Newest Volcano Notice Including Yellowstone

YELLOWSTONE VOLCANO OBSERVATORY MONTHLY UPDATE
U.S. Geological Survey
Monday, March 2, 2026, 10:59 AM MST (Monday, March 2, 2026, 17:59 UTC)

YELLOWSTONE (VNUM #325010)
44°25'48" N 110°40'12" W, Summit Elevation 9203 ft (2805 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL
Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN

Summary

Yellowstone Caldera activity remains at background levels, with 74 located earthquakes in February (largest = M2.4). Deformation measurements indicate a pause in the uplift that had been occurring along the north caldera rim since July 2025. In Norris Geyser Basin, Steamboat Geyser erupted on February 27, and Echinus Geyser erupted about 40 times during the month—the first eruptions of the geyser since 2020.

Recent Work and News

Steamboat Geyser, in Norris Geyser Basin, erupted on February 27 at about 7:01 p.m. MST—its first eruption of 2026. Also in Norris Geyser Basin, Echinus Geyser erupted about 40 times between February 7 and February 24. The geyser’s most recent previous eruptions were in December 2020. No eruptions were detected at Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin, site of a hydrothermal explosion in 2024.

Seismicity

During February 2026, the University of Utah Seismograph Stations, responsible for the operation and analysis of the Yellowstone Seismic Network, located 74 earthquakes in the Yellowstone National Park region. The largest event of the month was a microearthquake of magnitude 2.4 located about 12 miles north of Pahaska Tepee, Wyoming, on February 24 at 1:11 a.m. MST.

February seismicity in Yellowstone was marked by a swarm of 12 earthquakes that occurred approximately 6 miles north of West Yellowstone, Montana, during February 7–8. The largest earthquake in the sequence was a magnitude 2.2 event on February 7 at 1:07 a.m. MST.

Earthquake activity in Yellowstone is at background levels.

Ground Deformation

Continuous GPS stations indicate a pause in the uplift that had been occurring on the north caldera rim to the south of Norris Geyser Basin. The uplift started in July 2025 but ceased by mid-January 2026. In Yellowstone Caldera, continuous GPS data indicated subsidence, although results from the latter part of February are ambiguous due to the impacts of heavy snow and winter weather conditions that disrupted the GPS signal.

An example of GPS data can be found at http://www.unavco.org/instrumentation/networks/status/pbo/data/NRWY (click on Static Plots / Cleaned)

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) provides long-term monitoring of volcanic and earthquake activity in the Yellowstone National Park region. Yellowstone is the site of the largest and most diverse collection of natural thermal features in the world and the first National Park. YVO is one of the five USGS Volcano Observatories that monitor volcanoes within the United States for science and public safety.

YVO Member agencies: USGS, Yellowstone National Park, University of Utah, University of Wyoming, Montana State University, Earthscope Consortium, Wyoming State Geological Survey, Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, Idaho Geological Survey

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Michael Poland, Scientist-in-Charge
mpoland@usgs.gov