Newest Volcano Notice Including Yellowstone

YELLOWSTONE VOLCANO OBSERVATORY MONTHLY UPDATE
U.S. Geological Survey
Tuesday, July 1, 2025, 10:27 AM MDT (Tuesday, July 1, 2025, 16:27 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 60 located earthquakes in June (largest = M2.7). Deformation measurements indicate that the annual summertime pause in long-term caldera subsidence started in June. Another small eruption of Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin was recorded by a webcam on June 12 at 6:25 a.m. MDT.

Recent Work and News

Minor eruptions are occurring at Steamboat Geyser, indicating that it may have a major eruption in the days or weeks to come. So far in 2025, there have been two major eruptions there.

The new webcam at Biscuit Basin, installed in mid-May 2025 to track activity at Black Diamond Pool (where a hydrothermal explosion occurred last summer), continues to send static images to https://www.usgs.gov/media/webcams/biscuit-basin-webcam. Image analysis indicated changes in the pool on the morning of June 12, and downloaded video captured a small eruption from the pool at 6:25 a.m. MDT—the second eruption from Black Diamond Pool that has been captured on video by this camera system.

During June, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory scientists conducted field work to better understand the glacial and geologic history of the region, and engineers began work to install two new seismic monitoring stations in the park—one at Biscuit Basin, and one near Slough Creek in the northeast part of the park. In July, additional maintenance and installation work related to monitoring stations is planned.

Seismicity

During June 2025, the University of Utah Seismograph Stations, responsible for the operation and analysis of the Yellowstone Seismic Network, located 60 earthquakes in the Yellowstone National Park region. The largest event of the month was a micro earthquake of magnitude 2.7 located about 5 miles north-northwest of West Yellowstone, Montana, on June 4 at 2:50 p.m. MDT.

There were no swarms identified during the month of June.

Yellowstone earthquake activity remains at background levels.

Ground Deformation

Continuous GPS stations in Yellowstone Caldera recorded the onset of the annual summertime pause in subsidence or transition to slight uplift, which is caused by seasonal changes related to snowmelt and groundwater conditions. Since October, the net caldera subsidence has been about 3 centimeters (1.2 inches). This pattern and rate of subsidence, with pauses or slight reversals during summer months, continues a trend that started in 2015–2016. No significant deformation has been measured near Norris Geyser Basin over the past few months.

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