Videos

In addition to the December 2024 update, Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, presents YVO’s top five geologic stories from Yellowstone National Park in 2024. 

The hydrothermal explosion in Biscuit Basin stole all the headlines. But did you know there was a smaller hydrothermal explosion in Norris Geyser Basin on April 15, 2024? That explosion was detected by a new infrasound sensor installed this past September. Watch to learn more.

Obsidian: It’s not just a valuable commodity in Minecraft. Obsidian was an important resource for Indigenous peoples across western North America. Learn more in this month's update.

Let’s get you caught up on what we’ve learned about the July 23, 2024, hydrothermal explosion in Biscuit Basin, in this Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update for October 2024. 

Read Caldera Chronicles

Is it true that there's oil in Yellowstone? Watch this month's Yellowstone Monthly update and find out.

In this month's video, we update you on the Biscuit Basin explosion on July 23, 2024, and discuss the 65th anniversary of the M7.3 Hegben Lake earthquake. 
 

What just happened at Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park? Kaboom! Visitors witnessed a towering plume of steam, rock and mud rise several hundred feet into the air. The brief July 23 event was a classic example of a hydrothermal explosion, not a volcanic eruption.

The beautiful Morning Glory pool is located near Old Faithful. However, it has changed over time because of people and  past climate. But how? 

Up until the 1950s, visitors to the Old Faithful area could take a dip. Not at a geyser, but in a real swimming pool. The full story is in this month’s video update. 

Mount St. Helens and Yellowstone are two of the most well-known volcanoes in the United States. They have some pretty obvious differences, but they have some similarities as well. So, just how similar are Mount St. Helens and Yellowstone?

Volcanic ash in Kansas? It's true there's thick deposits there, but where are the source volcanoes? Geologists began puzzling over this in the late 1800s when these deposits were first recognized. 

If a geyser erupts and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Of course it does, and now we can hear it no matter when it happens thanks to a new monitoring station in Yellowstone National Park.

In this monthly update of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, we present our take on the top five headlines for 2023.

0:12 - Earthquakes, Deformation

1:20 - Steamboat Geyser Eruptions

2:30 - New Monitoring for Hydrothermal

3:24 - Volcanic Eruptions at Yellowstone

4:34 - Magma Chamber below Yellowstone

Steamboat Geyser is the tallest geyser in the world. It has been putting on a show the last few years for visitors at Yellowstone National Park with a record number of water eruptions, 48 eruptions each in 2019 and 2020. But it's only had eight eruptions in 2023. Is Steamboat losing steam? 

Lava flows are one of the coolest (or maybe hottest!) features about volcanoes, but what would a lava flow look like if you could peel away the surface and take a peek underneath?

Yellowstone is a geologic wonderland with over 2 billion years of Earth's history recorded in the rocks. But some of that history is missing. Where did it go? We’ll look into that mystery in the October 2023 update from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

The Gibbon River, named for Colonel (later General) John Gibbon, who was a member of an early exploring survey of the Yellowstone region, starts near the Center of Yellowstone National Park. All of the outflow from Norris Geyser Basin drains into the river, which merges with the Firehole River in the west part of the park to become the Madison River.

Mud Pool is located near the Daisy Geyser complex, not far from Old Faithful. Since the 1980s it has acted as a perpetual spouter.

Named for a visit in 1891 by members of the Fifth International Geological Congress, the feature in Norris Geyser Basin has behaved as a quiet pool, geyser, and roiling mud pot.

The tallest geyser in the world, with eruptions that exceed 120 meters (400 feet), Steamboat Geyser is known for experiencing years of frequent eruptions followed by years to decades of very few eruptions. The geyser has been in a more active period since 2018.

Although Terrace Spring may appear to be boiling, but it’s temperature is a relatively cool 140 F (60 C). The roiling in the pol is caused by carbon dioxide bubbles. Thousands of years ago, when Yellowstone’s climate was wetter, the water of the springs had a different composition, allowing travertine to form—just like that seen today at Mammoth Hot Spring