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Yellowstone Volcano Observatory

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Yellowstone
green NORMAL, 2026-07-01 17:49:31 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.

News

Yellowstone’s phantom, sometimes mythical, Howard Eaton Trail

Yellowstone’s phantom, sometimes mythical, Howard Eaton Trail

What do Yellowstone and the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup have in common? Heat maps!

What do Yellowstone and the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup have in common? Heat maps!

Oops, it did it again: Another small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin

Oops, it did it again: Another small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin

Publications

Seeing is believing: Livestream video monitoring of Hawaiian eruptions Seeing is believing: Livestream video monitoring of Hawaiian eruptions

Livestream video has become a crucial tool for volcano monitoring in recent years, building upon the use of webcam snapshots that have been common for the past two decades. In Hawaii, livestream video was first tested in 2018, and today, livestream video is a vital tool for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and partner agencies (National Park Service and Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense) as...
Authors
Matthew R. Patrick, Ken Hon, William Tollett, Thomas-Jon Kekoa Hiroaki Hoomanawanui, Katie Mulliken, Tim R. Orr, Michael P. Poland, Kevan Kamibayashi, S. Miki Warren, Seth Swaney, Edward F. Younger, Albert Kamakeʻeaina, Steven Fuke, R. Lopaka Lee, Michael H. Zoeller, Scott R Horvath

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 M. Iezzi, Jamie Farrell, R. Greg Vaughan

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 B. Lowenstern

Multimedia

satellite image with agricultural areas and highways and isolated patches of lava flows from recent eruptions in Idaho
Satellite image of the eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho, showing locations of recent volcanic eruptions
Satellite image of the eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho, showing locations of recent volcanic eruptions
Man in blue shirt holding hands up with a blue pool and spouting geyser in the background Man in blue shirt holding hands up with a blue pool and spouting geyser in the background
Another hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin (Yellowstone Monthly Update - June 2026)
blue pool in a barren area with a treed ridge in the background under blue sky and a small steam vent in the middle ground blue pool in a barren area with a treed ridge in the background under blue sky and a small steam vent in the middle ground
Water spouting on June 18, 2026, from a new thermal pool that formed shortly after a small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, on June 13, 2026
Aerial view with a muddy pool at the bottom and barren ground in the middle with blue polygons showing new vent locations
Locations of new features associated with June 13, 2026, small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Locations of new features associated with June 13, 2026, small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Circular pool of boiling water in a barren area strewn with rocks with a forested ridge in the distance under blue sky.
Pool of boiling water that formed via collapse a few days after the June 13, 2026, hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Pool of boiling water that formed via collapse a few days after the June 13, 2026, hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Barren, steaming ground with a water-filled crack trending away from the photographer
Northern-most water-filled fracture that formed on June 13, 2026, near Black Diamond Pool, Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Northern-most water-filled fracture that formed on June 13, 2026, near Black Diamond Pool, Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park
steaming blue pool in low-light dawn conditions with an explosive steam plume in the background steaming blue pool in low-light dawn conditions with an explosive steam plume in the background
Video of small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin on June 13, 2026
steaming blue pool in low-light dawn conditions with an explosive steam plume in the background
Screen capture showing onset of a small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, on June 13, 2026
Screen capture showing onset of a small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, on June 13, 2026
River with milky blue-green color mixing with normal dark blue, and some trees along the grassy banks under partly cloudy sky
Firehole River from Midway Geyser bridge on the morning of June 13, 2026
Firehole River from Midway Geyser bridge on the morning of June 13, 2026
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