Wyoming

Thermal kames: The unique glacial hills of Yellowstone’s geyser basins

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 2 Oct 2023 06:00:00 EDT

Every heard of a thermal kame? If not, you’re hardly alone. It’s a rare landform that provides evidence of glaciers interacting with hydrothermal areas. And there are several excellent examples in Yellowstone!

Using high-resolution commercial satellite images to help map and monitor Yellowstone’s thermal areas

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 02:00:00 EDT

Thanks to a newly funded project from NASA’s Commercial SmallSat Data Scientific Analysis Program, and an agreement with commercial satellite companies, YVO scientists can now delve more deeply into the use of high-resolution satellite images to aid in mapping and monitoring thermal areas.

Which is more hazardous to Yellowstone visitors, wildlife or hot springs?

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 4 Sep 2023 06:00:00 EDT

Although it is a common assumption that animals cause numerous wounds and deaths in Yellowstone, hot springs actually account for more injuries and fatalities. And it isn’t close.

USGS scientists with the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative lead field tour to share science outcomes with partners and stakeholders.

edietrich@usgs.gov — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 10:40:45 EDT

The USGS WLCI science team lead, Patrick Anderson (USGS Fort Collins Science Center), organized a field tour on August 24 to share and discuss science outcomes with WLCI partners after five years of investigating aquatic processes and change on Muddy Creek and Littlefield Creek (Carbon County, Wyoming).

A deep dive into surficial geologic mapping

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 06:00:00 EDT

Geologic maps are a fundamental tool for earth scientists to assemble and communicate geologic information. Under the umbrella of geologic mapping are subcategories of maps that emphasize different types of information, like surficial geologic maps, which are important to understanding Yellowstone’s geology.

So, where are you from? Tracing thermal waters in the rivers of Yellowstone back to their sources

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 06:00:00 EDT

Scientists can determine the sources of hydrothermal fluids in park rivers by monitoring water chemistry. The result? A “budget” of which geyser basins release the most hydrothermal fluids.

The rising waters of Nuphar Lake, near Norris Geyser Basin

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 06:00:00 EDT

A small lake near Norris Geyser Basin has seen some significant changes over the past few years, rising in level and changing color due to inputs of thermal water from nearby hot springs.

Media Alert: The WSGS and USGS announce low-level helicopter flights near Laramie, Wyoming

apdemas@usgs.gov — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 13:49:45 EDT

Scientists with the Wyoming State Geological Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey are partnering to image geology using airborne geophysical technology.

New research sheds light on Steamboat Geyser’s eruptions, past and present

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 7 Aug 2023 06:00:00 EDT

What can trees tell us about Steamboat Geyser’s history? Why do Steamboat’s seismic eruption signals vary seasonally? Get up to speed on two newly published research studies centered on the world’s tallest geyser.

New views of how magma is stored beneath Yellowstone provided by hundreds of seismic sensors

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 06:00:00 EDT

Data from a major deployment of seismometers in 2020 is revealing new insights into the characteristics of the magma chamber beneath Yellowstone caldera, including how melt is distributed in the reservoir.

For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People: The Explorations that led to the world’s first National Park

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 06:00:00 EDT

Long before the boardwalks, hotels, and roads, Yellowstone stood on the edge of the American wilderness. Its discovery and exploration by Euro-Americans led to the founding of the world’s first National Park.

Out with the old, in with the new: Upgrading satellite communication technology at Yellowstone monitoring sites

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 03:00:00 EDT

New satellite communication technology is being tested at Yellowstone monitoring stations and could have a big impact on how real-time data are collected and transmitted to YVO scientists.

Media Alert: Low-level helicopter flights along Colorado-Wyoming border will study mineral potential

apdemas@usgs.gov — Wed, 5 Jul 2023 12:27:46 EDT

Editor: In the public interest and in accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the CGS, the WSGS and the USGS are announcing this low-level airborne project. Your assistance in informing the local communities is appreciated.

In the pantheon of caldera eruptions, where does Yellowstone rank?

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 3 Jul 2023 03:00:00 EDT

The Yellowstone volcanic system has hosted some very large eruptions. But there have been much larger volcanic explosions in geologic history—including several in the western USA!

Phones out and a toppled chimney? There’s much more to the story of the 1975 Yellowstone National Park Earthquake!

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 03:00:00 EDT

Yellowstone gets rattled by plenty of small earthquakes—between 1,500 and 2,500 located events in a typical year—but large damaging earthquakes have occurred there, too. The largest one recorded within the park was the 1975 magnitude 6 Yellowstone National Park Earthquake, and its importance to Yellowstone science exceeds even its considerable size.

Everything is Relative: Precise Earthquake Location

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 03:00:00 EDT

Locating an earthquake in an absolute sense can come with considerable uncertainty, but locating earthquakes relative to one another is far more accurate and can provide exciting insights into subsurface processes.

Recent thermal activity on Geyser Hill: New features and new eruptions!

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 03:00:00 EDT

Geyser Hill, near Old Faithful, has experienced some recent changes, with a general increase in thermal and geyser activity. The changes are reminiscent of those that occurred in the same area in 2018 and are a testament to the dynamic nature of Yellowstone’s geyser basins.

If an eruption is so unlikely, why do we monitor Yellowstone at all?

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 5 Jun 2023 03:00:00 EDT

Monitoring data from Yellowstone are not just useful for assessing the potential for volcanic eruptions there. We can also use what we learn from those data to track other types of geologic hazards, and to better understand similar volcanic systems elsewhere on Earth.

What’s life got to do with it? How geobiological feedbacks make some Yellowstone pools acidic

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 22 May 2023 03:00:00 EDT

Yellowstone hydrothermal features can be acidic or basic depending not only on the source of the feeding fluids, but also bacteria that might resemble the early forms of life on Earth.

Media Alert: The Wyoming State Geological Survey and U.S. Geological Survey announce low-level helicopter flights in Central Wyoming

apdemas@usgs.gov — Mon, 15 May 2023 12:18:09 EDT

The new airborne geophysical survey data will be collected using a helicopter and will fly over parts of central Wyoming, weather permitting. The survey will begin in mid-May and be completed in about four months.

Yellowstone’s Famous Biscuits

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 15 May 2023 03:00:00 EDT

Yellowstone's Upper Geyser Basin hosts the legendary Old Faithful, but it's also home to an isolated thermal group famous for its biscuits. Though, only a few remain of a large batch that existed prior to 1959.

The 2022 Yellowstone Volcano Observatory annual report—hot off the (virtual) presses!

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 8 May 2023 03:00:00 EDT

Interested in knowing more about Yellowstone’s activity, as well as research results, from the past year? We’ve got you covered—the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2022 Annual Report is now online!

Joint Wyoming State Geological Survey-U.S. Geological Survey Effort to Study Mineral Resources in Central Wyoming

apdemas@usgs.gov — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 17:00:00 EDT

Scientists from the Wyoming State Geological Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey have launched a collaborative effort to collect a large swath of geophysical data in central Wyoming to better understand the area’s geologic framework for critical and other essential mineral resources.

How do the hot springs on the floor of Yellowstone Lake compare to deep seafloor hydrothermal vents?

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 03:00:00 EDT

Hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, like the famous “black smokers,” and those on the floor of Yellowstone Lake have some general similarities, but they are also characterized by different types of fluid chemistry and mineral deposits.

The oldest igneous rocks in Yellowstone

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 03:00:00 EDT

Much of the geological attention at Yellowstone National Park is on the young volcanic rocks. But the geologic history of the region and the ages of the rocks that are exposed in and around the park extend much farther back in time than the geologically recent volcanism.

Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing at Yellowstone 201: Processing the images

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 03:00:00 EDT

Thermal infrared images not only make nice pictures, they also give us quantitative information about thermal energy being radiated from Earth’s surface. This information can be very useful in understanding the characteristics of Yellowstone’s thermal areas.

Pink snow: Algae blooms high in the mountains of Yellowstone (and around the world)

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 3 Apr 2023 03:00:00 EDT

When one thinks of life in extreme environments, Yellowstone hot springs may be one of the first places to come to mind. Another extreme? The surfaces of snow fields in the high country!

A better understanding of Yellowstone hot springs and hydrothermal systems thanks to the outstanding achievements of Robert O. Fournier

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 03:00:00 EDT

Robert Fournier, who passed away in January 2023, was a pioneer in studying the hydrothermal system of Yellowstone National Park, laying the foundation for a better understanding of subsurface hot-water reservoirs worldwide.

Tracing the sources of ancient volcanoclastic rocks in Yellowstone using crystals

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 00:01:00 EDT

Geologists are very much like detectives—they use a variety of investigative tools to understand how a landscape develops. Geochemistry is one such tool and can help link volcanic deposits to their sources, even if those sources are dozens of miles away.

Hypoliths: Life thriving under the bleach-white sinters of Yellowstone’s hydrothermal areas

mpoland@usgs.gov — Mon, 6 Mar 2023 03:00:00 EST

While most attention is given to the hot springs, geysers, fumaroles, and mud pots in Yellowstone’s hydrothermal areas, there are lessons just beneath the surface about how life might have taken shape on Earth billions of years ago.