Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
= Yellowstone National Park
= Caldera
Yellowstone Monthly Update
Tuesday, May 01, 2012 2:42 PM MDT
Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL
Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN
Tuesday, May 01, 2012 2:42 PM MDT
Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL
Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN
The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory provides timely monitoring and hazard assessment of volcanic, hydrothermal, and earthquake activity in the Yellowstone Plateau region.
Features
(archive)
Quick Links
YVO Website Gets a New Look!
May 11, 2012
Welcome to the newly redesigned Yellowstone Volcano Observatory website! The new layout includes improvements to our multimedia display, monitoring data, and hazards information.
New Features:
Yellowstone Region Internet Mapping Service Now Available
March 27, 2012
The USGS now hosts a new geology information internet map service for the Yellowstone Plateau area. This useful tool was created by the Wyoming State Geological Survey (WSGS), with funding from the USGS through an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act cooperative agreement. The internet map service and accompanying geological data server can be used by scientists, land managers and anyone wishing to learn more about the geology of Yellowstone. Based around the 2001 Geological Map of the Yellowstone Plateau Area by Robert Christiansen (USGS) the ARC GIS service delivers geologic maps, topographic bases, and information on trails, roads, thermal areas, and a variety of other features. It also lists monitoring infrastructure and can take the user to the relevant real-time seismic or deformation data. The map server is also available via the Wyoming State Geological Survey, and most of the related data can be obtained through their website.
Here are some questions you can answer with the Yellowstone IMS:
Surface Displacements in Yellowstone Catalogued
March 26, 2012
USGS geologist Dan Dzurisin and coauthors recently completed a long-term compilation of geodetic data from Yellowstone, summarizing data campaigns to constrain uplift and subsidence cycles in the Yellowstone Caldera with techniques including leveling surveys, GPS stations and InSAR. Dzurisin and colleagues discuss various models to explain the remarkable dynamism of the caldera with its frequent alternating cycles of movement. They conclude that uplift and subsidence are controlled by a complex interplay of deep input of basaltic magma, degassing and crystallization of the overlying rhyolite, and fluid transport out of the caldera toward the north. The entire report is available online, which includes a web-based archive of geodetic benchmarks used for the GPS and leveling studies.
Tiny Bubbles in the Noise
January 10, 2012
May 11, 2012
Welcome to the newly redesigned Yellowstone Volcano Observatory website! The new layout includes improvements to our multimedia display, monitoring data, and hazards information.
New Features:
- Monitoring data is displayed as an interactive map
- Webcam images are located in Multimedia and on the monitoring map
- Hazards information is more detailed
- Frequently Asked Questions are organized by category
- Image Galleries are added for easy image browsing
Yellowstone Region Internet Mapping Service Now Available
March 27, 2012
The USGS now hosts a new geology information internet map service for the Yellowstone Plateau area. This useful tool was created by the Wyoming State Geological Survey (WSGS), with funding from the USGS through an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act cooperative agreement. The internet map service and accompanying geological data server can be used by scientists, land managers and anyone wishing to learn more about the geology of Yellowstone. Based around the 2001 Geological Map of the Yellowstone Plateau Area by Robert Christiansen (USGS) the ARC GIS service delivers geologic maps, topographic bases, and information on trails, roads, thermal areas, and a variety of other features. It also lists monitoring infrastructure and can take the user to the relevant real-time seismic or deformation data. The map server is also available via the Wyoming State Geological Survey, and most of the related data can be obtained through their website.
Here are some questions you can answer with the Yellowstone IMS:
- What geological units will my hike pass through?
- How many earthquakes have occurred at Yellowstone so far this year?
- Was the latest earthquake located near the caldera boundary?
- Where are thermal areas found in the Central Plateau?
- Where does high resolution topographic data (LiDAR) exist at Yellowstone?
- What is the closest seismometer to my hotel/home/campsite?
Surface Displacements in Yellowstone Catalogued
March 26, 2012
USGS geologist Dan Dzurisin and coauthors recently completed a long-term compilation of geodetic data from Yellowstone, summarizing data campaigns to constrain uplift and subsidence cycles in the Yellowstone Caldera with techniques including leveling surveys, GPS stations and InSAR. Dzurisin and colleagues discuss various models to explain the remarkable dynamism of the caldera with its frequent alternating cycles of movement. They conclude that uplift and subsidence are controlled by a complex interplay of deep input of basaltic magma, degassing and crystallization of the overlying rhyolite, and fluid transport out of the caldera toward the north. The entire report is available online, which includes a web-based archive of geodetic benchmarks used for the GPS and leveling studies.
Tiny Bubbles in the Noise
January 10, 2012
USGS scientist Phil Dawson and colleagues have applied a novel research approach to voice recognition software. In their January 2012 paper, published in Geophysical Research Letters, they utilize this software to discover that background seismic activity in geyser basins can be intimately linked to daily cycles of heating and cooling. For more information read the web article in the Yellowstone volcano earthquake monitoring section.
Publications
Featured Articles
Internet Mapping Service
Yellowstone Volcanic History
Yellowstone Hazards
University of Utah Seismographs
University of Utah Research Group
Images, Podcasts, Videos, and Webcams
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick Facts
Location: Wyoming and Montana
Latitude: 44.615° N
Longitude: 110.6° W
Elevation: 2,805 (m) 9,203 (f)
Volcano type: Supervolcano
Composition: basalt to rhyolite
Most recent eruption: 70,000 years ago—lava, current—hydrothermal explosions
Featured Articles
Internet Mapping Service
Yellowstone Volcanic History
Yellowstone Hazards
University of Utah Seismographs
University of Utah Research Group
Images, Podcasts, Videos, and Webcams
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick Facts
Location: Wyoming and Montana
Latitude: 44.615° N
Longitude: 110.6° W
Elevation: 2,805 (m) 9,203 (f)
Volcano type: Supervolcano
Composition: basalt to rhyolite
Most recent eruption: 70,000 years ago—lava, current—hydrothermal explosions