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Yellowstone Volcano Update — Video Collection

Watch and learn with Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) about the past month's happenings within Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone Volcano Update — September 2023: KABOOM! Crater to Bay

What geologic hazard is most likely to occur in the Yellowstone region on human timescales? The answer might not be what you think.

Yellowstone Volcano Update — July 2023 — NEW THERMAL FEATURES at Yellowstone!

Geysers and hot springs are some of the most dynamic geologic features on the planet. They are always changing and sometimes that change happens in places where we can see and appreciate it. This has been the case on Geyser Hill, near Old Faithful, in Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone Volcano Update — June 2023

Old Faithful, one of the icons of Yellowstone National Park and probably the most famous geyser in the world. But how faithful is it really? That's the question we're going to tackle in this June 1, 2023 update from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

Monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano, May 1, 2023

May is traditionally the start of the field season and plans are underway to strengthen monitoring networks, collect data, and conduct research to better understand volcanic activity in the Yellowstone region. Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, outlines upcoming projects in this YVO monthly video update for May 1, 2023.

Monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano, April 1, 2023

Do animals prank humans? It sometimes feels that way, says Yellowstone Volcano Observatory’s scientist-in-charge Mike Poland. Mike shows some of the ways animals have “interacted” with monitoring equipment in this April 1, 2023 monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano.

Monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano, March 1, 2023

Could an external event trigger a Yellowstone eruption? No, says Yellowstone Volcano Observatory’s scientist-in-charge Mike Poland, that’s not how volcanoes work. Most of the pressure that drives a volcano toward eruption comes from within, from the exsolution of gases in the magmatic system.

Monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano for Feb 1, 2023

Winter has arrived in the Yellowstone region. The deep snow and cold temperatures are harsh for animals, harsh for humans, and also harsh for volcano monitoring equipment.

Monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano for Jan 1, 2023

Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, provides an overview of 2022 events and December activity in this monthly update for January 1, 2023. 

Monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano (December 1, 2022)

Just a few days ago, Mauna Loa, the tallest active volcano on the planet, started erupting for the first time in 38 years.

Monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano for November 1, 2022

November is Native American Heritage Month. Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, talks about Indigenous peoples in the Yellowstone region and describes Yellowstone’s recent seismic, deformation, and geyser activity in this November 1, 2022 monthly update.

Monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano for October 1, 2022

Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone in this monthly update for October 1, 2022. 

The update comes to you from Artist Paintpots in Yellowstone National Park. The paintpots are acid sulfate springs, one of three different types of thermal features in Yellowstone. 

Monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano for September 1, 2022

Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone volcano in this monthly update for September 1, 2022.

Monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano for August 1, 2022 from Mammoth Hot Springs

Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone in this monthly update for August 1, 2022. 

Monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano for July 2022

Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone volcano in this monthly update for July 1, 2022. 

YVO monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano for June 2022

This monthly video update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano comes to you from Mammoth Hot Springs, in Yellowstone National Park, where the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory consortium had its first face-to-face meeting in four years.

YVO monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano, May 1, 2022

Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, talks about Yellowstone’s recent earthquakes, trends in ground deformation, and Steamboat Geyser activity in this video update of May 1, 2022.

Monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano (April 1, 2022)

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Scientist-in-Charge Mike Poland talks about a recent earthquake swarm in Yellowstone National Park, trends in ground deformation, and water eruptions at Steamboat Geyser, in this video update of recent activity (April 1, 2022).

Monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano for March 2022

Happy 150th birthday to Yellowstone National Park! The Park is truly a wonderland, and a place of continuous inspiration and learning. Listen, as Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Scientist-in-Charge Mike Poland recounts some of its unique history and provides an update of recent earthquakes, ground deformation, and geyser activity.

Monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano for Jan 2022

This monthly update from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory begins with a story.

Recap of Yellowstone's 2021 activity and December's monthly update

Before we get into what happened during the month of December 2021, let’s review what happened at Yellowstone over the past year.

Yellowstone's ups and downs explained in this monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano (December 1, 2021)

Some people have characterized the seasonal rise and fall of Yellowstone as being like breathing. During the summer there is a little pause in the overall trend of subsidence and sometimes even a short episode of slight uplift. The trend reverses in early winter.

PubTalk-11/2021: Busting Myths About One of the Largest Volcanic Systems in the World - The Top 10 Misconceptions about Yellowstone Volcanism

Busting Myths About One of the Largest Volcanic Systems in the World - The Top 10 Misconceptions about Yellowstone Volcanism

By Michael Poland, USGS Scientist-in-charge, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory

November (2021) Yellowstone Volcano

The November 2021 YVO Yellowstone Volcano update comes to you from a very snowy Norris Geyser Basin with a story about Porkchop Geyser’s 1989 explosion.

Monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano for June 2021

From the boardwalk near Echinus Geyser (the largest acid geyser in the world), Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Scientist-in-Charge Mike Poland provides an update on activity in Yellowstone during the month of June. The Yellowstone Seismic Network located 445 earthquakes in the Yellowstone National Park region.

Monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano for July 2021

During July, Yellowstone caught everyone’s attention with 1,000+ earthquakes located in seven distinct earthquake swarms. The largest swarm occurred beneath Yellowstone Lake and had 764 earthquakes, the largest of which was a Magnitude 3.6.

Yellowstone Volcano Update for August 2021

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory scientist-in-charge Mike Poland tells the story behind the color change of Morning Glory Pool and shows how to recognize seasonal changes in ground deformation data in this September 1, 2021 video update of volcano and earthquake activity at Yellowstone Volcano.

Monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano for October 2021

Yellowstone’s semi-permanent GPS sensors head home for the winter.

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: June 3, 2019

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone during the month of May, 2019.
 

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: July 1, 2019

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone during the month of June, 2019.
 

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: August 1, 2019

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone during the month of July 2019.

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: September 3, 2019

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone during the month of August 2019.
 

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: October 1, 2019

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone during the month of September 2019.
 

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: November 1, 2019

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone during the month of October 2019
 

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: December 2, 2019

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone during the month of November 2019.

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: January 2, 2020

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone during 2019, with an emphasis on the month of December.

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: February 3, 2020

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone during January 2020.

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: March 2, 2020

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone during February 2020.
 

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: April 1, 2020

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone during March 2020.
 

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: May 1, 2020

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone during April 2020.
 

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: June 1, 2020

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone during May 2020.
 

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: July 1, 2020

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone during June 2020.
 

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: August 1, 2020

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone during July 2020.
 

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: September 1, 2020

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone during August 2020.
 

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: October 1, 2020

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone during September 2020.
 

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update for October 2020

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone during October 2020.
 

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update for November 2020

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone during November 2020.
 

The story of Yellowstone's ups and downs

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Scientist-in-Charge Mike Poland visits Yellowstone National Park to tell the story of how the ground there moves up and down over time. This motion has been measured using a variety of techniques over the past 100 years, and from geological mapping scientists can even tell how the ground has moved going back about 15,000 years!

Yellowstone Volcano Observ: Overview, Monitoring, Hazards, Results

Just what is the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory? In this video, Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of YVO, gives an overview of the institutions that make up the Observatory, how YVO monitors volcano and earthquake activity at Yellowstone, the geologic hazards of the region, and some of the noteworthy new results and observations from YVO scientists.
 

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update for December 2020

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, provides an overview of activity at Yellowstone during December 2020.
 

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update for January 2021

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone Volcano during January 2021.
 

"Not all eruptions are Armageddon" - Yellowstone Update for March 2021

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, debunks the misconception that if Yellowstone were to erupt, it would be Armageddon. In fact, the most common form of eruptive activity at Yellowstone is a lava flow, and even those aren't that common. They happen only once every few tens of thousands of years.

YVO Update: Activity at Yellowstone and Volcanoes of Desert Southwest

There are thousands of volcanic features distributed throughout the southwest United States, which are grouped together in volcanic fields. The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory monitors these volcanoes using a combination of techniques.

YVO Update of Activity at Yellowstone and Plans for Summer Fieldwork

It's May, the snow is melting and the roads are mostly open, so it's time for geologists, geophysicist and geochemists to head into Yellowstone to start projects they have been planning for the last several months. Next week, a field team will deploy a temporary GPS network to help “densify” the network of continuous GPS stations already in place.

YVO monthly activity update from rim of Yellowstone's Grand Canyon!

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory scientist-in-charge Mike Poland provides the YVO monthly update from the rim of Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon. The V-shaped gorge tells an amazing geologic story. About half a million years ago, a large rhyolite lava flow erupted. Over time, hot water and gases heated by the magma chamber rose through faults in the lava flow.