Images

Plot of size versus annual probability for hydrothermal explosion craters in Yellowstone National Park. The line is a model based on the energy required to form a crater of a specific size, and it is fit to known hydrothermal explosion craters in Yellowstone National Park.

Graph showing explosions recorded at Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, during 2006 through 2016. Confirmed events refer to eruptions that were witnessed, recorded by temperature loggers, or inferred from their aftermath. Unconfirmed events refer to eruptions that were questionable or might have been misattributed to Black Diamond.

(A) Photomicrograph of a quartz-hosted embayment from the Mesa Falls Tuff. “MI” indicates a glassy inclusion of melt within the crystal. (B) Thickness (in centimeters) and extent of the Mesa Falls ash flow deposit (pink areas) and its source, Henrys Fork Caldera (dashed line).  Figure by Kenneth Befus, University of Texas at Austin.

(A) Water distribution in a quartz-hosted embayment measured with synchrotron Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy. Warmer colors indicate higher concentrations of water.  Dashed line shows a transect of water content that is modeled in panel (B) to indicate that the emplacement temperature of the ash flow deposit must have been about 500 °C (930 °F).

This boulder is the largest that is confirmed to have been part of the July 23, 2024, hydrothermal explosion from Black Diamond Pool, Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park.  The tape measure is 50 centimeters (20 inches) long.  Black Diamond Pool and a boardwalk are in the background.

High-resolution Planet satellite image of Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, from July 24, 2024.  The image shows changes that occurred as a result of the July 23, 2024, hydrothermal explosion from Black Diamond Pool, including deposition of material in the vicinity of the pool and a plume of discolored water in the Forehole River.

Aerial view of Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, showing debris deposited by the July 23, 2024, hydrothermal explosion from Black Diamond Pool.  Major features are labeled.  The main debris field (within dashed yellow line) has a gray appearance.  Photo taken by Joe Bueter, Yellowstone National Park, on July 23, 2024.

High-resolution Planet satellite image of Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, from July 21, 2024.  This work utilized data made available through the NASA Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) Program.  Data are copyright, Planet Labs Inc. 2024, all rights reserved.
 

Map of major thermal features in Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park.  Base map from Google Earth

This animation shows a map of of Yellowstone seismicity by year from 2017 through 2023.  Earthquakes are red circles, with the circle size indicating earthquake magnitude.  Gray lines are roads, black dashed line shows the caldera boundary, Yellowstone National Park is outlined by black dot-dashed line, and gray dashed lines denote state boundaries.

Infographic giving earthquake, deformation, thermal emission, and geyser statistics for the Yellowstone region for the year 2023.  The graphic accompanies the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2023 annual report, freely available online athttps://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/cir1524.

Front cover of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2023 annual report, which includes a summary of earthquake, deformation, and geyser activity, as well as research investigations and other information. The report is freely available online athttps://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/cir1524.

Site of April 15, 2024, hydrothermal explosion on Porcelain Terrace, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park.  The small crater and disrupted ground are in silica sinter deposits that formed in the past two years, since water has been flowing from the terrace into Nuphar Lake (off photo to right), and angular fragments of ejecta on top of the sinter are

Total electron content (TEC) data—a measure of activity in the ionosphere—at three GPS stations in Yellowstone. Each line color is a measurement using a different satellite passing overhead. Note how the data are steady until the evening of May 10, 2024, when the signals start to fluctuate wildly due to the arrival of the Coronal Mass Ejection.

Seismic and infrasound data for the April 15, 2024, hydrothermal explosion on Porcelain Terrace at Norris Geyser Basin.  Top plot is seismic data from the YNM station, located at the Norris Geyser Basin Museum.  Middle plot is seismic data from station YNB, in the Ragged Hills of Norris Geyser Basin. Bottom plot is infrasound data from station YNB.&nb

History of travertine deposition in Yellowstone caldera and correlation with past climate conditions. a) The age of travertine samples (based on the U-²³⁰Th geochronometer) from Old Hillside Springs, Hillside Springs, North Hillside Springs, and Morning Glory in Upper Geyser Basin and from Firehole Lake in Lower Geyser Basin.

Schematic illustrating the conditions under which some travertine forms in Yellowstone caldera.

Plots showing the number of water samples collected over time (top) and by location (bottom) in the Yellowstone region since the late 1800s. Yellowstone’s archive of water-chemistry research data is a mosaic of scientific progress, built with the work of hundreds of people over more than a century and still growing today.

Plot showing the total geothermal radiant power output from Yellowstone’s thermal areas based on Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 thermal infrared images from 2014 to 2024.  Only data from clear, nighttime, wintertime (November through March) dates were used.  The results indicate that there has been no significant change over the last 10 years.

High-resolution satellite images of Norris Geyser Basin showing the area of Porcelain Basin and Nuphar Lake in April 2024.  In the left image, acquired on April 2, 2024, springs on Porcelain Terrace are full of water, and warm hydrothermal water is flowing into Nuphar Lake, keeping the north part of the lake free of ice.  Boardwalks in the area appear as w

Melt inclusions (<50 micrometers in diameter) in a quartz crystal from the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff, erupted 2.1 million years ago. Photomicrograph taken by Behnaz Hosseini at Montana State University.