Yellowstone NP Geology and Ecosystem (2024)

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Yellowstone NP Geology and Ecosystem? ›

The unique ecosystem, biodiversity and geologic features are intimately related to the geologic history of Yellowstone National Park. Glaciation, tectonic activity and, most importantly, volcanic eruptions, have shaped and influence the landscape and life within the park for millions of years.

The rock is rhyolite, the lava form of granite. It differs fundamentally in its composition, origin, and age from the volcanic rocks composing Mount Washburn. Shiny black volcanic glass (obsidian) causes the glitter. Tens of rhyolite lava flows were erupted one after another in central Yellowstone.

At 3,472 square miles (8,991 km2), Yellowstone National Park forms the core of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem—one of the largest nearly intact temperate-zone ecosystems on Earth.

Heat from the hotspot rises upward and drives Yellowstone's famed geysers, hot springs, and mudpots. These thermal waters are home to specialized, primitive ecosystems, rich in algae and bacteria. The rock alteration associated with hydrothermal systems creates the bright colors of Yellowstone's Grand Canyon.

Assessing the vulnerability and resilience of Yellowstone's built assets, systems and operations to a changing climate including increased wildland fire, drought, invasive and destructive species, decreased snowpack and winter freeze-thaw, increased summer heat and longer summer seasons.

The distinctive shape of Yellowstone's magma chamber and its pattern of eruptions over millions of years are due to the geology of the Yellowstone hot spot. The hot spot, forming deep within Earth's mantle, remains relatively stable while the North American continent shifts slowly to the southwest.

Dolomite — a sedimentary rock consisting of calcium magnesium carbonate and usually formed from limestone by replacement processes. Fault scarp — the cliff formed by a fault. Geyserite — common deposit of the geyser basins, usually opaline silica. Glacial drift — sediment deposited by glaciers.

Biotic factors are factors that have to do with life or living organisms. One of the most important biotic factors in Yellowstone National Park is the elk. Elk are a keystone species in Yellowstone and is a very large portion of the ecosystem.

In addition to density-dependent factors, elk and bison populations also are affected by density-independent factors such as weather and because ungulates and their food do not always vary in a synchronous way. Thus, some ungulate populations tend to fluctuate regardless of human management intervention.

What is the biggest concern about Yellowstone National Park? ›

Hydrothermal explosions are the most likely of Yellowstone's volcano hazards. With little-to-no warning, thermal features can erupt as rock-hurtling geysers that excavate shallow craters.

Included in the food web above, the primary consumers include pronghorns, beavers, elk, cutthroat trout, mayflies, and deer mice. These organisms are a very vital part of the food chain because they keep producer populations under control and provide a source of energy for secondary and tertiary consumers.

In the 1920s, government policy allowed the extermination of Yellowstone's gray wolf—the apex predator—triggering an ecosystem collapse known as trophic cascade.

In early Eocene time, between 55 and 50 million years ago, several large volcanoes erupted in and near Yellowstone National Park. This volcanic activity resulted in the accumulation of the vast pile of Absaroka volcanic rocks (fig.

Most volcanoes form on the boundaries of tectonic plates, where natural Earth processes create magma that rises to the surface. However, the Yellowstone supervolcano lies in the middle of the North American Plate.

The crater has a tall 4,100 foot central uplift cone, locally known as Chalk Mountain, consisting of diatomaceous earth, presumably the rebound cone of a meteorite impact. This falsifies a theoretical prohibition of cosmic impact volcanism.

The hills surrounding Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin are reminders of Quaternary rhyolitic lava flows. These flows, occurring long after the catastrophic eruption of 600,000 years ago, flowed across the landscape like stiff mounds of bread dough due to their high silica content.