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Map of Yellowstone National Park made in ArcGIS Pro
Link to my published Yellowstone research:
"Geologic controls on hydrothermal groundwater mixing in Yellowstone National Park" https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0377027322001810
Did you know that we know very little about why the spectacular hydrothermal features exist in Yellowstone National Park (YSNP)?
Did you know that we know very little about why the spectacular hydrothermal features exist in Yellowstone National Park (YSNP)?
Though the earliest geologic studies in YSNP date back to the Washburn and Hayden expeditions in the 1870s, there are still many unknowns about the structure of the underlying hydrothermal network that bring hydrothermal fluids to the surface to create the beautiful geysers and hot springs in YSNP.
Though the earliest geologic studies in YSNP date back to the Washburn and Hayden expeditions in the 1870s, there are still many unknowns about the structure of the underlying hydrothermal network that bring hydrothermal fluids to the surface to create the beautiful geysers and hot springs in YSNP.
My research used geophysics to look underground at the hydrothermal "plumbing system" of an area called Sentinel Meadows. Geophysics works like an x-ray where a signal is sent into the ground (in these examples it is an electromagnetic field) and then the instrument returns a reading of resistivity of the subsurface(ie how well the ground can conduct electricity). You can then interpret what kind of rock is in the subsurface and whether or not it has water in it. This is how I was able to find where hydrothermal water is underneath the hot springs in Sentinel Meadows!
My research used geophysics to look underground at the hydrothermal "plumbing system" of an area called Sentinel Meadows. Geophysics works like an x-ray where a signal is sent into the ground (in these examples it is an electromagnetic field) and then the instrument returns a reading of resistivity of the subsurface(ie how well the ground can conduct electricity). You can then interpret what kind of rock is in the subsurface and whether or not it has water in it. This is how I was able to find where hydrothermal water is underneath the hot springs in Sentinel Meadows!
Map of Sentinel Meadows made in ArcGIS Pro that shows the locations of data collection, geologic units, and hot springs(RS, FC, SC, OC).
These images show the electrical resistivity structure is under Sentinel Meadows along the lines EM2 and EM4 on the map above. Geologic data from the Y-3 borehole shows two layers of rock: glacial sediments (GS) on top of Nez Perce Creek Rhyolite (NPC). I labeled areas of resistivity that likely represent hydrothermal water saturated glacial deposits (dark blue), rhyolite flows (yellow/orange/red), hot springs (RS & SC), and cold spring locations (blue star). I also identified an "Upflow Zone" area where hot water is likely coming up to the surface from a deeper reservoir to feed the hydrologic features in Sentinel Meadows.
I used ArcGIS Pro's interpolation function to create a map view of surface magnetic anomalies across Sentinel Meadows. There is a magnetic field measurement at each black dot.
Red = dry rhyolite (high magnetic anomaly)
Yellow/ Orange = partially saturated rhyolites and/or glacial deposits
Blue = hydrothermal water saturated glacial deposits (low magnetic anomaly)
Triangle = interpreted hydrothermal water upflow zone from a deeper reservoir that feeds the hot springs ( RS, FC, SC)
I used Matlab to plot my parallel resistivity lines in 3D space to help identify similarities across the lines. In lines R2 & R2 the yellow areas represent sinter deposits related to Rosette Spring. These lines correlate with the 5 red lines across "RS" on the map above.
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