Caldera Chronicles

A small side road on the highway between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris Junction leads to Sheepeater Cliffs, a spectacular example of columnar...

Yellowstone is dotted with historic places.  But did you know that the oldest building that is still standing, built 140 years ago, was constructed...

While geysers and hot springs are relatively easy to find in Yellowstone, what about the caldera, and the lava flows and the two massive resurgent...

Yes, some of Yellowstone’s thermal areas are cool—as in, no longer hot.  Cooling is part of the “life cycle” of a thermal area.  And just as it’s...

Volcanoes in Iceland, Italy, and Guatemala have put on displays that are captivating audiences worldwide. But did you know that the same sort of...

Steamboat Geyser has been wowing visitors to Yellowstone National Park since March 2018.  Seismic studies of the geyser and nearby Cistern Spring are...

Before the age of cheap computers, handheld GPS, and other innovations, geologic mapping was done with a compass, paper, and pencil.  An effort is...

What does Yellowstone National Park have in common with outer space? More than you might think. A future tourist on a space cruise to the outer...

Geologists look for big things in small packages.  In Yellowstone, information about some of the biggest volcanic eruptions are hidden in the smallest...

We know Yellowstone today as the site of a huge caldera that erupted 631,000 years ago and covered the region in a thick layer of ash. But what was...

Yellowstone Volcano receives ample attention for being a large, active, caldera-forming volcanic system. Given the massive eruptions over the last 2.1...

The interactive Geology of Yellowstone Map has been updated with new data. Check out recently added map layers that highlight Yellowstone’s monitoring...

The Yellowstone hotspot—the source of heat that powers Yellowstone’s vast volcanic system—has long been thought to have initiated about 17 million...

Results from laboratory experiments have provided significant insights on many fundamental physical and chemical processes on Earth. They also add...

Yellowstone hosts thousands of thermal features which have diverse chemistries and origins. The most iconic features, like Old Faithful, have neutral...

The tallest active geyser in the world has been erupting at a record pace since March 2018. Why are eruptions so energetic, what influences the...

Although 2020 may not have been a great year for many of us, it was a pretty interesting year in Yellowstone.  With this first Yellowstone Caldera...

Although Yellowstone Lake itself may seem calm, the floor of the lake is littered with hydrothermal explosion craters.  Detailed studies are beginning...

Geology is inherently a three-dimensional science—it’s not just about what is at the surface, but what is beneath the surface as well. This is...

Yellowstone National Park is known for its unique hydrothermal features and array of animals and plants, but what about its fossils? From tiny...