Geology and Landforms
In Yellowstone National Park there are more than 300 geysers! There are also many hot springs here too! These geysers and hot springs are caused by the Yellowstone hotspot. A hotspot is an unusual place in the earth where magma from inside the earth rises closer to the surface than normal. These things make Yellowstone a very popular place to visit because you can swim in the hot springs and watch geysers spray water way up into the air!
Yellowstone also has many geothermal features. Yellowstone has over 10,000 geothermal features and is the largest preserve of hydrothermal features in the world! Geothermal features are features of the earth that pertain to heat. Hydrothermal features are features of the earth that pertain to water.
How do Geysers work?
As precipitation falls in Yellowstone the water sinks into the ground. The water goes farther and farther and then it starts to rise back up. This is because the Yellowstone hot spot is heating it. Then the water finally gets hot enough and explodes up, up, and away through the geyser!
Some other geologic things in Yellowstone are that the rock Rhyolite can be found here. This is because Rhyolite is formed after a volcanic eruption and Yellowstone is an active volcano that has erupted! The rock Obsidian can also be found here from the eruptions. In the past the Clovis culture used Obsidian for hunting weapons like spears.
How do Waterfalls Form?
Waterfalls form by fast moving water that erodes rock. Eventually the water will erode enough in one spot that a cliff forms. When this cliff forms the water will fall down it creating a waterfall. In some areas there are more waterfalls because the rock that is there is more easily eroded. For example rocks like shale are more easily eroded than rocks like limestone. So there will most likely be more waterfalls where shale is than where limestone is. Yellowstone National Park has about 290 waterfalls that are over 15 feet tall!
Waterfalls form by fast moving water that erodes rock. Eventually the water will erode enough in one spot that a cliff forms. When this cliff forms the water will fall down it creating a waterfall. In some areas there are more waterfalls because the rock that is there is more easily eroded. For example rocks like shale are more easily eroded than rocks like limestone. So there will most likely be more waterfalls where shale is than where limestone is. Yellowstone National Park has about 290 waterfalls that are over 15 feet tall!
How did Yellowstone Form?
Yellowstone National Park is formed from a hotspot. A hotspot is a place in the middle of one of earth's plates where magma rises closer to the surface than normal. The Yellowstone hotspot was caused from a weak spot in earth's mantle where magma got to rise closer to earth's surface.
Yellowstone National Park is formed from a hotspot. A hotspot is a place in the middle of one of earth's plates where magma rises closer to the surface than normal. The Yellowstone hotspot was caused from a weak spot in earth's mantle where magma got to rise closer to earth's surface.