YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK: AN OVERVIEW

Sitting atop a Super Volcano,Yellowstone National Park can be called as a wonderland on earth .
This unique and natural living museum cannot be compared to any other places in the world.
Extending between three states of United States, this natural splendor gives a glimpse of another
side of our planet . 96% of Yellowstone national park is situated in the north west corner of
 Wyoming,  three percent lies in  Montana and the remaining one percent spread to Idaho. 

Yellowstone National Park is widely held  to be the first national park  and one of the first biosphere
reserves in the world. Yellowstone was dedicated as the nations first national park by  President U.S.
 Grant on March 1st 1872. It was formed  20 years before Montana, Idaho and Wyoming were
granted statehood. This is also a UNESCO world heritage site, extending in an area of 3500 sq- miles
 of wilderness. The average elevation of the park is 8000 ft

Little is known about the early inhabitants of Yellowstone area. But evidence suggest that Native 
Indians resided here after the end of the last glaciation  (about 13,000 to 14,000 years ago). The
oldest artifacts (obsidian projectile point ) found here dates backs to  to more than 11,000 years ago.
 The early occupants of Yellowstone were called as Sheepeaters,( a group of Shoshone/Bannock Indians) .

Prior to 1869, Yellowstone was an unexplored territory.  John Colter , a member of Lewis Clark
 expedition team (1804-1806) was the first person to discover Yellowstone park other than native
 Indians.Three major  expeditions brought out the  wonders of Yellowstone to the outside world.
They are Cook-Folsom  expedition (1869-1871),Washburn-Langford-Dane Expedition (1870) and
 Hayden Geological Survey(1871). These  expeditions  brought out its historic and scientific
importance, which made  Federal Government to adopt much stronger laws to protect the park and its
 resources, culminating in  the passing of Lacey Act of 1894 . 

Yellowstone park rest on Yellowstone plateau bordered by Rocky mountains. The nearby mountain

 ranges include the Gallatin range on Northeast, Beartooth mountans on north, Absaroke range on

east, Teton range on southwest and Madison on west. Mount Washburn  with a height of 10, 243 ft

 is the most prominent summit here. The Bunsen Peak near to Mammoth hot spring is an  extinct 

volcano formed approximately fifty million years ago.

Yellowstone park sits on a  super volcano. A super  volcano  is formed when magma rises through a 

vent into earths crust but unable to break through  the crust. The magma get stuck and melts the 

surrounding rocks. Over thousands of years the pressure builds up resulting in an eruption which

 drains  the magma lake . This lead to collapsing of the  land above, resulting in a caldera or a 

depression on earth . A Caldera can extends to several miles.

A supervolcano is the most dangerous type of volcano in earth. It will erupt at a magnitude 8 on the
 Volcano  Explosivity Index (VEI), meaning the measured deposits for that eruption is greater than 
1,000 cubic kilometers (240 cubic miles). An eruption of that magnitude would fill the atmosphere 
with ash, sulfuric acid, and sulfur dioxide, and could potentially cause (and actually has, in the 
ancient past) a new Ice Age.The more  sulfur emissions the  more cooling.

Yellowstone is the biggest super volcano on earth. The other famous super volcano's are Long 

Valley Caldera ( California USA), Valles Caldera ( New Mexico), Lake Toba ( Indonesia), Taupo

 Caldera ( Newzealand) and Aira Caldera ( Japan). The most recent supervolcanic eruption on Earth
 occurred 27,000 years ago at Taupo, located at the center of New Zealand's north island.

Yellowstone’s main travel thoroughfares are the five entrance roads . North, North east and East
 entrances are situated in the state of Montana while West and South entrances are in Wyoming .

 North Entrance is the only park entrance open to wheeled vehicles all year. Prior to the establishment
 of the National Park Service, the U.S. Army protected Yellowstone between 1886  and 1918.
US army was also responsible for the construction of Fort Yellowstone at  Mammoth Hot Springs .

Most of the attractions at Yellowstone National park are located along the Grand loop road, which
 stretches in the shape of number eight. The grand loop road was  planned by Captain Hiram M
 Chittenden of the US Army Corps of Engineers when it was under military control . This primary
road system at  Yellowstone  is approximately 142 miles long with an average speed limit of 45 mph.

 On the Grand Loop road ,there are many visitor centers, museums, boardwalks, and scenic side
 roads. The park also has 466 miles of roads, 950 miles of back country trails, 97 trail heads, and 287
back country campsites. The major attractions that can be accessed through Grand Loop Road
include Norris Geyser basin, Upper, Midway and Lower geyser basin, Mammoth hot spring,
Tower  fall, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Lake Yellowstone. The major museums are
Norris, Madison and Fishing Bridge Museum

The number of thermal features in Yellowstone is estimated to be 10,000. It includes geyser, 
fumaroles, hot springs and mud pots. Fumaroles  or steam vents, are the hottest hydro thermal 
feature in the  park. In 1880's at places like  Roaring Mountain the escaping gas and steam hissed and
 rumbled resulting in loud hissing of steam and gases. Steam vents are  usually found on hill side or
 higher  ground above the basin water supply. Fumaroles rapidly boil away the little water they 
contain  releasing steam and other gases forcefully from the underground.

Geysers  at the park are distributed among nine geyser basin . The number of geysers in each geyser
 basin is provided in brackets. The basins are  Upper Geyser Basin (410), Midway Geyser Basin (59),
Lower Geyser Basin (283), Norris Geyser Basin (193), West Thumb Geyser Basin (84), Gibbon
Geyser Basin (24), Lone Star Geyser Basin (21), Shoshone Geyser Basin (107), Heart Lake Geyser
Basin (69), other areas (33). The most famous geyser at Yellowstone is  the Old Faithful. The tallest
 geyser in the world,  known as steam boat geyser, is also located at Yellowstone park.

Beautiful hotsprings with bright and vivid colors are  are the most common hydrothermal features in
 the park. Their plumbing has no constrictions. Superheated water cools as it reaches the surface, 
sinks, and is replaced by hotter water from below. This circulation, called convection, prevents water
 from reaching the temperature needed to set off an eruption. Many hot springs give rise to streams of heated water.

Mudpots such as Fountain Paint pots are acidic  hot springs with a limited water supply. Some  micro
 organisms use hydrogen sulfide  (rotten egg smell), which rises from deep within the earth, as an 
energy source. They convert the gas into  sulfuric acid  which breaks down the rock into clay.

Another thermal feature, Travertine Terraces formed of limestone can be seen at Mammoth hot 
spring. Thermal waters rise through the limestone here, carrying high amounts of dissolved 
carbonate. Carbondioxide  is released at  the surface and calcium carbonate is deposited as travertine,
 the chalky  white rock of the terraces.These features constantly and quickly change due to the rapid rate of deposition.

There exist nearly 45 named waterfalls and more than 100's of unnamed and undiscovered waterfalls 
in the park. The most famous ones are Tower falls, Lower falls, Upper falls, Fairy Falls and  Gibbon
Falls. Yellowstone is also famous for its amazing canyons. The famous among them are Lewis 
Canyon, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and  Black canyon .Yellowstone carries approximately
 one-half of the world’s hydro thermal features.

The national park derived its name from the Yellowstone river flowing through it. The other  major
rivers flowing through the park are Gallatin River,Gibbon River, Firehole River, Madison river,
Snake River, Bechler River and  Lamar River. The amazing fact is that due to the continental divide,
 Yellowstone river joins Atlantic ocean while Snake river join Pacific ocean though both run parallel
   at Yellowstone National park. The major lakes at the park are Yellowstone Lake, Shoshone Lake,
 Lewis Lake, Heart lake,Grebe Lake,Isa Lake,and Trout Lake .
Yellowstone is home to more than 1,350 species of vascular plants, 330 bird species, 18 fish species,
6 reptile species, 4 amphibian species, and 5 endangered or threatened species. There are almost 60
species of mammals in the park, including the grey wolf, threatened Lynx, grizzly bears, bison, black
 bear, brown bear, elk, moose, mule deer, white tailed deer, mountian goat, pronghorn, bighorn sheep
 and mountain lion.

Yellowstone has the largest free roaming bison herd in the world. Bison have a unique place in
United States history. This largest mammal in North America once thundered across the continent for
 thousand of years. The elements of the the  Yellowstone emblem with  the shape of an  Arrowhead
 symbolize the major facets of the national park system. The Sequoia tree and bison represent
 vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and water represent scenic and recreational values, and the
 arrowhead represents historical and archaeological values.

Yellowstone National Park  is really a magical world comprised of   lakes, mountains, geysers,
and waterfalls. It is a land of extremes with full of wild life. Here forest covers  80% of the
land area while lodgepole pine comprise 80% of the forest area. Lodgepole pine create a typical
landscape  in Yellowstone.Other than enjoying the natural wonders, visitors can also indulge in
 activities like   Boating, Camping, Canoeing, Kayaking, Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding,
Mountain Biking and Wildlife Viewing.

Yellowstone super volcano is believed to erupt every 600,000 to 900,000 years with the last event 
occurring 640,000 years ago. Its eruptions are among the largest known to have ever occurred on 
Earth, producing drastic climate change in the aftermath. Yellowstone faces nearly 1000 to 3000
earthquake annually.

Toxic gases exist in Yellowstone. Dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide have 
been measured in some hydrothermal areas. It is illegal to collect any natural or cultural objects or to
 remove, deface, or destroy any plant, animal, or mineral in Yellowstone's hydrothermal areas. While
 viewing or photographing the area, protect your camera, glasses, and lenses from  hydrothermal heat.
Always use boardwalk as the ground here is fragile and unstable which can cause danger. Bring
drinking water. If you feel sick, leave the location immediately.

Yellowstone host four million visitors each year. This National Park is America's pride and greatest 

heritage to share with the  world . It is one of the few remaining intact large ecosystems in the 

northern  temperate zone of earth. The park  has abundant fossils and is  world's foremost sites for the

 study and appreciation  of the evolutionary history of the earth. This outstanding natural and cultural

 site deserve the attraction, admiration  and protection of all people worldwide. 

Management: National Park Service
Phone:(307) 344-7381
Camera: Canon T5