04/08/2026
Are you all ready for a wild ride that involves a supervolcano, faults, glaciers, lasers, and bears? If so, we have a new student publication alert for you! 👀
Just south of Yellowstone is the Teton Range, a normal fault-bounded mountain range known for its dramatic, glacially carved peaks. Recent work by researchers at EES suggested that there might be a connection between the Teton Range and the Gallatin Range, a similarly-trending range to the north of Yellowstone. Was it possible that these prominent ranges were once a larger, continuous range that was partially destroyed during Yellowstone eruptions? And, if so, could this linkage still exist?
That’s what Dr. Meredith Swallom, now at Kentucky Geological Survey, wanted to answer for part of her PhD research. Traditionally, someone would go out mapping for evidence; however, aside from hydrothermal activity, the area is known for one thing: bears (it’s also very isolated). Fortunately, about the time that EES researchers were trying to figure out how to accomplish this fault mapping, a plane carrying a laser flew over Yellowstone to collect a high resolution lidar (elevation) dataset.
A notable factor here is that, during the last ice age, the 4,000-ft-thick Yellowstone ice cap advanced into the northern end of the Tetons. Striations can be seen in the lidar showing the direction of movement as it moved across the terrain, smoothing preexisting topography. This means fault motion preserved as surface breaks on the lidar are likely associated with post-glacial movement. This allows Swallom et al. to learn more about modern linkages across the caldera instead of what was happening one or two million years ago.
What’s the verdict? They say yes, that linkage still exists. The data suggest an ongoing structural connection between two ranges and evidence of the remnants of the preexisting range from regional geophysical anomalies.
You can read more in the March issue of Tectonics or at this link: https://tr.ee/6F637D2kaX
