Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
percent is alpine tundra. Shrublands dominated by big
sagebrush are characteristic of the lowlands, growing on
about 25 percent of the GYe.
toward Yellowstone and the tetons . 17 He was followed
by various trappers, including osborne Russell, who
wrote about the environment, wildlife, and people of
the Yellowstone region in the early 1800s. 18
today YnP occupies an area of 3,468 square miles.
the highest mountain peaks occur in the Absaroka
Mountains on the eastern boundary, rising to slightly
more than 10,900 feet; the lowest elevation is at Gar-
diner in the northwestern corner, where the Yellow-
stone River leaves the park at 5,314 feet. More than 150
lakes cover 5 percent of the park, all small except for
Yellowstone, Shoshone, Lewis, and Heart lakes. Soils
have developed mostly on two kinds of volcanic rock—
the infertile rhyolite and more fertile andesite—plus
the gravel, sand, silt, and clay deposited by retreating
glaciers. the highest mean annual precipitation, up to
70 inches, occurs on the high Madison and Pitchstone
plateaus in the southwestern corner of the park and in
the Gallatin Mountains in the northwest, with the inte-
rior and lower elevations of the park receiving much
less (only about 10 inches at Gardiner, Montana). two
distinct climate regimes are recognized in YnP and the
GYe. in the areas located generally south and west of
the continental Divide, winters are wet and snowy, and
summers are relatively dry; but in areas located gener-
ally north and east of the continental Divide, winters
are somewhat drier, and summers are relatively wet.
Some vegetation patterns reflect this climatic pattern;
for example, aspen is more abundant in the winter-wet
region in the southern part of the GYe than in the sum-
mer-dry region to the north . 19
Rivers are a popular feature of the Yellowstone land-
scape, because they are big and clean. Pulses of sedi-
ment-rich water occur following natural erosion events,
especially in the spring and after heavy thunderstorms
over recently burned forests, but most of the time the
rivers run clear. they also offer some of the finest trout
fishing in the world, with the native cutthroat trout con-
sidered a prize. canyons, point bars, cut banks, terraces,
and broad floodplains are part of the riparian mosaic
(see chapter 4). Rapids and waterfalls are common. the
Grand canyon of the Yellowstone River is about 1,500
feet deep, passing through rhyolite softened by hydro-
thermal activity. the canyon begins at Lower Falls, with
a drop of about 300 feet, and continues for about 18
miles to the mouth of the Lamar River.
Yellowstone National Park
early explorers along the headwaters of the Missouri
and columbia rivers returned with tales of abundant
fish and wildlife, boiling mud, steam rising from holes
in the earth, hot springs, spectacular waterfalls, and a
deep canyon with walls of yellow stone. 11 So incredible
were their stories that few took them seriously. Some
newspapers hesitated to print their reports. in 1870,
General Henry D. Washburn led an expedition to eval-
uate some of the claims. cornelius Hedges, a member
of the expedition, was probably trying to preserve his
reputation as a keen observer when he commented,
“i think a more confirmed set of skeptics never went
out into the wilderness than those who composed our
party, and never was a party more completely surprised
and captivated with the wonders of nature. 12 Hedges
complained of the wind and cold in August but, after
walking along the rim of the Grand canyon of the Yel-
lowstone River, he was filled with “too much and too
great a satisfaction to relate. 13
A year later, in 1871, Ferdinand V. Hayden led a sci-
entific expedition to the region, sponsored by the U.S.
congress. Hayden's report, with stunning photographs
by William H. Jackson and paintings by thomas Moran,
was instrumental in Yellowstone being established in
1872 as the world's first national park. 14 the accolades
continued. in 1875 General W. e. Strong wrote, “Grand,
glorious, and magnificent was the scene as we looked
upon it from [Mount] Washburn's summit. no pen can
write it—no language describe it.” 15 today the wonders
of Yellowstone still entice and excite several million
visitors each year.
of course, the ancestors of modern tribes had been
present 8,000-10,000 years before these explorers
arrived. 16 Aside from hunting and gathering their food,
they collected and traded obsidian, a hard volcanic rock
highly valued for spear points, arrowheads, and cutting
implements. When europeans first arrived, the major
tribes living in the area were the Blackfoot, crow, and
Bannock-Shoshone. in 1806 John colter left the Lewis
and clark expedition in Montana and traveled south
 
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