Map of Yellowstone’s Thermal Areas: Updated 2023-12-31

Dates

Publication Date: 2024-05-15
Start Date: 2008-10-01
End Date: 2023-12-31

Citation

Vaughan, R.G., Hungerford, J.D.G., and Hunter, M.A., 2024, Map of Yellowstone’s Thermal Areas: Updated 2023-12-31: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P1457JVI.

Summary

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service, Yellowstone Center for Resources, as part of work for the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, has compiled a shapefile map of thermal areas and thermal water bodies in Yellowstone National Park. A thermal area is a continuous, or nearly continuous, geologic unit that contains one or more thermal features (e.g., hot springs, mud pots, or fumaroles); hydrothermally altered rocks and/or hydrothermal mineral deposits; heated ground and/or geothermal gas emissions; and is generally barren of vegetation or has stressed / dying vegetation. There are more than 10,000 thermal features in Yellowstone, most of which are clustered together into about 120 distinct thermal areas [...]

Summary

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service, Yellowstone Center for Resources, as part of work for the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, has compiled a shapefile map of thermal areas and thermal water bodies in Yellowstone National Park. A thermal area is a continuous, or nearly continuous, geologic unit that contains one or more thermal features (e.g., hot springs, mud pots, or fumaroles); hydrothermally altered rocks and/or hydrothermal mineral deposits; heated ground and/or geothermal gas emissions; and is generally barren of vegetation or has stressed / dying vegetation. There are more than 10,000 thermal features in Yellowstone, most of which are clustered together into about 120 distinct thermal areas (e.g., Upper Geyser Basin, Crater Hills Thermal Area, or Roadside Springs). A thermal water body is a body of water, usually a lake, pond, or wetland area, that is thermally emissive because it receives heated water from a nearby thermal area, nearshore thermal springs, or from underwater vents. The shapefile released here is based on a thermal area polygon shapefile that was initially provided by the Spatial Analysis Center at the Yellowstone Center for Resources in Yellowstone National Park. The thermal area polygons were initially based on field mapping (by R. Hutchinson and others, unpublished data, 1997) and digitizing boundaries over high-spatial-resolution (1 m/pixel) visible color orthophotos from the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) acquired in 2006. Updates to this map are based on more recent field mapping and remote sensing data analysis, including nighttime thermal infrared data (e.g., ASTER and Landsat 8/9), high-spatial-resolution visible data from commercial satellites (e.g., WorldView-3), and NAIP imagery from 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022. The downloadable shapefile contains a map of these thermal areas and thermal water bodies with information (if available) about their chemistry and thermal activity. The names of the thermal areas are either derived from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) or are locally used names, as indicated in the attribute table. Thermal area mapping in Yellowstone is a work in progress, partly because there are still remote areas that have not yet been explored in detail, and partly because changes occur frequently. Thermal areas expand and contract, develop and decay, and migrate – over time scales that range from weeks to years. Thus, this map will be periodically assessed and updated. A note about safety: Thermal areas can be dangerous, with scalding water, mud, or gases that are sometimes hidden beneath unstable ground. Unstable ground sometimes looks solid, but stepping onto unstable ground can result in breaking through a thin crust and being exposed to scalding water, mud, or gases, which can cause severe burns. Since the establishment of the National Park, more than 20 people have died from burns suffered after they entered or fell into a hot spring. For the safety of park visitors and the protection of delicate thermal formations, it is prohibited to enter a thermal area in the back country, and one must stay on the trails or boardwalks when entering front country thermal areas (unless working in a thermal area on an official permit).

Contacts

Point of Contact :: R Greg Vaughan
Originator :: R Greg Vaughan, Jefferson D.G. Hungerford, Marc A Hunter
Metadata Contact :: R Greg Vaughan
Publisher :: U.S. Geological Survey
Distributor :: U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase
SDC Data Owner :: Astrogeology Science Center
USGS Mission Area :: Core Science Systems

Attached Files

sorting

Metadata First

Recent First

Alphabetical

Click on title to download individual files attached to this item.

Thermal_Areas_2023_12b.metadata.xml Original FGDC Metadata	View	23.29 KB	application/fgdc+xml

Shapefile: Thermal_Areas_2023_12a.zip
Thermal_Areas_2023_12a.cpg		5 Bytes
Thermal_Areas_2023_12a.dbf		28.95 KB
Thermal_Areas_2023_12a.prj		425 Bytes
Thermal_Areas_2023_12a.sbn		1.25 KB
Thermal_Areas_2023_12a.sbx		212 Bytes
Thermal_Areas_2023_12a.shp		1.53 MB
Thermal_Areas_2023_12a.shx		1.02 KB

Purpose

Yellowstone National Park's thermal areas are the surface expression of the deeper magmatic system, and they are dynamic in time and space: they heat up, they cool down, and they can migrate. Such changes are part of the normal life cycle of thermal areas in Yellowstone. The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory is tasked with (1) researching volcanic and geothermal processes to better understand and improve hazard assessments in the Yellowstone region, and (2) monitoring activity associated with the Yellowstone volcanic / geothermal system to provide timely warnings and interpretations for emergency managers and the public in the case of volcanic or seismic unrest (YVO, 2022*). This Data Release represents one aspect of this monitoring that is focused on mapping and monitoring changes in Yellowstone’s thermal areas. Thermal area monitoring is also important for supporting decisions regarding Yellowstone National Park’s infrastructure development, resource protection, and visitor safety. *Citation: Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, 2022, Volcano and earthquake monitoring plan for the Yellowstone Caldera system, 2022–2032: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2022–5032, 23 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20225032.

Map of Yellowstone’s Thermal Areas: Updated 2023-12-31

Dates

Citation

Summary

Summary

Contacts

Attached Files

sorting

Metadata First

Recent First

Alphabetical

Purpose

Map

Spatial Services

Communities

Tags

Provenance

Additional Information

Identifiers

Shapefile Extension

Item Actions

Use Item

View Item as ...

Save Item as ...

View Item...

Dates

Citation

Summary

Summary

Contacts

Attached Files sorting Metadata First Recent First Alphabetical

Purpose

Map

Spatial Services

Communities

Tags

Provenance

Additional Information

Identifiers

Shapefile Extension

Item Actions

Use Item

View Item as ...

Save Item as ...

View Item...

Attached Files

sorting

Metadata First

Recent First

Alphabetical