Unified Interior Regions
Wyoming
The Rocky Mountain Region ranges from the Colorado Rockies to the Western Deserts to the Great Plains. The Rocky Mountain Region conducts multi- and interdisciplinary research and monitoring in locations across the Region, the United States, around the world, and across our solar system.
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Cheatgrass and Medusahead
Invasive annual grasses, such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae), are one of the most significant stressors to rangeland ecosystems in the western U.S. Their expansion and dominance across this area are the most damaging ecosystem agents on this iconic landscape.
United States Assessments of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources
USGS Energy Resources Program provides periodic assessments of the oil and natural gas endowment of the United States and the World. This website provides access to new, prioritized, assessment results and supporting data for the United States, as part of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA).
Summer 2011 Missouri River Basin flood
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the 2011 Missouri River Basin Flood resulting from higher-than-average snowmelt runoff combined with heavy spring rains.
Yellowstone River Compact Commission: Technical Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes
The Yellowstone River Compact Commission Technical Advisory committee meets periodically. The official minutes of each meeting can be accessed below by clicking on the appropriate link.
Yellowstone River Compact Commission: Annual Reports
The Yellowstone River Compact Commission was established in 1951 and meets annually.
The Commission's formational meeting minutes and annual reports can be accessed below by clicking on the appropriate link. The official minutes of each meeting are incorporated into the Commission's annual reports.
Oil Shale
The USGS Energy Resources Program has studied oil shale resources of the United States, with a significant effort on the Eocene Green River Formation of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. This formation contains the largest oil shale deposits in the world. Oil shale, despite the name, does not actually contain oil, but is a precursor of oil that is converted to crude oil when heated.
Powder River Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Powder River Basin Province 5033.
Wyoming Thrust Belt Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Wyoming Thrust Belt Province 5036 in Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah.
Wind River Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Wind River Basin Province 5035 in central Wyoming.
Bighorn Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Bighorn Basin Province 5034.
Hanna, Laramie, Shirley Basins Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resource potential of the Hanna, Laramie, and Shirley Basins Province 5030 in Wyoming and northeastern Colorado.
Downloadable Data for Wyoming Thrust Belt Oil and Gas Assessments
Downloadable Data for Wyoming Thrust Belt Oil and Gas Assessments
Downloadable Data for Hanna, Laramie and Shirley Basins Oil and Gas Assessments
Downloadable Data for Hanna, Laramie and Shirley Basins Oil and Gas Assessments
Downloadable Data for Wind River Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
Downloadable Data for Wind River Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
Downloadable Data for Bighorn Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
Downloadable Data for Bighorn Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
Synoptic Streamflow sites, New Fork and Green Rivers
Streamflow data were collected from New Fork and Green River sites during October 19-21, 2015 to describe changes in flow and input from groundwater
USGS Domestic Continuous (Unconventional) Oil & Gas Assessments, 2000-Present
Interactively explore assessment summary information for continuous (unconventional) assessments conducted at the USGS from 2000-2018. The assessment results data used to generate this visualization can be downloaded here in Excel Format. These data represent all assessment results...
Coal drill hole database for the Little Snake River coal field and Red Desert area, Wyoming.
The U.S. Geological Survey conducted an assessment of coal resources and reserves in the Little Snake River coal field and Red Desert area of the Greater Green River Basin in Southwest Wyoming. A comprehensive database was compiled to support this assessment that includes data points for drill-holes and measured sections. Associated with these resources are lithology descriptors, (focusin...
Blacks Fork synoptic sampling sites
Streamflow and water-quality samples collected during 2018 and 2019
Land Treatment Exploration Tool
The Land Treatment Exploration Tool is designed for resource managers to use when planning land treatments. The tool provides useful summaries of environmental characteristics of planned treatment areas and facilitates adaptive management practices by comparing those characteristics to other similar treatments within a specified distance or area of interest. ...
Rocky Mountain Regional Snowpack Chemistry Monitoring: Data Tables
Rocky Mountain Regional Snowpack Chemistry Monitoring Study. Links to collected snowpack chemistry data.
Rocky Mountain Regional Snowpack Chemistry Monitoring Station List
Snowpack monitoring site identification and snow-sampling-site location information.
Yellowstone River Basin Water-Quality Assessment data tables
Data collected in the Yellowstone River basin since 1998 are available from this link. Data from the Yellowstone River Basin NAWQA study unit and other study units that overlap into Wyoming, such as the Upper Snake River, the Great Salt Lake Basins, and the South Platte River study units, also are available from the...
WLCI researchers employ new approaches to help managers conserve deer migrations
Elk, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, moose, and bighorn sheep are iconic animals of the American West. These hooved animals, known as ungulates, commonly travel 30–60 miles between seasonal ranges. These migrations between winter and summer ranges are vital for survival and reproduction. As habitat fragmentation continues, the conservation of...
Allen, Leslie A.; Kauffman, Matthew J.
Diversity and distribution of mayflies (Ephemeroptera), stoneflies (Plecoptera), and caddisflies (Trichoptera) of the South Platte River Basin, Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming, 1873-2010
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the C.P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity (Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado), compiled collection record data to document the historical and present-day occurrence of mayfly, stonefly, and caddisfly species in the South Platte River Basin. Data were compiled from records...
Zuellig, Robert E.; Heinold, Brian D.; Kondratieff, Boris C.; Ruiter, David E.
Trends in lake chemistry in response to atmospheric deposition and climate in selected Class I wilderness areas in Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming, 1993-2009
In 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Air Resource Management, began a study to evaluate long-term trends in lake-water chemistry for 64 high-elevation lakes in selected Class I wilderness areas in Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming during 1993 to 2009. The purpose of this...
Mast, Alisa; Ingersoll, George P.
Digital map of aquifer boundary for the High Plains aquifer in parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming
This digital data set represents the extent of the High Plains aquifer in the central United States. The extent of the High Plains aquifer covers 174,000 square miles in eight states: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. This data set represents a compilation of information from digital and paper...
Qi, Sharon
Rocky Mountain Snowpack Chemistry at Selected Sites, 2004
During spring 2004, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service collected and analyzed snowpack samples for 65 sites in the Rocky Mountain region from New Mexico to Montana. Snowpacks were sampled from late February through early April and generally had well-below-...
Ingersoll, George P.; Mast, Alisa; Nanus, Leora; Handran, Heather H.; Manthorne, David J.; Hultstrand, Douglas M. Dissolved solids in basin-fill aquifers and streams in the southwestern United States
The U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program performed a regional study in the Southwestern United States (Southwest) to describe the status and trends of dissolved solids in basin-fill aquifers and streams and to determine the natural and human factors that affect dissolved solids. Basin-fill aquifers, which include the...
Anning, David W.; Bauch, Nancy J.; Gerner, Steven J.; Flynn, Marilyn E.; Hamlin, Scott N.; Moore, Stephanie J.; Schaefer, Donald H.; Anderholm, Scott K.; Spangler, Lawrence E.
Estimated water use in Wyoming during 2000
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has compiled and published estimates of water withdrawals every 5 years since 1950. This series of water-use reports serves as one of the few sources of information about regional or national trends in water withdrawals (Hutson and others, 2004).In Wyoming, six categories—irrigation, mining, thermoelectric power,...
Boughton, Gregory K.; Remley, Kendra R.; Bartos, Timothy T. Chapter A. Effects of urbanization on stream ecosystems in the South Platte River basin, Colorado and Wyoming
This report describes the effects of urbanization on physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of stream ecosystems in 28 basins along an urban land-use gradient in the South Platte River Basin, Colorado and Wyoming, from 2002 through 2003. Study basins were chosen to minimize natural variability among basins due to factors such as...
Sprague, Lori A.; Zuellig, Robert E.; Dupree, Jean A.
Myxobolus cerebralis in native cutthroat trout of the Yellowstone Lake ecosystem
The exotic parasite Myxobolus cerebralis was first detected in native adult Yellowstone cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvierii from Yellowstone Lake in 1998, seriously threatening the ecological integrity of this pristine, naturally functioning ecosystem. We immediately began to assess the prevalence and spatial extent of M. cerebralis...
Koel, T.M.; Mahony, D.L.; Kinnan, K.L.; Rasmussen, C.; Hudson, C.J.; Murcia, S.; Kerans, B.L. Characterization and modes of occurrence of elements in feed coal and coal combustion products from a power plant utilizing low-sulfur coal from the Powder River Basin, Wyoming
The U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research are collaborating with an Indiana utility company to determine the physical and chemical properties of feed coal and coal combustion products from a coal-fired power plant. The Indiana power plant utilizes a low-sulfur (0.23 to 0.47 weight percent S) and...
Brownfield, Michael E.; Cathcart, James D.; Affolter, Ronald H.; Brownfield, Isabelle K.; Rice, Cynthia A.; O'Connor, Joseph T.; Zielinski, Robert A.; Bullock, John H.; Hower, James C.; Meeker, Gregory P. Rocky Mountain snowpack chemistry at selected sites for 2001
Because regional-scale atmospheric deposition data in the Rocky Mountains are sparse, a program was designed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and other agencies, to more thoroughly determine the chemical composition of precipitation and to identify sources...
Ingersoll, George P.; Mast, Alisa; Clow, David W.; Nanus, Leora; Campbell, Donald H.; Handran, Heather Relocation of Wyoming mine production blasts using calibration explosions
An important requirement for a comprehensive seismic monitoring system is the capability to accurately locate small seismic events worldwide. Accurate event location can improve the probability of determining whether or not a small event, recorded predominantly by local and regional stations, is a nuclear explosion. For those portions of the earth...
Finn, Carol A.; Kraft, Gordon D.; Sibol, Matthew S.; Jones, Ronald L.; Pulaski, Mark E.
Yellowstone Volcano Observ: Overview, Monitoring, Hazards, Results
Just what is the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory? In this video, Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of YVO, gives an overview of the institutions that make up the Observatory, how YVO monitors volcano and earthquake activity at Yellowstone, the geologic hazards of the region, and some of the noteworthy new results and observations from YVO scientists.
Temperature records from sites on Yellowstone Lake bottom
Year-long (August 2017 to August 2018) temperature records from two hydrothermal vents (“A” and “B”) in the Deep Hole area of Yellowstone Lake.
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update for October 2020
Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone during October 2020.
The story of Yellowstone's ups and downs
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Scientist-in-Charge Mike Poland visits Yellowstone National Park to tell the story of how the ground there moves up and down over time. This motion has been measured using a variety of techniques over the past 100 years, and from geological mapping scientists can even tell how the ground has moved going back about 15,000 years! This research
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: October 1, 2020
Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone during September 2020.
graphic showing gallons in a cubic foot
graphic showing gallons in a cubic foot
graphic showing volume of acre foot on football field
graphic showing volume of acre foot on football field
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: September 1, 2020
Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone during August 2020.
Giantess Geyser in eruption on August 26, 2020
Giantess Geyser in eruption at approximately 10:00 AM MDT on August 26, 2020. Old Faithful is erupting in the center background.
Tree rings in a Rocky Mountain Juniper, Yellowstone National Park
A scanned image of Rocky Mountain juniper deadwood sample GGR100 collected in the northern part of Yellowstone National Park under permit YELL-5582. The full length of this sample covers the time period 723-1792 CE. Since climate influences tree growth and the width of annual rings, the relation between ring widths and recent instrumental climate records (air temperature
...
Time-Lapse of Yellowstone Lake (2019 - 2020)
This time-lapse movie, which spans January 2019 to August 2020, shows the changing nature of the seasons at Yellowstone Lake as captured by the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory webcam. Snow and ice come and go, and there is even a wildfire visible during the summer of 2019!
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: August 1, 2020
Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone during July 2020.
We know from decades of observation that Yellowstone’s geyser basins are always changing, but what about thermal activity beneath the waters of Yellowstone Lake? A team from the University of Minnesota deployed sensors on the lake floor and found that the environment is no less dynamic.
A swimming pool? At Old Faithful? Sounds crazy, but for nearly 40 years in the first half of the 20th century there was a geyser-heated bathhouse right next to the most iconic geyser in the world!
Old Faithful Geyser got its unique name in the 19th century because its eruptions were so regular and predictable. But during parts of the 13th and 14th centuries, the geyser did not erupt at all.
Fall is a time for maintaining monitoring sites in Yellowstone, since they will not be accessible during the winter months. That includes the continuous GPS stations that track deformation across Yellowstone National Park!
SPARROW mappers are interactive tools that allow users to evaluate streamflow and nutrient and sediment conditions as well as the importance of different sources of contaminants in a selected river basin. Data can be visualized at different scales using maps and interactive graphs and tables.
Some of the most valuable data used to understand the evolution of the Yellowstone volcano come from the microscopic world. What are some of the tools that researchers use to study the microscopic products of the volcano’s multiple eruptions?
What better way to celebrate the upcoming 150th anniversary of Yellowstone National Park than with an updated geologic map? Scientists and students from Montana State University are spending this summer doing just that!
A team of federal, academic, and NGO researchers conducted a national-scale assessment of mercury bioaccumulation in aquatic ecosystems using dragonfly larvae as biosentinels.
Budget Focuses on Bringing Science, Facilities, and Infrastructure into the 21st Century
"19 November 2019–Hand-dug trenches around Leigh Lake in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming reveal evidence for a previously unknown surface-faulting earthquake in along the Teton Fault—one occurring about 10,000 years ago." A Seismological Society of America news release covers recent research published by USGS scientists and cooperators.
Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week's contribution is from Mike Poland, geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey and Scientist-in-Charge, of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.
In addition to studying volcanic processes and their associated hazards in California and Nevada, scientists at the California Volcano Observatory also collaborate with other volcano observatories to work on volcanic processes throughout the United States.
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Locations
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center - Cheyenne Office
Phone: (307) 778-2931
Fax: (307) 778-2764
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK) Headquarters
Phone: 406-994-7544
Fax: 406-994-6556
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO)
yvowebteam@usgs.gov
Phone: 360-993-8906
Jackson, Wyoming Field Research Station
Phone: 307-733-2314
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center - Casper Office
Phone: 307-261-5485
Fax: 307-261-5487
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center - Riverton Office
Phone: 307-856-3771
Fax: 307-857-3165