The science of the “X-ray vision” that reveals the magma beneath Yellowstone
A number of studies have given us fascinating images showing Yellowstone’s magma reservoirs. But how are those images created?
View ArticleThe lasting contributions of Yellowstone National Park naturalist George Marler
Ranger naturalist George D. Marler meticulously documented changes in hydrothermal activity in the geyser basins of Yellowstone National Park for more than three decades in the mid-20th century. His...
View ArticleAn Electromagnetic View of How Magma is Stored beneath Yellowstone
How can lightning and solar storms be used to map magma beneath Yellowstone? Through magnetotelluric imaging, which provides information about the amounts and locations of melt in the subsurface!
View ArticleResearchers map rates of change in invasive annual grass cover and...
The continued proliferation of invasive annual grasses could re-shape ecosystems by diminishing native vegetation and increasing the spread and consequences of wildland fires. This manuscript describes...
View ArticleSixty-seven years and still digging! A brief history of the USGS Benchmark...
Title: Sixty-seven years and still digging! A brief history of the USGS Benchmark Glacier Project to kick off the International Year of Glaciers’ PreservationDate: January 10, 2025, at 2:00-2:30 pm...
View ArticleLooking back on geological activity in Yellowstone during 2024
The year 2024 will rightly be remembered for the well-documented explosion at Biscuit Basin. But that wasn’t the only geological activity of note that occurred in the Yellowstone region during the year…
View ArticleWhat did Yellowstone look like before it became Wonderland?
Yellowstone has been a site of persistent volcanic activity for over 2 million years. But what did the region look like before the volcanoes started to erupt?
View ArticleSo, when will the next eruption at Yellowstone happen?
Geologists from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory are often asked to estimate how likely future eruptions are at Yellowstone, but it’s no walk in the national park.
View ArticleNew research estimates the effectiveness of sagebrush restoration treatments...
Restoration of the imperiled sagebrush biome will require tools that assist resource managers in determining which restoration practices are most effective, and when and where restoration efforts will...
View ArticleUSGS awards $2.5 million to state geological surveys for mine waste projects
RESTON, Va. – The U.S. Geological Survey announced today it has awarded approximately $2.5 million from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for mine waste characterization and inventory...
View ArticleNew study seeks to shed light on earthquake hazards in the Gallatin Range
Earthquakes that rupture the ground surface leave behind the telltale signature of fault scarps, which provide clues about seismic activity in the geologic past. A new study focused on scarps along the...
View ArticleBipartisan Infrastructure Law to fund critical mineral mapping across...
RESTON, Va. – The U.S. Geological Survey has announced it will invest approximately $4.2 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to collect high-resolution geophysical data focused on areas...
View ArticleQuartz crystals record cooling of deposits from super eruptions
What did the Yellowstone landscape look like after one of its large caldera-forming eruptions? Clues from crystals suggest it might have resembled Alaska after an eruption there in 1912.
View ArticleYellowstone thermal features, from Apollinaris to Zomar
With over 10,000 thermal features, Yellowstone is covered from A to Z. Well, almost…
View ArticleMedia Alert: Low-level helicopter flights to image geology over parts of...
Editor: In the public interest and in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the USGS is announcing this low-level airborne project. Your assistance in informing the local...
View ArticleSolving the mystery of the “Pearlette volcanic ash”
The Yellowstone volcanic system is known for its ash-flow tuffs—thick, compressed ash deposits from caldera-forming eruptions. But thinner ash beds from these eruptions were also deposited across the...
View ArticleEarthquake focal mechanisms – life’s a beach(ball)
What does a beachball have to do with an earthquake? Turns out, beachballs are key to understanding the characteristics of the fault that slipped to cause the earthquake!
View ArticleThe YVO 2023 Annual Report has hit the streets!
Want to know the number and pattern of earthquakes that occurred in the Yellowstone region in 2023? Or what interesting new geyser activity took place that year? The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory’s...
View ArticleIs Yellowstone overrated? As a disaster movie subject, maybe…
Many people regard Yellowstone as an exceptional place that merits only positive superlatives. But in much of the broadcast, streaming, and popular media it has an outsized reputation as a global...
View ArticleUnpacking the legacy of water chemistry research in Yellowstone National...
The record of water chemistry data in Yellowstone predates the development of the pH (acidity) scale! These data are a testament to numerous researchers who have contributed their expertise over...
View Article
