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Vegetation history based on pollen records from three small lakes on different geological substrates in Yellowstone National
Vegetation history based on pollen records from three small lakes on different geological substrates in Yellowstone National Park
Vegetation history based on pollen records from three small lakes on different geological substrates in Yellowstone National Park
Vegetation history based on pollen records from three small lakes on different geological substrates in Yellowstone National Park

Vegetation history based on pollen records from three small lakes on different geological substrates in Yellowstone National Park.   Blue is open vegetation, light green is parkland, dark green is forest.  Top plot is from Slough Creek Pond, in a present grassland area dominated by glacial and lake sediment in the northeast part of Yellowstone Nationa

Vegetation history based on pollen records from three small lakes on different geological substrates in Yellowstone National Park.   Blue is open vegetation, light green is parkland, dark green is forest.  Top plot is from Slough Creek Pond, in a present grassland area dominated by glacial and lake sediment in the northeast part of Yellowstone Nationa

Three-panel figure showing scrubland vegetation (left), conifers (center), and lodgepole pines (right)
Modern vegetation on different geological substrates in Yellowstone
Modern vegetation on different geological substrates in Yellowstone
Modern vegetation on different geological substrates in Yellowstone

Modern vegetation on different geological substrates in Yellowstone.  Left: steppe/grassland on glacial clay found in places like Lamar and Hayden Valleys.  Center: Mixed conifer forest in the Absaroka andesite volcanic field in the eastern part of Yellowstone National Park.  Right: Lodgepole pine forest on Central Plateau rhyolite (hydrothermal grass

Modern vegetation on different geological substrates in Yellowstone.  Left: steppe/grassland on glacial clay found in places like Lamar and Hayden Valleys.  Center: Mixed conifer forest in the Absaroka andesite volcanic field in the eastern part of Yellowstone National Park.  Right: Lodgepole pine forest on Central Plateau rhyolite (hydrothermal grass

View of Mount Adams from a distance, scientists installing a monitoring station, and map where earthquakes have occurred.
Update on seismic activity at Mount Adams from September 2024 to early November 2024
Update on seismic activity at Mount Adams from September 2024 to early November 2024
Update on seismic activity at Mount Adams from September 2024 to early November 2024

Volcanoes tend to have seismicity that waxes and wanes over time. That’s considered normal and not necessarily a cause for concern. Let’s check on Mount Adams to see what USGS scientists are doing to learn more about its recent earthquake activity and what it could mean for this Cascade Range volcano.

Volcanoes tend to have seismicity that waxes and wanes over time. That’s considered normal and not necessarily a cause for concern. Let’s check on Mount Adams to see what USGS scientists are doing to learn more about its recent earthquake activity and what it could mean for this Cascade Range volcano.

Graphic showing how InSAR detects ground deformation
Graphic showing how InSAR detects ground deformation
Graphic showing how InSAR detects ground deformation
Graphic showing how InSAR detects ground deformation

Graphic showing how InSAR detects ground deformation by measuring changes in the signal that bounces off the Earth. Figure by the EarthScope Consortium.

Graphic showing how InSAR detects ground deformation by measuring changes in the signal that bounces off the Earth. Figure by the EarthScope Consortium.

Bathymetric map of the West Thumb Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Bathymetric map of the West Thumb Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Bathymetric map of the West Thumb Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Bathymetric map of the West Thumb Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Bathymetric map of the West Thumb Basin showing numerous mapped active or inactive hydrothermal vent sites (small white circles) and sampled hot springs (white stars or larger white circles) and sediment cores (yellow diamonds).  The white-black line represents the 160,000-year-old West Thumb Caldera margin.  West Thumb Geyser Basin is near the southern en

Bathymetric map of the West Thumb Basin showing numerous mapped active or inactive hydrothermal vent sites (small white circles) and sampled hot springs (white stars or larger white circles) and sediment cores (yellow diamonds).  The white-black line represents the 160,000-year-old West Thumb Caldera margin.  West Thumb Geyser Basin is near the southern en

Plot showing frequency of rhyolite eruptions in the Yellowstone region over the past 1.3 million years
Schematic summary of rhyolite eruptions in the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field over the past 1.3 million years
Schematic summary of rhyolite eruptions in the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field over the past 1.3 million years
Schematic summary of rhyolite eruptions in the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field over the past 1.3 million years

Schematic summary of rhyolite eruptions in the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field over the past 1.3 million years. Smaller rhyolite eruptions are known intracaldera eruptions, meaning they occurred within existing caldera structures. Additional rhyolite eruptions that occurred outside the caldera are not included in the figure.

Schematic summary of rhyolite eruptions in the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field over the past 1.3 million years. Smaller rhyolite eruptions are known intracaldera eruptions, meaning they occurred within existing caldera structures. Additional rhyolite eruptions that occurred outside the caldera are not included in the figure.

Videos

Biscuit Basin Update, Hydrothermal Explosion on July 23, 2024 Biscuit Basin Hydrothermal Explosion Update (Yellowstone Monthly Update — October 2024)
Biscuit Basin Hydrothermal Explosion Update (Yellowstone Monthly Update — October 2024)
Biscuit Basin Hydrothermal Explosion Update (Yellowstone Monthly Update — October 2024)

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

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

Update Biscuit Basin Biscuit Basin Update; 65th Anniversary — M7.3 Hebgen Lake Quake (Yellowstone Monthly Update - Aug 2024)
Biscuit Basin Update; 65th Anniversary — M7.3 Hebgen Lake Quake (Yellowstone Monthly Update - Aug 2024)
Biscuit Basin Update; 65th Anniversary — M7.3 Hebgen Lake Quake (Yellowstone Monthly Update - Aug 2024)

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. 
 

Man smirks with "Volcanoes in Kansas?" on top of a U.S. map with volcanic eruption in the background. Kansas covered in ash? Yellowstone's aftermath (Yellowstone Volcano Update - March 2024)
Kansas covered in ash? Yellowstone's aftermath (Yellowstone Volcano Update - March 2024)
Kansas covered in ash? Yellowstone's aftermath (Yellowstone Volcano Update - March 2024)

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. 

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. 

Whisper or Roar? No more secrets Whisper or Roar? No More Secrets (Yellowstone Volcano Update - Feb 2024)
Whisper or Roar? No More Secrets (Yellowstone Volcano Update - Feb 2024)
Whisper or Roar? No More Secrets (Yellowstone Volcano Update - Feb 2024)

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.

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.

Steamboat. Losing Steam? Steamboat: Losing steam?
Steamboat: Losing steam?
Steamboat: Losing steam?

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? 

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? 

View of steep lava mountain with title text and description. Lava Onion? Lava flows - peeling back the layers (Yellowstone Volcano Update - November 2023)
Lava Onion? Lava flows - peeling back the layers (Yellowstone Volcano Update - November 2023)
Lava Onion? Lava flows - peeling back the layers (Yellowstone Volcano Update - November 2023)

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?

Webcams

Webcam image view of volcano flank
[HLcam] Live Image of Mauna Loa's northwest flank from Hualālai volcano
[HLcam] Live Image of Mauna Loa's northwest flank from Hualālai volcano
[HLcam] Live Image of Mauna Loa's northwest flank from Hualālai volcano

Live view of the northwest flank of Mauna Loa; the view is from the southeast flank of Hualālai [HLcam]. This camera is a pan-tilt-zoom model and the view may change depending on activity.

Live view of the northwest flank of Mauna Loa; the view is from the southeast flank of Hualālai [HLcam]. This camera is a pan-tilt-zoom model and the view may change depending on activity.

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