What Would a Yellowstone Eruption Mean for North America?

YVO Monthly Video Update -- September 2, 2025 Picture a Yellowstone eruption. What comes to mind? It’s a huge explosion, right? Like the one that formed the caldera about 631,000 years ago. But the most common form of eruption in Yellowstone isn’t a huge explosion, it’s a lava flow. Yellowstone’s most recent lava flow occurred about 70,000 years ago. The type of lava that erupted is not what you might see in Hawaii with its fountains of molten rock and fast-flowing channels of basalt. In Yellows

What geologic hazard is most likely to occur in the Yellowstone region on human timescales? Spoiler alert: It has nothing to do with volcanoes! Find out in this month's update from our friends at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory at USGS Volcanoes. | Yellowstone National Park

Hot Springs/Geothermal Features - Geology (U.S. National Park Service)