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Caldera Chronicles

Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

Caldera Chronicles

Filter Total Items: 364
Lidar data shed new light on “hidden” geological hazards near the northern entrance of Yellowstone National Park

Lidar data shed new light on “hidden” geological hazards near the northern entrance of Yellowstone National Park

Lidar data have just been released, for the first time, for Paradise Valley and the northern gateway corridor to Yellowstone National Park. These high...

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The Mystery of Flagg Ranch, OR, the case of the unknown ignimbrite

The Mystery of Flagg Ranch, OR, the case of the unknown ignimbrite

Near the south boundary of Yellowstone National Park is a curious ash flow deposit of unknown origin. Geologists from Montana State University took on...

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Yellowstone’s Spectacular Spring: The Story of Grand Prismatic and the Little Dipper

Yellowstone’s Spectacular Spring: The Story of Grand Prismatic and the Little Dipper

Grand Prismatic Spring is one of the most visited sites in Yellowstone National Park.  The feature has amazing story to tell about extreme lifeforms...

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Living with active volcanoes in the back yard of the Naples metropolitan area in Italy

Living with active volcanoes in the back yard of the Naples metropolitan area in Italy

Italy is home to numerous volcanoes and a long history of eruptions that are recorded both in the geologic record and by human observers. Some of...

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Ferdinand Hayden and the Founding of Yellowstone National Park

Ferdinand Hayden and the Founding of Yellowstone National Park

Geologist Ferdinand Hayden directed the first scientific exploration of Yellowstone in 1871, leading directly to the founding of the world’s first...

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Lotta lava! New insights into the timing of Yellowstone’s most recent rhyolite eruptions

Lotta lava! New insights into the timing of Yellowstone’s most recent rhyolite eruptions

New age data for rhyolite lava flows erupted in Yellowstone caldera suggest that the eruptions occurred in tight clusters. These results change the...

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A deformation update for Yellowstone caldera—October 2023 edition

A deformation update for Yellowstone caldera—October 2023 edition

Since 2015, Yellowstone caldera has been subsiding at a rate of about 2–3 cm (roughly 1 in) per year. But the deformation changes seasonally due to...

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Indigenous people were never “afraid” of Yellowstone

Indigenous people were never “afraid” of Yellowstone

A long-told myth about Yellowstone is that indigenous people were “afraid” of the area owing to the geysers and thermal activity. But archeological...

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

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

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...

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Here’s how we know outliers in GPS data aren’t real ground movement

Here’s how we know outliers in GPS data aren’t real ground movement

What causes outliers in GPS data? Could be snow, could be a bird, or could be damaged equipment. Recognizing these outliers is important to properly...

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

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

Thanks to a newly funded project from NASA’s Commercial SmallSat Data Scientific Analysis Program, and an agreement with commercial satellite...

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Why do volcano observatories describe seismic activity so differently?

Why do volcano observatories describe seismic activity so differently?

Reporting of earthquakes at volcanoes around the world varies considerably in style. This is because the amount and importance of seismic activity...

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

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

Although it is a common assumption that animals cause numerous wounds and deaths in Yellowstone, hot springs actually account for more injuries and...

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A deep dive into surficial geologic mapping

A deep dive into surficial geologic mapping

Geologic maps are a fundamental tool for earth scientists to assemble and communicate geologic information. Under the umbrella of geologic mapping are...

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

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

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

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The rising waters of Nuphar Lake, near Norris Geyser Basin

The rising waters of Nuphar Lake, near Norris Geyser Basin

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...

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

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

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...

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

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

Data from a major deployment of seismometers in 2020 is revealing new insights into the characteristics of the magma chamber beneath Yellowstone...

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

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

Long before the boardwalks, hotels, and roads, Yellowstone stood on the edge of the American wilderness. Its discovery and exploration by Euro...

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Recent caldera collapses captured by volcano monitoring networks provide insights on the collapse of the Yellowstone caldera

Recent caldera collapses captured by volcano monitoring networks provide insights on the collapse of the Yellowstone caldera

Based on geologic mapping and dating of minerals, we know that the Yellowstone caldera formed 631,000 years ago. But how did the caldera collapse...

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

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

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

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