| THE SCIENCE OF YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK | |||||||||||||||||
| The geology of Yellowstone National Park is vast and grand, and is the source of many naturally occuring sites, like Spring Canyon [picture below] |
Yellowstone National Park Geology Introduction: Yellowstone National Park is located in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, is a treasure that inspires awe in travelers around the world. Known for its geysers and hotsprings, Yellowstone is an ideal location for research by scientists of all fields. In my field study I plan on discussing Yellowstone's geologic history and rock structure. I hope to entice new knowledge about the seismic information developing as we speak, as well as share the volcanic theories and fact that surround this majestic region. Volcanic Activity: Yellowstone's Hot Spot In the heart of Yellowstone's past, present, and future lies volcanic activity. About two million years ago, then 1.2 million years ago, and again at about six hundred thousand years ago huge volcanic eruptions occured here. The latest spewed out nearly 240 cubic miles of debris. The park's present central portion collapsed, formaing a twenty-eight by forty-seven mile caledera. | ||||||||||||||||
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Hydrothermal Features Without question Yellowstone's most famous items are the hdryothermal features are the result of the "Yellowstone Hot Spot"--a section where the thickness of the earth's crust is extremely thin. The magma below the crust is less than two miles thick in this area; the planet's internal heat is closerto the surface here than anywhere else on earth. Water from heavy precipitation in the area seeps down through the ground until it is superheated, begins to rise, and eventually returns to the earth as a geyser, hot spring, pool, mud pot, or other hydrothermal feature. This trip from the surface to surface may take up to five hundred years. The most famous of the hydrothermal features is OLD FAITHFUL [see picture, right] whose eruptions have been witnessed by millions. Although there is a popular misconception that the geyser erupts once per hour, in reality it averages an eruption every hour and a half or so. It was named for its regularity by members of the Washburn-Longford Expedition in 1870. The hydrothermal features are varied. The Abyss Pool in the West Thumb Geyser Basin. This is the deepest pool in the park, hence its name, and actually errupted as a geyser in 1987. The "cooking hillside",near Mud Volcano, is a barren region, once covered with trees and other vegetation, changed as a result of a number of earthquakes in 1978-1979 which radically increased soil temperatures to around two hundred degrees Fahrenheit. One of the most interesting locations which contains hydrothermal features is the Mammoth Hot Springs area in the far north portion of the park. Here water containing calcium and bicarbonate rises to the surface where carbon dioxide escapes and the remaining carbonate is combined with calcium to form travertine, which is deposited on the surface in fantastic shapes and formations. | Old Faithful in eruption | ||||||||||||||||
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Topography: The mountains of Yellowstone are beautiful and varied but lack the precipitous vertical features of the Teton Range south of the park. The highest of the Yellowstone mountains are the colvanic-formed Absoroka Range, named for an Indian term for the Crow tribe, in the southeastern portion of the park. Below a portion of this range is pictured from across Yellowstone Lake, looking southeast. This range contains the highest point in the park, Eagle Peak, at 11,358 feet. Another topographical feature of Yellowstone National Park is the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone which is being carved daily by the mighty power of the Yellowstone river. One of the most impressive areas of the park, this canyon features the upper and lower portions of Yellowstone Falls from Artist's point on the south rim. | |||||||||||||||||
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