38 Plate Boundary Evolution and Lithospheric Dynamics of Western North America (Posters)
We invite presentations on Cenozoic tectonics, volcanism, sedimentation, and geohazards offshore and along the margin of western North America. Example topics include crustal structure, mantle processes, triple-junction migration, paleomagnetism, active faulting, marine stratigraphy, and seismicity.
Friday, 24 April 2026
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
LMH, 5th Floor Chapel
Subsurface density structure near Black Diamond Pool within the Biscuit Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Paper number: 38-0
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Authors
Abstract
Yellowstone National Park is the home of over 10,000 geothermal features including hot springs, mud pots and geysers. The dense concentration of these features is along the Firehole River is western Yellowstone and includes most of the large geysers within the park. Most famous of these regions is the Upper Geyser Basin which includes the Old Faithful Geyser but nearby smaller geyser basins (e.g., Black Sand and Biscuit) also contain many active geysers. Of interest is Biscuit Basin where a large steam explosion occurred on July 23, 2024 of the previously inactive Black Diamond Pool. Since this eruption, Black Diamond has continued to explode at irregular intervals and with no precursor events. To better understand the subsurface structure of the region, geophysical surveys including 35 seismic sensors, electrical resistivity and time-domain EM surveys, thermal and magnetic drone surveys by the Univ. of Utah and the USGS have been conducted. To compliment these surveys, a gravity survey was conducted where 55 stations were recorded surrounding the pool. The complete Bouguer gravity anomaly patterns indicate low density regions to the west (extending to Jewel Geyser) and to the north. Residual and derivative maps confirm these locations and a 3D inverse model indicates that the density sources are within the 50 meters of the surface.
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 3
doi: 10.1130/abs/2026CD-410752
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