Indy
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May 2007 Yellowstone Report
I have completed my first ever trip to Yellowstone National Park. I made the complete circle around the park and stopped at almost every feature of significance. I must have spent an excess of 20 hours in the park driving around and checking out the sights.
The park is incredible and everyone must go at least once. The trip isn't cheap but it is worth every penny. You can make it a full week vacation and you won't be bored.
Things of note:
Every thermal type feature had a nasty sulfur smell to it. I can't think of a case where the wind blew my direction and I didn't get that rotten egg smell. It didn't matter if it was a mud pot or a steaming pool or a geyser. Everything smelled.
I came across no large animal life on the east side of the park while coming across all sorts of large animals on the west side.
While on the east side I noticed a couple of times what looked like little bursts of steam coming out of spots in the road.
I noticed a number of closed roads and trails.
Driving on the east side of the park I noticed a closed road that went down into a valley. Perhaps Hayden Valley but I'm not sure. I could see down the hill and there were a number of dead trees.
On that note I saw a number of dead trees around the park that were obviously not started by fire.
There are assumptions made about the Yellowstone volcano that I think are completely incorrect. Those assumptions are related to eruption warning signs. We are talking about a system that lives and breathes in a way completely unlike any volcanic system on the planet. So why is it that we'd expect it to act in the same manner as all other volcanoes prior to eruption?
Uplift: It is said that we would expect to see increasing uplift prior to an eruption. Maybe. How do you know the uplift hasn't already happened? This system works on a time scale much larger than most all volcanoes. I think it is unreasonable to think that uplift at Yellowstone would have to occur in the same manner that it occurs in a place like Mount St. Helens.
Increased Geothermal Activity: It is expected that geothermal activity at the park could increase and become more significant prior to an eruption. That one I don't buy at all. Once you experience Yellowstone you will know what I mean. The activity at the park is already significant. I don't know how much bigger you can get. The amount of activity is amazing and so very widespread. There is activity at so many different elevations including in the side of hills/mountains.
I believe the uplift has already happened and the increased geothermal activity already exists. Talk the walk through Norris and you get the feeling you are in the middle of an active volcano. It really is a strange feeling.
Driving around the park you see cliffs where the ground collapsed during one of the previous eruptions. You look across the small canyon it created and you see how high the ground is in the middle. Either small canyons collapsed or the entire area collapsed and most of it has been rebuilt.
I think if you look at Old Faithful and look at the Yellowstone volcano in general you will see a similarity. Old Faithful remains faithful because of the nature of the geyser itself. As long as chamber under the surface remains unchanged the geyser will remain unchanged. The chamber is there and the feed of water is there. There is no reason to believe the geyser eruptions will stop. Same goes for the volcano itself.
Yellowstone as we know sits atop a hot spot. This isn't like most of the volcanoes around the world. This hot spot gives the caldera a constant and undisturbed flow of molten material. Basically it is doing to the caldera what water does to Old Faithful. This flow is refilling the caldera. Once it gets to much pressure it bursts. Just like the geyser that erupts when it fills with water.
Since nothing has really changed with Yellowstone why should we think the frequency of eruptions will change? They seem to be on a regular cycle. Signs are we are overdue. But just as Old Faithful erupts +/- 10 minutes from a given time the park may do the same as well. What is the margin of error? 1000 years? 10000 years? 100000 years? Who knows.
The one question I want answered is "what is the status of the bulge in Yellowstone Lake?"
"I think God gives us children so death won't come as such a disappointment." - Two and a Half Men |
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Indy
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Here are some dead tree pics I took. I know there was a fire at the park but these trees were the victim of something else. There were so many cases of this that I gave up taking pics. The four I'm posting are not all I took.
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Indy
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More dead trees.
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Indy
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Pic #3 of dead trees.
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Indy
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Pic #4
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Indy
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Ok so maybe there are 5 pics lol.
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Indy
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Norris is a strong candidate for the starting point of the next Yellowstone eruption and these next 4 images should give you an idea why. I know some is lost when it becomes a photo so all I can say is that when you walk the Norris boardwalk you really feel like you are in the volcano.
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Indy
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Norris Geyser Basin is huge. I hope these pics help tell the story about the size.
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Indy
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Norris pic #3.
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Indy
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Norris #4. Hope you have enjoyed the pics. I'll add more later. Will also post video later.
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Indy
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What would a Yellowstone trip report be without a picture of the Obsidian Cliffs?
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DanG
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EXCELLENT |
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Shy4chey
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The first two remind me of the area from when I was there. Slowly I'm remembering more about that trip as I see more pics. |
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posted on 5/20/2007 at 22:28
