黄石火山是蛇河-黄石热点(英语:Yellowstonehotspot)(Snake River Plain - Yellowstonehotspot)的一部分。该热点最早的一次是大约1600万年前,位置是现在的俄勒冈州和内华达州的边界附近。最近一次喷发是在60万年以前,它喷发后形成了黄石火山口(Yellowstone
fld015(05). Nelson, P. L.; Grand, S. P. Lower-mantle plume beneath the Yellowstonehotspot revealed by core waves. Nature Geoscience. March 2018, 11 (4): 280–284
Meyer, G.A.; Wells, S.G.; Jull, A.J.T. Fire and alluvial chronology in Yellowstone National Park: Climatic and intrinsic controls on Holocene geomorphic