Research will continue on the study of the extent and rates of deformation of a portion of the Yellowstone caldera, Wyoming, during the past 10,000 years. Preliminary work has established that the raised shorelines of Yellowstone Lake span that time. The shorelines, which were originally horizontal, are now warped, showing both regional and local deformation which varies in both rate and direction of movement. In this study, the shorelines in unstudied areas will be surveyed by two working parties with precision levels, enabling extension of the deformation data to the furthest reaches of the lake basin. A dating program involving radiocarbon, volcanic ash, and obsidian hydration will be applied to all shorelines in order to correlate shoreline fragments and allow calculation of rates of deformation across time and space. The results of this study will add significantly to our knowledge of the physical evolution of the Yellowstone caldera. In addition, to more accurately describe the geomorphology of the region, the data will assist in the interpretation of the deformation mechanism(s) of the caldera and may help to establish a model for the behavior of silicic calderas world-wide. Eventually, such knowledge may help to predict the eruptions of silicic volcanic systems.
