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Images of Yellowstone.

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Research drilling in Yellowstone National Park
Research drilling in Yellowstone National Park
Research drilling in Yellowstone National Park
Research drilling in Yellowstone National Park

Research drilling in Yellowstone National Park.  (A) is an image from Fenner (1936) of the drilling setup in the Upper Geyser Basin during the 1929 field season. (B) is an image from White et al. (1975) of the USGS drill rig set up in the Norris Geyser Basin in 1967-68 during a steam eruption.

Research drilling in Yellowstone National Park.  (A) is an image from Fenner (1936) of the drilling setup in the Upper Geyser Basin during the 1929 field season. (B) is an image from White et al. (1975) of the USGS drill rig set up in the Norris Geyser Basin in 1967-68 during a steam eruption.

Earthquake rates over time for Yellowstone Lake 2008-2009 and 2020 seismic swarms
Seismicity rates for Yellowstone Lake earthquake swarms
Seismicity rates for Yellowstone Lake earthquake swarms
Seismicity rates for Yellowstone Lake earthquake swarms

Rate of earthquake occurrence for the 2008-2009 Yellowstone Lake swarm (green) and 2020 swarm (red).

Rate of earthquake occurrence for the 2008-2009 Yellowstone Lake swarm (green) and 2020 swarm (red).

Map of Yellowstone Lake seismic swarms in 2008-2009 and 2020
Map of Yellowstone Lake seismic swarms in 2008-2009 and 2020
Map of Yellowstone Lake seismic swarms in 2008-2009 and 2020
Map of Yellowstone Lake seismic swarms in 2008-2009 and 2020

Map of earthquakes that occurred beneath Yellowstone Lake as parts of seismic swarms in 2008-2009 (green) and 2020 (red).  Orange line is the boundary of Yellowstone Caldera, which formed 631,000 years ago.

Map of earthquakes that occurred beneath Yellowstone Lake as parts of seismic swarms in 2008-2009 (green) and 2020 (red).  Orange line is the boundary of Yellowstone Caldera, which formed 631,000 years ago.

Map of southeastern Idaho showing volcanic rocks related to the Yellowstone hotspot.
Volcanic rocks in SE Idaho that are related to the Yellowstone hotspot
Volcanic rocks in SE Idaho that are related to the Yellowstone hotspot
Volcanic rocks in SE Idaho that are related to the Yellowstone hotspot

Map of southeastern Idaho showing volcanic rocks related to the Yellowstone hotspot. Basalt is shown in red and rhyolite in yellow. Blue circles indicate the location of past Yellowstone calderas; caldera names and approximate ages are shown (Ma = million years old).

Map of southeastern Idaho showing volcanic rocks related to the Yellowstone hotspot. Basalt is shown in red and rhyolite in yellow. Blue circles indicate the location of past Yellowstone calderas; caldera names and approximate ages are shown (Ma = million years old).

Lidar hillshade map of part of the Blackfoot Volcanic Field
Lidar hillshade map of part of the Blackfoot Volcanic Field
Lidar hillshade map of part of the Blackfoot Volcanic Field
Lidar hillshade map of part of the Blackfoot Volcanic Field

Lidar hillshade map of part of the Blackfoot Volcanic Field, showing rhyolite domes and fault scarps.

Lidar hillshade map of part of the Blackfoot Volcanic Field, showing rhyolite domes and fault scarps.

Temperature records from sites on Yellowstone Lake bottom
Temperature records from sites on Yellowstone Lake bottom
Temperature records from sites on Yellowstone Lake bottom
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.

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 seismic network
Yellowstone seismic network
Yellowstone seismic network
Yellowstone seismic network

Map of seismic stations in the Yellowstone region, with numbers of channels indicated by number and sensor type by color.  Inverted triangles indicate stations operated by University of Utah Seismograph Stations (UUSS), and squares indicate stations operated by other agencies.

Map of seismic stations in the Yellowstone region, with numbers of channels indicated by number and sensor type by color.  Inverted triangles indicate stations operated by University of Utah Seismograph Stations (UUSS), and squares indicate stations operated by other agencies.

Old Faithful bathhouse during 1914-1933 (top) and 1934-1951 (bottom)
Old Faithful bathhouse during 1914-1933 (top) and 1934-1951 (bottom)
Old Faithful bathhouse during 1914-1933 (top) and 1934-1951 (bottom)
Old Faithful bathhouse during 1914-1933 (top) and 1934-1951 (bottom)

Old Faithful bathhouse as it appeared in 1914-1933 (top) and 1934-1951 (bottom).

Yellowstone map with rhyolite eruptions highlighted
Yellowstone map with rhyolite eruptions highlighted
Yellowstone map with rhyolite eruptions highlighted
Yellowstone map with rhyolite eruptions highlighted

Map of Yellowstone National Park adapted from Christiansen and others (2007). The pink regions are rhyolite flows erupted within Yellowstone caldera; these flows contain 5% to 15% crystals by volume. The purple region is the Obsidian Cliff flow, which contains close to 0% crystals.

Map of Yellowstone National Park adapted from Christiansen and others (2007). The pink regions are rhyolite flows erupted within Yellowstone caldera; these flows contain 5% to 15% crystals by volume. The purple region is the Obsidian Cliff flow, which contains close to 0% crystals.

Obsidian Cliff lava flow, Yellowstone
Obsidian Cliff lava flow, Yellowstone
Obsidian Cliff lava flow, Yellowstone
Obsidian Cliff lava flow, Yellowstone

Photograph of Obsidian Cliff along Grand Loop Road between Norris and Mammoth Hot Springs. Photograph by John Good, U.S. National Park Service, 1965.

Photograph of Obsidian Cliff along Grand Loop Road between Norris and Mammoth Hot Springs. Photograph by John Good, U.S. National Park Service, 1965.

Crested pool, in Upper Geyser Basin near Castle Geyser
Crested pool, in Upper Geyser Basin near Castle Geyser
Crested pool, in Upper Geyser Basin near Castle Geyser
Crested pool, in Upper Geyser Basin near Castle Geyser

Crested Pool, in Upper Geyser Basin near Castle Geyser.  Geyser Hill is in the background, and Old Faithful is the steaming feature at the upper right.  USGS photo by Mike Poland, October 12, 2020.

Crested Pool, in Upper Geyser Basin near Castle Geyser.  Geyser Hill is in the background, and Old Faithful is the steaming feature at the upper right.  USGS photo by Mike Poland, October 12, 2020.

Angular unconformity atop Mount Everts, Yellowstone National Park
Angular unconformity atop Mount Everts, Yellowstone National Park
Angular unconformity atop Mount Everts, Yellowstone National Park
Angular unconformity atop Mount Everts, Yellowstone National Park

An unconformity at the top of Mount Everts is located where the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff, 2.1 million years old, lies directly on top of Cretaceous sediments that are ~60 million years old and greater.  Right at the unconformity are conspicuous orange and black colors.  The orange is oxidation of the sedimentary unit where it is in contact with the ash, whic

An unconformity at the top of Mount Everts is located where the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff, 2.1 million years old, lies directly on top of Cretaceous sediments that are ~60 million years old and greater.  Right at the unconformity are conspicuous orange and black colors.  The orange is oxidation of the sedimentary unit where it is in contact with the ash, whic

Silver Gate landslide complex in Yellowstone National Park
Silver Gate landslide complex in Yellowstone National Park
Silver Gate landslide complex in Yellowstone National Park
Silver Gate landslide complex in Yellowstone National Park

Silver Gate landslide complex in Yellowstone National Park. The jumbled nature of the calcium-carbonate rocks is evidence that the deposit was formed by collapse of a travertine hot-spring terrace that might once have looked like Mammoth Hot Springs does today.

Silver Gate landslide complex in Yellowstone National Park. The jumbled nature of the calcium-carbonate rocks is evidence that the deposit was formed by collapse of a travertine hot-spring terrace that might once have looked like Mammoth Hot Springs does today.

Highway 89 winding through Silver Gate in Yellowstone National Park
Highway 89 winding through Silver Gate in Yellowstone National Park
Highway 89 winding through Silver Gate in Yellowstone National Park
Highway 89 winding through Silver Gate in Yellowstone National Park

A few miles south of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, Highway 89 winds through the white/gray jumble of rocks known as the Hoodoos, or Silver Gate, that formed when travertine from Terrace Mountain collapsed in a landslide.

A few miles south of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, Highway 89 winds through the white/gray jumble of rocks known as the Hoodoos, or Silver Gate, that formed when travertine from Terrace Mountain collapsed in a landslide.

Panoramic view of Pocket Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Panoramic view of Pocket Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Panoramic view of Pocket Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Panoramic view of Pocket Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Panoramic photo of Pocket Basin, a hydrothermal explosion crater in Yellowstone National Park's Lower Geyser Basin, taken from the northeast rim looking southwest into the crater. Pocket Basin is a U-shaped crater that is dissected on the SW edge by the Firehole River, visible on the far-right of the photo.

Panoramic photo of Pocket Basin, a hydrothermal explosion crater in Yellowstone National Park's Lower Geyser Basin, taken from the northeast rim looking southwest into the crater. Pocket Basin is a U-shaped crater that is dissected on the SW edge by the Firehole River, visible on the far-right of the photo.

GNSS site LKWY, on the north side of Yellowstone Lake
GNSS site LKWY, on the north side of Yellowstone Lake
GNSS site LKWY, on the north side of Yellowstone Lake
GNSS site LKWY, on the north side of Yellowstone Lake

GNSS site LKWY, which was visited in September 2020 to install new GNSS equipment and upgrade the communications for improved data quality.  The site is now capable of collecting several times more observation data then was possible with the original older equipment.

GNSS site LKWY, which was visited in September 2020 to install new GNSS equipment and upgrade the communications for improved data quality.  The site is now capable of collecting several times more observation data then was possible with the original older equipment.

The inside of a borehole seismometer equipment enclosure is full of batteries, cables, and other equipment.
The inside of a Yellowstone borehole seismometer equipment enclosure
The inside of a Yellowstone borehole seismometer equipment enclosure
The inside of a Yellowstone borehole seismometer equipment enclosure

The inside of a borehole seismometer equipment enclosure is full of batteries, cables, data communications equipment and data recording instruments.  Some of the geodetic infrastructure in Yellowstone National Park is colocated with seismic equipment.  In this case, the communications downlink radio for the GNSS station is housed with the borehole enc

The inside of a borehole seismometer equipment enclosure is full of batteries, cables, data communications equipment and data recording instruments.  Some of the geodetic infrastructure in Yellowstone National Park is colocated with seismic equipment.  In this case, the communications downlink radio for the GNSS station is housed with the borehole enc

View of Absaroka Range from Eagle Peak, WY, toward the southwest
View of Absaroka Range from Eagle Peak, WY, toward the southwest
View of Absaroka Range from Eagle Peak, WY, toward the southwest
View of Absaroka Range from Eagle Peak, WY, toward the southwest

View of Absaroka Range from Eagle Peak, WY, toward the southwest.

Upper Geyser Basin viewed from the Old Faithful webcam
Upper Geyser Basin viewed from the Old Faithful webcam
Upper Geyser Basin viewed from the Old Faithful webcam
Upper Geyser Basin viewed from the Old Faithful webcam

The Upper Geyser Basin viewed from the Old Faithful webcam. Hot water was piped from Solitary Geyser to the former site of the geyser bathhouse.

The Upper Geyser Basin viewed from the Old Faithful webcam. Hot water was piped from Solitary Geyser to the former site of the geyser bathhouse.

Map of thermal areas and lakes in Yellowstone National Park
Map of thermal areas and lakes in Yellowstone National Park
Map of thermal areas and lakes in Yellowstone National Park
Map of thermal areas and lakes in Yellowstone National Park

Map of thermal areas in Yellowstone (red), as well as lakes (outlined in blue), many of which have thermal areas on their shores or beneath their surfaces.

Map of thermal areas in Yellowstone (red), as well as lakes (outlined in blue), many of which have thermal areas on their shores or beneath their surfaces.

High-resolution images of Fern Lake, Yellowstone National Park, from different seasons
Fern Lake, Yellowstone National Park, in different seasons
Fern Lake, Yellowstone National Park, in different seasons
Fern Lake, Yellowstone National Park, in different seasons

High-resolution images of Fern Lake from different seasons.  North is up.  Fern Lake is about 1 km across from east to west.  Red arrows in the winter image point to large zones of open water, indicating either nearshore springs or underwater hydrothermal vents, but there are also many smaller zones of open water that are conspicuous. 

High-resolution images of Fern Lake from different seasons.  North is up.  Fern Lake is about 1 km across from east to west.  Red arrows in the winter image point to large zones of open water, indicating either nearshore springs or underwater hydrothermal vents, but there are also many smaller zones of open water that are conspicuous.