Old Faithful Virtual Visitor Center

Lobby > Exhibits > Scientific Research > What Lies Beneath > Monitoring Yellowstone's Heartbeat

Monitoring YNP's Heartbeat

These techniques were used to observe uplift near Norris Geyser Basin, an area where such movement had not previously been recorded. It was revealed that Norris rose approximately five inches (13 cm) between 1997 and 2003. This uplift, the greatest in the park, was most likely due to the movement of hydrothermal fluids (magma, hot water, gases) below the surface of the ground. In 2004, the localized uplift centered over Norris began to subside, though uplift occurring over the whole Yellowstone caldera is still apparent.

A GPS station gathers data at Norris Geyser Basin
Photo credit: Christine Puskas, University of Utah.

Next | 1 > 2 | Next Section: A CAT Scan of Earth


Drawing of the outside of the visitor center
Explorations
Exhibits
Maps
Multimedia
Young Scientists
Bookstore
Resources
Yellowstone Express
Webcams
Why Geysers Erupt
Hot Water Treasures
Hot Spring Ecology
Scientific Research


This work is supported by

National Science Foundation    Yellowstone Park Foundation
Last Updated: | http://www.nps.gov | Make an email comment or suggestion