Yellowstone News and Information

  NEWS RELEASE Biologists to begin 2024 grizzly and black bear captures for research purposes in Yellowstone National Park Public reminded to heed warning signs Grizzly bear near Roaring Mountain NPS / A. Falgoust News Release Date:  April 24, 2024 BOZEMAN, MT - As part of ongoing grizzly bear and black bear research and management efforts and as required under the Endangered Species Act to monitor the population in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the U.S. Geological Survey, in conjunction with the National Park Service, is working to inform the public that scientific capture operations are once again about to begin within Yellowstone National Park. Biologists with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) and Yellowstone National Park will begin field captures on May 1 and continue through Oct. 31. None of the trap sites in the park will be located near established hiking trails or backcountry campsites, and all trap sites will have posted warnings for the closure perimeter.

Acknowledging Annie: How research and monitoring get done in Yellowstone 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. Better knowledge of Yellowstone’s past volcanism and current behavior is key for understanding the potential for  future hazardous activity, like volcanic eruptions, strong earthquakes and hydrothermal explosions .  Data collection, however, must be balanced against the impact on Yellowstone National Park,  much of which is managed as a wilderness . Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Annie Carlson, Research Permitting Coordinator for Yellowstone National Park during 2017–2023. National Park Service photo by Jake Frank, May 2022. Scientists can’t simply install a seismometer or collect a rock sample wherever they want without consi

Yellowstone Lake Water Levels Can Tell Us More than You Might Think A relatively simple measurement—lake level—has yielded big dividends in Yellowstone. By tracking the level of Yellowstone Lake over time, it is possible to understand more about a range of subjects, from the hydrology of stream flow to the physical properties of the magma reservoir beneath Yellowstone Caldera! Yellowstone  Caldera  Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week's contribution is from Scott K. Johnson, Science Communication Associate the EarthScope Consortium. The strongest Yellowstone Lake seiche wave (primary mode) has a 78-minute period, but other weaker seiche waves are also present simultaneously. The importance of tide gauges is apparent to anyone who has lived near a coastline, but there are a host of reasons to measure the water level of inland water bodies, too. Sometimes that’s to monitor water cycle trends, like drou

The Grand Story of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone 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. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is a natural wonder that almost defies description.  The reaction of explorer Charles Cook when he first viewed the canyon in 1869 seems appropriate: “ I sat there in amazement, while my companions came up, and after that, it seemed to me that it was five minutes before anyone spoke. ” Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, photographed during a helicopter flyover on August 19, 2019. Stretching from the  Lower Falls to the Tower Falls area , the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is about 28 km (17 miles) long, 250–350 meters (820–1150 feet) d

The melting roads of Yellowstone National Park  Perhaps you’ve heard the legend of the melting roads in Yellowstone National Park.  The rumor is based in truth but, as you might expect, badly misrepresented.  It has nothing to do with potential volcanic activity; rather, thermal ground and asphalt don’t play well together and pose a considerable challenge for road maintenance and engineering. 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. No doubt you’ve heard the story—roads have melted in Yellowstone National Park, which is supposedly evidence that the region is “heating up” and that a volcanic eruption is imminent.  This story gained a lot of traction in 2014—that was the year of a magnitude-4.8 earthquake (the largest to have occurred in Y

  Could Yellowstone National Park erupt soon?

Statement from Yellowstone National Park Lead Fisheries Biologist Todd Koel about Montana FWP’s announcement of the smallmouth bass found in the Gardner River, north of Yellowstone National Park                     Smallmouth bass                         USFWS / Eric Engbretson News Release Date:  March 9, 2022 Contact:   Morgan Warthin , (307) 344-2015 “Smallmouth bass are an invasive predatory species that will threaten our wild and native trout populations if they become established in the upper Yellowstone River. Since anglers are highly effective at suppressing invasive fish in waters where they coexist with native species such as cutthroat trout, they will be required to kill and report any smallmouth bass caught in Yellowstone National Park when the fishing season opens Memorial Day weekend. Additionally, Yellowstone National Park and USGS biologists will be sampling the Gardner and Yellowstone rivers, upstream of where the invasive smallmouth bass was caught. Over the next few

  Arsenic in Yellowstone’s thermal waters Release Date: December 6, 2021 Yellowstone’s thermal waters are more than just hot—they also contain a variety of elements, some of which are potentially toxic!  Arsenic is an example, but the concentrations of this element depend on the style of the thermal feature.  Perhaps paradoxically, acidic thermal features contain much less arsenic than neutral ones! Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week's contribution is from Blaine McCleskey, research chemist with the U.S. Geological Survey. Photograph of the Old Faithful Geyser erupting in Yellowstone National Park. Waters from Old Faithful contain arsenic concentrations of about 1,500 µg/L. Arsenic is a geogenic, or naturally occurring, chemical element in surface- and groundwaters that is of great public-health concern. Thermal

  USGS Issues Update on Earthquake Swarm West of Yellowstone in Idaho             USGS Photo  

  The largest landslide in the world Release Date: November 22, 2021 Yellowstone is well-known as one of the largest volcanic systems in the world. Few people know, however, that the largest-known subaerial landslide on Earth is located just next door. Map of the Heart Mountain slide block. From Mitchell et al., 2015 (" Catastrophic emplacement of giant landslides aided by thermal decomposition: Heart Mountain, Wyoming ."  Earth and Planetary Science Letters  411: 199-207), modified from Anders et al. (2010). Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week's contribution is from Annie Carlson, Research Coordinator at the Yellowstone Center for Resources, Yellowstone National Park. Among the geologic hazards in the Yellowstone region, you may be familiar with the possibility of earthquakes, hydrothermal explosions, and vo