YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — Members of the Yellowstone National Park (YNP) geology program are having a productive season of cleaning up hot springs, as well as repairing bacterial mats and thermal ground and monitoring the health of the park’s thermal features.
This week’s Caldera Chronicles, which is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO), delves into the responsibilities and achievements of the geology program team. Margery Price, a physical science technician with the geology program, is the author of the most recent column.
According to Price, one of the geology team’s most important jobs is hydrothermal area cleanup. Over 4 million visitors every year, combined with the area’s strong winds, make for conditions that allow unintentional litter and hats to fly directly into delicate thermal areas.
So far in 2025, The YNP geology crew has collected the following from hydrothermal areas: more than 13,000 pieces of garbage, 4,000 rocks and sticks, and over 300 hats. Although considered “natural,” sticks and rocks that get deposited into thermal springs must be removed because they can change the behavior, temperature and color of hot springs over time.
“To reach this debris, which is often literally floating in boiling water,” the column reads, “the geology team uses a collection of tools: some off-the-shelf and others manufactured in-house using little more than creativity and elbow grease. From 2-foot to 12-foot and even 30-foot grabber poles, to fishing rods and extra-long slotted spoons, the team uses (or creates!) any device necessary to remove items safely.”
Over the course of the summer season, the geology team has found some bizarre items in thermal areas. Some of their favorite finds have been a Birkenstock sandal, a fake Louis Vuitton bucket hat, a pizza box with slices still inside and a Polaroid photo of Excelsior Geyser, which was found inside Excelsior Geyser’s crater.
Along with hydrothermal cleanup tasks, the geology team also monitors geyser behavior and water quality, installs signage, remediates footprints and graffiti, assesses geologic damage and educates the public. All this aims to help the public understand more about YNP’s unique landscape.
“You can help protect Yellowstone as well!” reads Price’s column. “When you visit the park, hold on tight to your hats, stay on marked boardwalks and trails, and make sure all your trash (even the food!) ends up in a trash can.”
