Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Images of Yellowstone.
A Ptychopariid trilobite from Yellowstone National Park. Scale is in millimeters. Specimen located at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
A Ptychopariid trilobite from Yellowstone National Park. Scale is in millimeters. Specimen located at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
A Ehmania walcotti trilobite from Yellowstone National Park. Scale is in millimeters. Specimen located at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
A Ehmania walcotti trilobite from Yellowstone National Park. Scale is in millimeters. Specimen located at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Yellowstone subsurface cross-section schematic oriented SW-NE, depicts rise of magma beneath mantle plus heating and movement of mantle and crustal material. Credit Univ Utah. Click to enlarge.
Yellowstone subsurface cross-section schematic oriented SW-NE, depicts rise of magma beneath mantle plus heating and movement of mantle and crustal material. Credit Univ Utah. Click to enlarge.
Schematic cartoon of an idealized rhyolite lava flow with structures identified. Figure modified from Sweetkind et al. (2015) [https://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20155022].
Schematic cartoon of an idealized rhyolite lava flow with structures identified. Figure modified from Sweetkind et al. (2015) [https://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20155022].
Map of the Heart Mountain slide block. From Mitchell et al., 2015 ("Catastrophic emplacement of giant landslides aided by thermal decomposition: Heart Mountain, Wyoming." Earth and Planetary Science Letters 411: 199-207), modified from Anders et al. (2010).
Map of the Heart Mountain slide block. From Mitchell et al., 2015 ("Catastrophic emplacement of giant landslides aided by thermal decomposition: Heart Mountain, Wyoming." Earth and Planetary Science Letters 411: 199-207), modified from Anders et al. (2010).
(Left) Sample of the Pitchstone Plateau rhyolite flow, which erupted about 72,000 years ago, making it is the youngest rhyolite at Yellowstone. The blocky white crystals in this sample are the mineral sanidine, whereas the rounded crystals are quartz.
(Left) Sample of the Pitchstone Plateau rhyolite flow, which erupted about 72,000 years ago, making it is the youngest rhyolite at Yellowstone. The blocky white crystals in this sample are the mineral sanidine, whereas the rounded crystals are quartz.
Top: Thermographic mosaic of Yellowstone acquired by the NASA’s MODIS-ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER), a thermal infrared scanner, in September 2006. Dark shades indicate cool temperatures and bright are warm; this reflects not only hydrothermal activity, but also types of ground cover.
Top: Thermographic mosaic of Yellowstone acquired by the NASA’s MODIS-ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER), a thermal infrared scanner, in September 2006. Dark shades indicate cool temperatures and bright are warm; this reflects not only hydrothermal activity, but also types of ground cover.
Gas collection from a bubbling source within Pelican Creek, Yellowstone. Inverted funnel placed over gas source, gas travels through tubing into evacuated/vacuum glas flask to be analyzed in lab.
Gas collection from a bubbling source within Pelican Creek, Yellowstone. Inverted funnel placed over gas source, gas travels through tubing into evacuated/vacuum glas flask to be analyzed in lab.
Gas flask sampling at West Astringent Creek, Yellowstone. Open tube with attached gas chamber inserted into ground, gas travels through tube into vacuum flask being held by scientist.
Gas flask sampling at West Astringent Creek, Yellowstone. Open tube with attached gas chamber inserted into ground, gas travels through tube into vacuum flask being held by scientist.
Lidar coverage of the Hebgen and Red Canyon faults collected in 2014. Magenta lines show fault scarps mapped by USGS geologists shortly after the 1959 earthquake. Yellow lines show fault scarps interpreted from lidar data 55 years after the earthquake.
Lidar coverage of the Hebgen and Red Canyon faults collected in 2014. Magenta lines show fault scarps mapped by USGS geologists shortly after the 1959 earthquake. Yellow lines show fault scarps interpreted from lidar data 55 years after the earthquake.
Schematic cross section of the magmatic and hydrothermal systems underlying Yellowstone Caldera, showing magmatic volatiles emitted during crystallization of the rhyolitic magma and/or from basalt intrusions or convection, and the hypothesized relation with earthquake swarms on the caldera margins. The exsolved fluids accumulate at lithostatic pressures in the
Schematic cross section of the magmatic and hydrothermal systems underlying Yellowstone Caldera, showing magmatic volatiles emitted during crystallization of the rhyolitic magma and/or from basalt intrusions or convection, and the hypothesized relation with earthquake swarms on the caldera margins. The exsolved fluids accumulate at lithostatic pressures in the
Frosted trees in the Fairy Falls area of Yellowstone National Park near the Firehole River. National Park Service photo by Annie Carlson, 2014.
Frosted trees in the Fairy Falls area of Yellowstone National Park near the Firehole River. National Park Service photo by Annie Carlson, 2014.
Lava Mountain, Wyoming. (A) View from Dubois, WY, in the Wind River basin looking northwest ~30 km toward Lava Mountain.
Lava Mountain, Wyoming. (A) View from Dubois, WY, in the Wind River basin looking northwest ~30 km toward Lava Mountain.
The contact (red arrow) between Huckleberry Ridge Tuff ignimbrite members A and B is marked by a time break of probably weeks to a month or so.
The contact (red arrow) between Huckleberry Ridge Tuff ignimbrite members A and B is marked by a time break of probably weeks to a month or so.
A mud pot in the Obsidian Pool Thermal Area, near Mud Volcano. The large amounts of suspended sediment make the thermal water much more viscous than pure water. Photo by Shaul Hurwitz, September 2014.
A mud pot in the Obsidian Pool Thermal Area, near Mud Volcano. The large amounts of suspended sediment make the thermal water much more viscous than pure water. Photo by Shaul Hurwitz, September 2014.
Example model output of possible ash distribution from a month-long Yellowstone supereruption. Results vary depending on wind and eruption conditions. Historical winds for January 2001 used here.
Example model output of possible ash distribution from a month-long Yellowstone supereruption. Results vary depending on wind and eruption conditions. Historical winds for January 2001 used here.
Beryl Spring's strongly boiling blue pool is about 8 m (25 ft) wide and contains high-chloride liquid water with a near-neutral pH. Immediately behind the pool is a loud, hissing fumarole producing a white cloud of steam. USGS Photo by Pat Shanks, 2002.
Beryl Spring's strongly boiling blue pool is about 8 m (25 ft) wide and contains high-chloride liquid water with a near-neutral pH. Immediately behind the pool is a loud, hissing fumarole producing a white cloud of steam. USGS Photo by Pat Shanks, 2002.
The left axis shows the number of earthquakes per week. The right axis is the total cumulative number of earthquakes, which means it has to always increase. It increased a lot in the period 1996-2003 when there was a period of uplift near Norris.
The left axis shows the number of earthquakes per week. The right axis is the total cumulative number of earthquakes, which means it has to always increase. It increased a lot in the period 1996-2003 when there was a period of uplift near Norris.
Seismograms of the magnitude 4.8 earthquake that occurred in Yellowstone on March 30, 2014, as recorded by seismometers at station YNR near Norris Geyser Basin. Top: Seismogram recorded on the accelerometer, which stayed on scale during the shaking. Bottom: “Clipped” seismogram recorded on the broadband seismometer, which went off scale during the shakin
Seismograms of the magnitude 4.8 earthquake that occurred in Yellowstone on March 30, 2014, as recorded by seismometers at station YNR near Norris Geyser Basin. Top: Seismogram recorded on the accelerometer, which stayed on scale during the shaking. Bottom: “Clipped” seismogram recorded on the broadband seismometer, which went off scale during the shakin
Telemetry system of the Yellowstone Seismic Network operated by the University of Utah Seismograph Stations. Black arrows show analog telemetry and pink arrows show digital telemetry. The green line is the boundary of Yellowstone National Park.
Telemetry system of the Yellowstone Seismic Network operated by the University of Utah Seismograph Stations. Black arrows show analog telemetry and pink arrows show digital telemetry. The green line is the boundary of Yellowstone National Park.
Station map showing seismograph stations used in the location of the M4.8 earthquake that occurred near Norris Geyser Basin on March 30, 2014. The yellow star shows the earthquake epicenter. Red triangles represent seismograph stations with a P-wave arrival pick. Green triangles represent seismograph stations with both a P-wave and a S-wave arrival
Station map showing seismograph stations used in the location of the M4.8 earthquake that occurred near Norris Geyser Basin on March 30, 2014. The yellow star shows the earthquake epicenter. Red triangles represent seismograph stations with a P-wave arrival pick. Green triangles represent seismograph stations with both a P-wave and a S-wave arrival