Yellowstone News and Information

Anticipating where future thermal areas may develop in Yellowstone National Park By  Yellowstone Volcano Observatory   May 5, 2025 Yellowstone contains about 120 thermal areas that collectively are home to more than 10,000 thermal features, like hot springs and geysers. The exact number and location of these thermal areas is always changing, begging the question—where will future thermal areas develop? Yellowstone  Caldera  Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week's contribution is from Stanley Mordensky, geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. Media Sources/Usage: Public Domain.  View Media Details Aerial view of the new  thermal  area, in the center left. The existing Tern Lake thermal area is the bright white patch of ground in the upper middle part of the image. West Tern Lake is in the lower right. Research conducted under NPS Geology Programs Milestones Permit 2016-...

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 Why Study Geysers?

  The day that Porkchop Geyser exploded Release Date: June 28, 2021 Small hydrothermal explosions—steam blasts—are common at Yellowstone, occurring every year or two.  Most happen in the backcountry and are not observed by people.  In 1989, however, Porkchop Geyser blew up right in front of several observers on an otherwise sunny September afternoon. Yellowstone  Caldera  Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week's contribution is from Michael Poland, geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey and Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. Sources/Usage: Public Domain.  View Media Details Porkchop Geyser erupting in August 1989. Norris Geyser Basin  is one of the most unique parts of Yellowstone National Park.  The basin hosts  both acidic and neutral hot springs —a somewhat unusual combination—is ...

Yellowstone's biggest geyser goes off in a big way

  Travertine: Yellowstone’s Hydrothermal Timekeeper Release Date: May 24, 2021 Standing on the boardwalk next to any of Yellowstone’s hot, steamy, vigorously bubbling hot springs, mud pots, fumaroles, or geysers, you may be struck by the sheer amount of energy that powers this system, night and day. But how long have these features been active?  To address this question, geologists can turn to the “clock” that is frozen within hydrothermal travertine deposits. Yellowstone  Caldera  Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week's contribution is from Lauren Harrison, a postdoctoral researcher with the U.S. Geological Survey. Travertine is a form of limestone composed of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are both made of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ). In contrast to limestones that are formed in the ocean from the shells of tiny plankton a...

  A do-it-yourself guide for estimating the height of geyser eruptions