Yellowstone Canyon Yellowstone Np #1
by NPS Photo Frank J Haynes
Title
Yellowstone Canyon Yellowstone Np #1
Artist
NPS Photo Frank J Haynes
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Postcard of Yellowstone Canyon as seen from Grand View photographed by Frank J. Haynes, no date. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is the first large canyon on the Yellowstone River downstream from Yellowstone Falls in Yellowstone NP. The canyon is approximately 24 miles long, between 800 and 1,200 feet deep and from .25 to .75 miles wide. The specifics of the geology of the canyon are not well understood, except that it is an erosional feature rather than the result of glaciation. After the Yellowstone Caldera eruption of about 600,000 years ago, the area was covered by a series of lava flows. The area was also faulted by the doming action of the caldera before the eruption. The site of the present canyon, as well as any previous canyons, was probably the result of this uplift and related faulting, which allowed erosion to proceed at an accelerated rate. The area was also covered by the glaciers that formed during several ice ages. Glacial deposits probably filled the canyon at one time, but have since been eroded away, leaving little or no evidence of their presence. The colors in the canyon are also a result of hydrothermal alteration. The rhyolite in the canyon contains a variety of different iron compounds. When the old geyser basin was active, the "cooking" of the rock caused chemical alterations in these iron compounds. Exposure to the elements caused the rocks to change colors. The rocks are oxidizing; in effect, the canyon is rusting. The colors indicate the presence or absence of water in the individual iron compounds. Most of the yellows in the canyon are the result of iron present in the rock rather than, as many people think, sulfur.
Uploaded
July 29th, 2014
Embed
Share
Comments
There are no comments for Yellowstone Canyon Yellowstone Np #1. Click here to post the first comment.