Yellowstone News and Information

USGS Caldera Chronicles The 1959 Madison Slide, Part 2: Recovery and remediation Y ellowstone  Caldera  Chronicles is a w eekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week's contribution is from Mike Stickney, Director of the Earthquake Studies Office at the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology. The  August 17, 1959, M7.3 Hebgen Lake earthquake  caused incredible devastation throughout the greater Yellowstone region, and one of the most consequential impacts was the  Madison Slide , which blocked the Madison River just west of Yellowstone National Park in Madison Canyon. Immediately after the slide occurred, the river began backing up behind the  debris dam , flooding the canyon and forming what today is known as Earthquake Lake. Without intervention, this lake would have eventually overtopped the debris dam, potentially unleashing a flood that could have destroyed the town of Ennis, Montana, and other dow...

USGS Caldera Chronicles The 1959 Madison Slide, Part 1: A deadly consequence of the Hebgen Lake Earthquake As the ground started shaking due to the 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake, a mountain in Madison Canyon collapsed, devastating the area and causing numerous fatalities. The effects of that landslide are still evident today. Yellowstone   Caldera   Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week's contribution is from Mike Stickney, Director of the Earthquake Studies Office at the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology. Sources/Usage: Public Domain.   View Media Details View of the Madison Slide on August 21, 1959 with rapidly filling Earthquake Lake. Rock Creek Campground was near the flooded trees. Camping gear was left behind by survivors who sought high ground following the slide. Photo by Professor William B. Hall, Montana School of Mines Geology Department. The landscape of the greater Yellowstone r...