to collect a sample from the surface of a basalt boulder in the San Francisco Volcanic Field of northern Arizona.  The age of the sample will be determined using a technique called cosmogenic surface exposure dating, which determines how long the rock has been exposed to cosmic rays at the surface of the Earth.

Interferogram created from data collected on September 29, 2021, and October 6, 2022, by the Sentinel-1 satellite system. Colored fringes indicate a change in distance (called range change) between the satellite and ground surface that is caused by surface deformation.

Atmospheric water vapor and river level measured during June 2022 in the northeast part of Yellowstone National Park. Gray line is the level of the Lamar River. Blue line is the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere above GPS station P720.

Multi-GAS station installed in the Mud Volcano area of Yellowstone National Park under permit YELL-2022-SCI-7082.  The station was situated on stable, cool ground away from the edge of thermal features to ensure no impact to the features.

A cutbank exposure near West DuNoir Creek, Wyoming, illustrates the differences between bedrock and surficial geologic mapping. On bedrock maps this location is mapped as the Eocene (55–34 million years old) Indian Meadows Formation, which corresponds to the bedrock visible in the stream bed.

Photo of a newly eroded cliff along the Gardner River, Yellowstone National Park, showing the unconsolidated layers of sandstone and gravel. USGS photo by David Roth, September 5, 2022.