Yellowstone National Park Earthquakes

Yellowstone is one of the most closely watched earthquake regions in North America. Most earthquakes here are small, but the region is active because it sits above a large volcanic and hydrothermal system, while simultaneously intersecting the northern edge of the Intermountain Seismic Belt.

This page tracks the latest available Yellowstone earthquake activity using USGS-based earthquake data. The map, recent earthquake list, statistics, and significant quake information update when the page loads or refreshes. For nearby activity, you can also compare this page with the Wyoming earthquakes, Montana earthquakes, Idaho earthquakes, and United States earthquakes pages.

Yellowstone Earthquake Map

The interactive map shows M1.5+ earthquakes and each marker on the map represents an earthquake location. Click one to see its magnitude, location, time, and depth. Use the time filter buttons to view earthquakes from the last hour, 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days.

Yellowstone earthquakes (map loads with JavaScript)

About Yellowstone Earthquakes

Yellowstone earthquakes get attention because the region is volcanic, but not every earthquake here means something dramatic is happening underground. In fact, earthquake activity is a normal part of Yellowstone. The area often has many small earthquakes each year, and swarms are common.

That said, Yellowstone isn’t just a volcanic system. It is also part of a wider tectonic region with active faults around the Yellowstone Plateau, Hebgen Lake, the Teton area, Island Park, and nearby parts of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. So when earthquakes happen near Yellowstone, they can be connected to faults, hydrothermal fluids, crustal movement, or a mix of processes.

Why Yellowstone Has Earthquakes (And What It Means)

While Yellowstone’s earthquakes frequently generate intense public interest, a recent spike does not mean a dramatic volcanic eruption is imminent. Seismic activity is an essential, healthy component of the modern Yellowstone ecosystem. On average, the region experiences 1,500 to 2,500 earthquakes every single year, though the vast majority are micro-quakes too weak for a human to feel.

It is a common misconception that every tremor here is purely volcanic. Yellowstone is deeply embedded in a violent tectonic landscape. Major, active regional fault systems wrap around the Yellowstone Plateau, Hebgen Lake, the Teton Range, and Island Park. Consequently, when a seismic event registers on our map above, it is typically driven by a complex, fluid mixture of regional tectonic stress, pressurized underground hydrothermal waters, or shifting deep-crustal adjustments.

Comprehensive, multi-agency hazard assessments and real-time network monitoring are handled by the USGS Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO). Operating as a rigorous partnership of state and federal scientific agencies, YVO continuously monitors ground deformation, geyser basin temperature spikes, and seismic wave velocity changes to provide accurate public safety evaluations across the entire Yellowstone Plateau region.

The nearby faults are just as important. USGS notes that large earthquakes occur just off the Yellowstone Plateau along faults such as the Teton and Hebgen Lake faults. The Hebgen Lake fault ruptured in 1959 during a major earthquake that caused serious damage in the region.

Primary Earthquake Tracking Zones in Yellowstone

Seismic activity on the map above is not confined to a single, isolated hotspot inside the park boundaries. The greater Yellowstone fault zone represents a vast, interconnected network that extends across northwestern Wyoming, southwestern Montana, and eastern Idaho.

• The Central Yellowstone Caldera: This core zone encompasses the active heart of the park’s volcanic and hydrothermal system, including Yellowstone Lake, Old Faithful, West Thumb, Hayden Valley, and the Norris Geyser Basin. While micro-quakes are frequently registered here, they usually occur in highly localized, fluid-driven swarms heavily monitored by the USGS Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
• Yellowstone Lake and West Thumb quakes: The sub-lacustrine hydrothermal venting beneath Yellowstone Lake makes this a primary tracking area. Deep-lake thermal spikes and gas emissions frequently trigger dense earthquake swarms along the lake’s fault segments. So scientists pay attention to both earthquakes and changes in the lake and thermal system.
• Norris Geyser Basin and north caldera rim quakes: Norris is one of Yellowstone’s most dynamic thermal areas. Recent USGS science notes that an area south of Norris began slight uplift in July 2025, similar to deformation seen there in 1996–2004. That does not mean an eruption is expected, but it does show why scientists closely monitor ground movement and earthquakes in this part of the park.
• Hebgen Lake and West Yellowstone quakes: The Hebgen Lake area, just northwest of Yellowstone National Park, is highly prone to deep tectonic fracturing. It houses the footprint of the catastrophic 1959 Hebgen Lake Earthquake (M7.3), which triggered a massive landslide, formed Quake Lake, and remains the most powerful historical earthquake recorded in the Intermountain Rocky Mountain region.
• Island Park and eastern Idaho quakes: Earthquakes near Island Park, Henrys Lake, and the Idaho side of the Yellowstone region can be part of the same broader tectonic setting. Depending on the exact epicenter fault trace, these events seamlessly overlap with our Idaho Earthquakes map and data Feed and other regional maps.
• Grand Teton and Jackson Hole area quakes: South of Yellowstone, the Teton fault and nearby Jackson Hole region are important because large faults continue through northwestern Wyoming. Earthquakes in this area may be felt in Jackson, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone, and nearby Idaho or Montana communities.
• Gardiner, Mammoth, and southern Montana quakes: Running along the northern boundaries near Mammoth Hot Springs and Gardiner, earthquakes in this sector are driven by a complex combination of local geothermal expansion and regional Rocky Mountain mountain-building fault zones.

🌐 Cross-Reference Magmatic Swarms vs. Tectonic Breaks
Is today’s tremor driven by hydrothermal fluid movement near Norris or a structural tectonic snap along the Idaho border? Use the Tectonic Overlay Filter on our Global Earthquake Tracking Map to instantly see which active regional fault zones or caldera boundaries are driving today’s live statistics.

The Main Types of Yellowstone Earthquakes

To accurately read the seismic data, it helps to understand that the Yellowstone Seismic Network (YSN) categorizes events into three distinct geological mechanisms.

Tectonic Fault Earthquakes

Fault earthquakes happen when massive blocks of rock suddenly slip past each other along a break in the crust. Around Yellowstone, these occur on regional faults like those near Hebgen Lake and the Teton area. These earthquakes are not caused by moving magma. They are part of the wider tectonic setting of the northern Rocky Mountains. This is why it is important not to blame every Yellowstone earthquake on the volcano.

Earthquake Swarms

An earthquake swarm is a cluster of earthquakes in the same area over a short period of time, without one obvious mainshock followed by smaller aftershocks. Yellowstone is famous for swarms, and most of them involve small earthquakes that people do not feel.

Swarms can happen when stress changes on faults, when fluids move through cracks, or when the ground adjusts inside the volcanic and hydrothermal system. They can sound alarming, but at Yellowstone, they are part of normal background activity. According to the USGS, about 50% of Yellowstone’s earthquakes each year occur as part of swarms.

Hydrothermal and Volcanic-System Signals

These are shallow, low-magnitude events triggered by the violent boiling of groundwater, subterranean steam collapses, or the localized movement of magma deep within the crust. This is one reason Yellowstone is monitored with more than just seismometers. Scientists also track ground deformation (uplift), thermal changes, infrasound, chemistry, and hydrothermal activity.

Hydrothermal activity is important because Yellowstone’s most likely volcanic-related hazards are not giant eruptions. USGS mentions that small hydrothermal explosions are among the more likely hazards in Yellowstone, while a major caldera-forming eruption is the least likely scenario.

Earthquake and Hydrothermal Hazards in Yellowstone

The main earthquake hazard in Yellowstone is ground shaking, especially from a strong earthquake on a nearby fault. But Yellowstone also has hazards that are unusual compared with most earthquake regions, including hot springs, geysers, unstable thermal ground, hydrothermal explosions, landslides, and rockfalls.

• Ground shaking: Strong shaking can damage buildings, roads, bridges, trails, campgrounds, utility lines, visitor facilities, and historic structures.
• Landslides and rockfalls: Steep slopes, canyon walls, road cuts, and mountain passes can be vulnerable during stronger shaking, as the 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake demonstrated.
• Surface rupture: Large fault earthquakes can break the ground surface. This can damage roads, trails, pipelines, fences, and other infrastructure built across the fault.
• Hydrothermal explosions: These are steam-driven explosions from hot water systems near the surface. They are not the same as volcanic eruptions, but they can be dangerous close to the source. USGS reported a small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin on June 13, 2026, and noted that the event showed the unstable nature of some Yellowstone thermal areas.
• Unstable thermal ground: Boardwalks and marked trails matter in Yellowstone because the ground around hot springs can be thin, fragile, and extremely hot below the surface.
• Lake and river effects: Strong shaking can affect lake shores, riverbanks, and reservoirs, as seen along Hebgen Lake and the Madison River in 1959.
• Aftershocks: A larger Yellowstone-region earthquake could be followed by many aftershocks. These can continue for weeks or longer and may still be felt by people in nearby communities.

Historical and Recent Yellowstone Earthquakes

Yellowstone has many small earthquakes, but a few historical and recent events stand out because they shaped how scientists and the public understand the region.

• 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake: This was the most important historical earthquake near Yellowstone. It occurred northwest of Yellowstone National Park and caused a large landslide that blocked the Madison River and formed Quake Lake. USGS lists the Hebgen Lake fault rupture as a major regional event, and it remains the classic example of a damaging Yellowstone-area earthquake.
• Yellowstone Lake earthquake swarms: Yellowstone Lake has had notable earthquake swarms in the past, including a roughly 900-earthquake swarm beneath the lake’s north end from late December 2008 to early January 2009. These events matter because the lake area sits within the Yellowstone volcanic and hydrothermal system, so scientists watch both seismic activity and hydrothermal changes.
• Madison Plateau and northwest Yellowstone swarms: The area between Hebgen Lake, West Yellowstone, and the Yellowstone caldera has produced many small earthquakes and swarms. This region sits near important buried structures and faults, so it is a regular focus of monitoring.
• 2010 Yellowstone swarm: The January–February 2010 swarm on the Madison Plateau was one of the larger well-known Yellowstone swarms of the modern monitoring era, with well over 1,800 located earthquakes and a largest magnitude of about 3.8. Like most Yellowstone swarms, it drew attention because of the volcano, but swarms are a normal part of the region’s background activity.
• 2024 Biscuit Basin hydrothermal explosion: On July 23, 2024, a hydrothermal explosion at Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin sent a plume of steam, mud, and rock an estimated 400 to 600 feet into the air as visitors ran for safety. The explosion damaged the boardwalk and forced Yellowstone to close Biscuit Basin for the rest of the season. USGS later attributed it to mineral buildup clogging the shallow hydrothermal plumbing beneath the pool, confirmed no injuries, and found no sign the event was linked to volcanic or magmatic activity.
• 2026 Biscuit Basin hydrothermal explosion: On June 13, 2026, a smaller hydrothermal explosion occurred at the same Black Diamond Pool site as the 2024 event. USGS reported that monitoring equipment registered anomalous seismic energy and infrasound, and scientists later documented a new fissure and vent system left behind by the blast.
• Current background activity: Small earthquakes continue to occur across Yellowstone and nearby parts of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Although most are too small to feel, they help scientists track how the region is behaving over time.

Do Yellowstone Earthquakes Mean an Eruption is Coming?

It’s easy to treat every Yellowstone earthquake as a volcano story, but that is rarely the case. A swarm does not automatically mean magma is rising to the surface. Most Yellowstone swarms are microscopic, detected only by highly sensitive instruments.

Location matters. Depth matters. Magnitude matters. The pattern also matters. A single small earthquake is different from a long swarm. A swarm with ground deformation would be treated differently from a swarm with no other changes. Scientists look for combinations of signals, not just one quake on a map.

Yes, Yellowstone is active, but activity is normal here. Earthquakes are one of the ways the system releases stress and gives scientists useful information about what is happening underground.

Earthquake Safety in Yellowstone

Earthquake preparedness in Yellowstone is a little different from a city page because many people are visitors. You may be driving, hiking, camping, staying in a lodge, walking near thermal areas, or visiting geyser basins when shaking happens.

Yellowstone Earthquake Safety Checklist

• Know “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” for earthquake shaking. Source: Great ShakeOut earthquake safety guidance
• If you are indoors, stay indoors, drop, cover, and hold on. Do not run outside while glass, signs, bricks, or other objects may be falling.
• If you are outside, move away from buildings, cliffs, steep slopes, rockfall areas, trees, power lines, and anything that could fall.
• If you are in a thermal area, stay on boardwalks and marked trails. Do not step onto open thermal ground, even after shaking stops.
• If you are driving, pull over when safe, avoid bridges and unstable slopes if possible, and stay inside the vehicle until shaking stops.
• If you are hiking or camping, watch for rockfalls, landslides, falling trees, damaged trails, and aftershocks.
• Keep extra water, food, warm clothing, flashlights, batteries, medication, and emergency supplies in your vehicle or campsite.
• Follow official instructions from Yellowstone National Park, local emergency officials, USGS, and the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory after a noticeable earthquake or hydrothermal event.
• Do not enter closed thermal areas, damaged trails, cracked ground, unstable riverbanks, or areas with fresh rockfall.
• Expect aftershocks after a larger earthquake and be ready to protect yourself again if shaking returns.

How Yellowstone Earthquakes Are Monitored

Yellowstone is monitored by a network of scientific partners. The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory brings together USGS, University of Utah, Yellowstone National Park, state geological surveys, universities, and other monitoring groups.

The University of Utah plays a key role in Yellowstone earthquake analysis. USGS explains that the University of Utah plots Yellowstone-area earthquakes, analyzes smaller events, and calculates Yellowstone earthquake hypocenters as part of the Advanced National Seismic System.

• USGS Earthquake Hazards Program: Provides national earthquake data, reviewed event information, ShakeMaps, Did You Feel It? reports, and earthquake science resources.
• Yellowstone Volcano Observatory: Monitors volcanic, hydrothermal, and earthquake activity in the Yellowstone Plateau region.
• University of Utah Seismograph Stations: Plays a major role in locating and analyzing Yellowstone-region earthquakes.
• GPS and InSAR monitoring: YVO uses GPS and satellite radar methods to track ground deformation, which helps scientists understand uplift and subsidence across the caldera.
• Hydrothermal and infrasound monitoring: Yellowstone also uses tools that can detect hydrothermal activity and low-frequency acoustic signals, which proved useful during the 2024 and 2026 Biscuit Basin explosions described above.
• Great ShakeOut: Provides public earthquake safety guidance, including the Drop, Cover, and Hold On message used in earthquake preparedness education.

🗺️ Related Maps

View broader region: United States Earthquakes

View nearby states: Wyoming | Montana | Idaho | Utah

View related regions: Nevada | Central United States | North America Earthquakes

You can also view the latest available worldwide earthquake list.