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Mike Poland is a research geophysicist with the Cascades Volcano Observatory and the current Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.
Mike's area of specialization is volcano geodesy, which emphasizes the surface deformation and gravity fields associated with volcanic activity. This work involves the use of space-based technologies, like Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), as well as ground-based techniques, like microgravity surveys. Mike has taken part in studies on a variety of volcanic systems in the United States, including Mount St. Helens and other volcanoes of the Pacific Northwest, Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes in Hawaii, and the Yellowstone caldera. His recent work has focused on using gravity change over time to understand the character of the fluids that drive volcanic unrest, and also on the potential of satellite data to improve forecasts of future changes in volcanic activity.
Temperature record from Echinus Geyser outflow channel for February 6, 2026, at 8 p.m. MST to February 7, 2026, at 8 a.m. MST. The plot shows initial baseline temperatures, then two spikes to 50 °C representing water surges, then an eruption marked by a spike to 70 °C followed by a lull to 10 °C, and finally a return to baseline.
Temperature record from Echinus Geyser outflow channel for February 6, 2026, at 8 p.m. MST to February 7, 2026, at 8 a.m. MST. The plot shows initial baseline temperatures, then two spikes to 50 °C representing water surges, then an eruption marked by a spike to 70 °C followed by a lull to 10 °C, and finally a return to baseline.
Meet a friend of ours. This friend has been monitoring changes of the ground surface in Yellowstone for decades and is so good that it can detect movement of just a few millimeters in magnitude (just a fraction of an inch). The friend? A continuous GPS station!
Meet a friend of ours. This friend has been monitoring changes of the ground surface in Yellowstone for decades and is so good that it can detect movement of just a few millimeters in magnitude (just a fraction of an inch). The friend? A continuous GPS station!
Map of horizontal velocities between July and December 2025 at Global Positioning System (GPS) stations P711 and NRWY (arrows and yellow circles; arrow length gives displacement rate) in the area between Norris Geyser Basin and Madison Junction. Dashed black line indicates boundary of Yellowstone Caldera and gray lines are roads.
Map of horizontal velocities between July and December 2025 at Global Positioning System (GPS) stations P711 and NRWY (arrows and yellow circles; arrow length gives displacement rate) in the area between Norris Geyser Basin and Madison Junction. Dashed black line indicates boundary of Yellowstone Caldera and gray lines are roads.
Happy New Year! Let's go back and take a look at the top five geologic stories for Yellowstone in 2025.
Number five: Rumors. It was a year of internet rumors, mostly related to animals fleeing the park, and none of which were true.
Happy New Year! Let's go back and take a look at the top five geologic stories for Yellowstone in 2025.
Number five: Rumors. It was a year of internet rumors, mostly related to animals fleeing the park, and none of which were true.
Plot of numbers of earthquakes per day in the immediate vicinity of the Norris Uplift Anomaly during 2024-2025. An increase in the rate of seismicity occurred in September-December 2025, especially in November. The largest earthquake during that time was M2.7.
Plot of numbers of earthquakes per day in the immediate vicinity of the Norris Uplift Anomaly during 2024-2025. An increase in the rate of seismicity occurred in September-December 2025, especially in November. The largest earthquake during that time was M2.7.
Map of horizontal velocities between July and December 2025 at Global Positioning System (GPS) stations P711 and NRWY (arrows and yellow circles) in the area between Norris Geyser Basin and Madison Junction. Dashed red line indicates boundary of Yellowstone Caldera and gray lines are roads.
Map of horizontal velocities between July and December 2025 at Global Positioning System (GPS) stations P711 and NRWY (arrows and yellow circles) in the area between Norris Geyser Basin and Madison Junction. Dashed red line indicates boundary of Yellowstone Caldera and gray lines are roads.
Map of seismicity (red circles) in the Yellowstone region during 2025. 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.
Map of seismicity (red circles) in the Yellowstone region during 2025. 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.
Just last week, Kīlauea put on another dramatic display of lava fountaining and flows within the caldera, during its 37th episode of this most recent eruption. It doesn't seem like Hawaii and Yellowstone have a lot in common, but actually, those two magmatic systems have a common cause.
Just last week, Kīlauea put on another dramatic display of lava fountaining and flows within the caldera, during its 37th episode of this most recent eruption. It doesn't seem like Hawaii and Yellowstone have a lot in common, but actually, those two magmatic systems have a common cause.
Interferogram created from satellite radar data collected on October 7, 2024, and October 2, 2025, over the Yellowstone region 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 during the time spanned.
Interferogram created from satellite radar data collected on October 7, 2024, and October 2, 2025, over the Yellowstone region 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 during the time spanned.
The Yellowstone caldera is vast – 45 miles across by 30 miles wide. You could fit over 60 islands of Manhattan in this area. There are deep canyons, like the one on the Yellowstone River, that reveal a complex geologic history. And, forested landscapes and features remind us that this special place is ever-changing.
The Yellowstone caldera is vast – 45 miles across by 30 miles wide. You could fit over 60 islands of Manhattan in this area. There are deep canyons, like the one on the Yellowstone River, that reveal a complex geologic history. And, forested landscapes and features remind us that this special place is ever-changing.
EarthScope engineers Brendan Hodge (left) and Lia Lajoie (right) perform upgrades at the WLWY (White Lake) continuous GPS station in Yellowstone National Park. The white box contains the receiver, while the barrel on the ground contains batteries. The tower holds the solar panels, as well as a cellular modem and meteorological sensors that were recently
EarthScope engineers Brendan Hodge (left) and Lia Lajoie (right) perform upgrades at the WLWY (White Lake) continuous GPS station in Yellowstone National Park. The white box contains the receiver, while the barrel on the ground contains batteries. The tower holds the solar panels, as well as a cellular modem and meteorological sensors that were recently
Picture a Yellowstone eruption. What comes to mind? It’s a huge explosion, right? Like the one that formed the caldera about 631,000 years ago. But the most common form of eruption in Yellowstone isn’t a huge explosion, it’s a lava flow.
Picture a Yellowstone eruption. What comes to mind? It’s a huge explosion, right? Like the one that formed the caldera about 631,000 years ago. But the most common form of eruption in Yellowstone isn’t a huge explosion, it’s a lava flow.
Just over one year ago, early morning visitors to Yellowstone’s Black Diamond Pool suddenly found themselves filming a spectacular event. The July 23, 2024 hydrothermal explosion threw material hundreds of feet high, including rocks that were a foot or more across.
Just over one year ago, early morning visitors to Yellowstone’s Black Diamond Pool suddenly found themselves filming a spectacular event. The July 23, 2024 hydrothermal explosion threw material hundreds of feet high, including rocks that were a foot or more across.
Imperial Geyser in eruption. The geyser, which apparently formed in 1927, is located in Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park.
Imperial Geyser in eruption. The geyser, which apparently formed in 1927, is located in Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park.
Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the US, and one of the largest in the world. The boiling lake was named for the spectacular array of colors along its rim.
Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the US, and one of the largest in the world. The boiling lake was named for the spectacular array of colors along its rim.
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
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
Lidar shaded relief map of the Porcelain Basin and Back Basin areas of Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park. Orange star indicates the location of a new thermal pool that formed sometime during late December 2024 to early February 2025.
Lidar shaded relief map of the Porcelain Basin and Back Basin areas of Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park. Orange star indicates the location of a new thermal pool that formed sometime during late December 2024 to early February 2025.
There’s a lot of hot water in Yellowstone. What’s it heated by? The magma chamber beneath the surface, of course!
There’s a lot of hot water in Yellowstone. What’s it heated by? The magma chamber beneath the surface, of course!
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.
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.
This video, recorded by a webcam, shows a small eruption from Black Diamond Pool in the Biscuit Basin subbasin of Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, at 8:39 p.m. MDT on May 31, 2025. The pool was the site of a hydrothermal explosion on July 23, 2024.
This video, recorded by a webcam, shows a small eruption from Black Diamond Pool in the Biscuit Basin subbasin of Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, at 8:39 p.m. MDT on May 31, 2025. The pool was the site of a hydrothermal explosion on July 23, 2024.
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
Temperature record from Echinus Geyser outflow channel for February 6, 2026, at 8 p.m. MST to February 7, 2026, at 8 a.m. MST. The plot shows initial baseline temperatures, then two spikes to 50 °C representing water surges, then an eruption marked by a spike to 70 °C followed by a lull to 10 °C, and finally a return to baseline.
Temperature record from Echinus Geyser outflow channel for February 6, 2026, at 8 p.m. MST to February 7, 2026, at 8 a.m. MST. The plot shows initial baseline temperatures, then two spikes to 50 °C representing water surges, then an eruption marked by a spike to 70 °C followed by a lull to 10 °C, and finally a return to baseline.
Meet a friend of ours. This friend has been monitoring changes of the ground surface in Yellowstone for decades and is so good that it can detect movement of just a few millimeters in magnitude (just a fraction of an inch). The friend? A continuous GPS station!
Meet a friend of ours. This friend has been monitoring changes of the ground surface in Yellowstone for decades and is so good that it can detect movement of just a few millimeters in magnitude (just a fraction of an inch). The friend? A continuous GPS station!
Map of horizontal velocities between July and December 2025 at Global Positioning System (GPS) stations P711 and NRWY (arrows and yellow circles; arrow length gives displacement rate) in the area between Norris Geyser Basin and Madison Junction. Dashed black line indicates boundary of Yellowstone Caldera and gray lines are roads.
Map of horizontal velocities between July and December 2025 at Global Positioning System (GPS) stations P711 and NRWY (arrows and yellow circles; arrow length gives displacement rate) in the area between Norris Geyser Basin and Madison Junction. Dashed black line indicates boundary of Yellowstone Caldera and gray lines are roads.
Happy New Year! Let's go back and take a look at the top five geologic stories for Yellowstone in 2025.
Number five: Rumors. It was a year of internet rumors, mostly related to animals fleeing the park, and none of which were true.
Happy New Year! Let's go back and take a look at the top five geologic stories for Yellowstone in 2025.
Number five: Rumors. It was a year of internet rumors, mostly related to animals fleeing the park, and none of which were true.
Plot of numbers of earthquakes per day in the immediate vicinity of the Norris Uplift Anomaly during 2024-2025. An increase in the rate of seismicity occurred in September-December 2025, especially in November. The largest earthquake during that time was M2.7.
Plot of numbers of earthquakes per day in the immediate vicinity of the Norris Uplift Anomaly during 2024-2025. An increase in the rate of seismicity occurred in September-December 2025, especially in November. The largest earthquake during that time was M2.7.
Map of horizontal velocities between July and December 2025 at Global Positioning System (GPS) stations P711 and NRWY (arrows and yellow circles) in the area between Norris Geyser Basin and Madison Junction. Dashed red line indicates boundary of Yellowstone Caldera and gray lines are roads.
Map of horizontal velocities between July and December 2025 at Global Positioning System (GPS) stations P711 and NRWY (arrows and yellow circles) in the area between Norris Geyser Basin and Madison Junction. Dashed red line indicates boundary of Yellowstone Caldera and gray lines are roads.
Map of seismicity (red circles) in the Yellowstone region during 2025. 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.
Map of seismicity (red circles) in the Yellowstone region during 2025. 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.
Just last week, Kīlauea put on another dramatic display of lava fountaining and flows within the caldera, during its 37th episode of this most recent eruption. It doesn't seem like Hawaii and Yellowstone have a lot in common, but actually, those two magmatic systems have a common cause.
Just last week, Kīlauea put on another dramatic display of lava fountaining and flows within the caldera, during its 37th episode of this most recent eruption. It doesn't seem like Hawaii and Yellowstone have a lot in common, but actually, those two magmatic systems have a common cause.
Interferogram created from satellite radar data collected on October 7, 2024, and October 2, 2025, over the Yellowstone region 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 during the time spanned.
Interferogram created from satellite radar data collected on October 7, 2024, and October 2, 2025, over the Yellowstone region 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 during the time spanned.
The Yellowstone caldera is vast – 45 miles across by 30 miles wide. You could fit over 60 islands of Manhattan in this area. There are deep canyons, like the one on the Yellowstone River, that reveal a complex geologic history. And, forested landscapes and features remind us that this special place is ever-changing.
The Yellowstone caldera is vast – 45 miles across by 30 miles wide. You could fit over 60 islands of Manhattan in this area. There are deep canyons, like the one on the Yellowstone River, that reveal a complex geologic history. And, forested landscapes and features remind us that this special place is ever-changing.
EarthScope engineers Brendan Hodge (left) and Lia Lajoie (right) perform upgrades at the WLWY (White Lake) continuous GPS station in Yellowstone National Park. The white box contains the receiver, while the barrel on the ground contains batteries. The tower holds the solar panels, as well as a cellular modem and meteorological sensors that were recently
EarthScope engineers Brendan Hodge (left) and Lia Lajoie (right) perform upgrades at the WLWY (White Lake) continuous GPS station in Yellowstone National Park. The white box contains the receiver, while the barrel on the ground contains batteries. The tower holds the solar panels, as well as a cellular modem and meteorological sensors that were recently
Picture a Yellowstone eruption. What comes to mind? It’s a huge explosion, right? Like the one that formed the caldera about 631,000 years ago. But the most common form of eruption in Yellowstone isn’t a huge explosion, it’s a lava flow.
Picture a Yellowstone eruption. What comes to mind? It’s a huge explosion, right? Like the one that formed the caldera about 631,000 years ago. But the most common form of eruption in Yellowstone isn’t a huge explosion, it’s a lava flow.
Just over one year ago, early morning visitors to Yellowstone’s Black Diamond Pool suddenly found themselves filming a spectacular event. The July 23, 2024 hydrothermal explosion threw material hundreds of feet high, including rocks that were a foot or more across.
Just over one year ago, early morning visitors to Yellowstone’s Black Diamond Pool suddenly found themselves filming a spectacular event. The July 23, 2024 hydrothermal explosion threw material hundreds of feet high, including rocks that were a foot or more across.
Imperial Geyser in eruption. The geyser, which apparently formed in 1927, is located in Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park.
Imperial Geyser in eruption. The geyser, which apparently formed in 1927, is located in Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park.
Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the US, and one of the largest in the world. The boiling lake was named for the spectacular array of colors along its rim.
Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the US, and one of the largest in the world. The boiling lake was named for the spectacular array of colors along its rim.
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
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
Lidar shaded relief map of the Porcelain Basin and Back Basin areas of Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park. Orange star indicates the location of a new thermal pool that formed sometime during late December 2024 to early February 2025.
Lidar shaded relief map of the Porcelain Basin and Back Basin areas of Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park. Orange star indicates the location of a new thermal pool that formed sometime during late December 2024 to early February 2025.
There’s a lot of hot water in Yellowstone. What’s it heated by? The magma chamber beneath the surface, of course!
There’s a lot of hot water in Yellowstone. What’s it heated by? The magma chamber beneath the surface, of course!
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.
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.
This video, recorded by a webcam, shows a small eruption from Black Diamond Pool in the Biscuit Basin subbasin of Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, at 8:39 p.m. MDT on May 31, 2025. The pool was the site of a hydrothermal explosion on July 23, 2024.
This video, recorded by a webcam, shows a small eruption from Black Diamond Pool in the Biscuit Basin subbasin of Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, at 8:39 p.m. MDT on May 31, 2025. The pool was the site of a hydrothermal explosion on July 23, 2024.
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
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government