National Geographic Ladders – Social Studies

Yellowstone National Parks

National Geographic Learning - Ladders, Social Studies

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GENRE Geography Tour Read to find out about the volcanic features unique to Yellowstone. by Richard Easby Welcome to Yellowstone National Park! Our tour begins at the north entrance. Take a look around and you can see a land covered in trees and grasses, sparkling lakes, and rushing rivers. Most people come to see Yellowstone's famous wildlife, such as bison, grizzly bears, elk, and gray wolves. Yellowstone has 2.2 million acres of wilderness, but the park is also a geological wonder. Three times in the past two million years, huge volcanic eruptions spewed hot ash, lava, and gas into the sky and across the land. These eruptions helped create the land you see today. Yellowstone sits on top of a geological hot spot. A churning chamber, or huge, closed-in area, lies deep under the park. This chamber is filled with magma, or melted rock, and it is part of one of the world's largest volcanoes. You can't see the volcano, though, because it is underground. The most recent eruption happened about 640,000 years ago. Explosions caused part of the magma chamber to collapse, forming a huge crater called a caldera. Today, signs of volcanic activity are scattered throughout Yellowstone. From Sizzling Basin and Firehole Canyon to Boiling River, Yellowstone is one hot site. Let's find some examples of volcanic activity in Yellowstone! Grand Prismatic Spring  8

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