Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field

Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field
Mount Sheridan, the highest peak in the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field, from Heart Lake
Highest point
Elevation11,372[1] ft (3,466 m)
Coordinates44°28′16″N 110°30′07″W / 44.471031°N 110.501862°W / 44.471031; -110.501862 (Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field)
Geography
Map
Location
Parent rangeRocky Mountains
Topo mapUSGS Yellowstone National Park
Geology
Rock age~2,080,000–70,000 years[3]
Mountain type(s)Complex volcano, volcanic plateau and volcanic field[2]
Last eruptionapproximately 631,000 years ago (caldera-forming); 70,000 years ago (in the caldera)
Climbing
Easiest routeHike/auto/bus

The Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field, also known as the Yellowstone Supervolcano or the Yellowstone Volcano, is a complex volcano, volcanic plateau and volcanic field located mostly in the western U.S. state of Wyoming, but it also stretches into Idaho and Montana.[4][5] It is a popular site for tourists.[6]

Map of the United States showing volcanic ash fall from Yellowstone eruptions in some case covering over one third of the country.
Map of Yellowstone Volcano ash beds

The Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field began forming around 2 Ma (million years ago).[7] It has had over 110 different eruptions and has created mostly rhyolitic plains, with over 6000 km3 of rhyolitic material formed.[7] Scientists have discovered three major eruptions that formed calderas. They used methods of geological mapping, with both satellites and field work, and potassium-argon dating, to discover the eruptions.[5] The three major eruptions are:

  • The first large eruption was about 2.08 Ma and created the Huckleberry Ridge Caldera.[4] This eruption produced more than 2,500 km2 of magma[7] through at least three volcanic vents that produced large ash sheets across the area.[4] This caldera had three main pulses of activity during its formation.[8]
  • The second large eruption was about 1.3 Ma and created the Henrys Fork Caldera.[4] This eruption produced more than 280 km2 of magma [7] and was nested within a portion of a larger caldera, the Huckleberry Ridge Caldera.[4]
  • The third large eruption was about 0.6 Ma and created the Yellowstone Caldera.[4] This eruption produced 1,000 km2 of magma [7] through at least two volcanic vents.[4] The Yellowstone Caldera is above a continental hot spot, the Yellowstone mantle plume.[8] After the caldera was formed, there were rhyolitic lava flows between 160,000 and 70,000 years ago.[8]

The Yellowstone Caldera is a resurgent caldera and has experienced resurgent doming.[8] The Yellowstone Caldera has two resurgent domes formed by magma upwelling called Sour Creek and Mallard Lakes.[8] The magma chambers under the Yellowstone Caldera provides heat and energy for large hydrothermal systems.[8][9] The Yellowstone Caldera has the greatest concentration of hydrothermal features in the world, and is an active system.[9] The magma, geothermal activity, and hydrothermal system can lead to caldera motion, ash clouds, and earthquakes, so the Yellowstone Caldera is labeled as a geohazard.[8] A large amount of the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field is in the Yellowstone National Park.[5][4][8][9]

  1. ^ Bove, Dana. "The evolution of the Eagle Peak volcano — a distinctive phase of middle miocene volcanism in the western Mogollon-Datil volcanic field, New Mexico". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research.
  2. ^ "Yellowstone". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
  3. ^ USGS. "The evolution of the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field: Past, present, and future!". United States Geological Survey.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "The evolution of the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field: Past, present, and future! | U.S. Geological Survey". www.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  5. ^ a b c "How do we know about the calderas in Yellowstone? | U.S. Geological Survey". www.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  6. ^ Park, Mailing Address: PO Box 168 Yellowstone National; Us, WY 82190-0168 Phone: 307-344-7381 Contact. "Visitation Statistics - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2024-10-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ a b c d e HILDRETH, W.; HALLIDAY, A. N.; CHRISTIANSEN, R. L. (1991-02-01). "Isotopic and Chemical Evidence Concerning the Genesis and Contamination of Basaltic and Rhyolitic Magma Beneath the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field". Journal of Petrology. 32 (1): 63–138. doi:10.1093/petrology/32.1.63. ISSN 0022-3530.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h "Resurgent Calderas (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  9. ^ a b c "Yellowstone's Active Hydrothermal System | U.S. Geological Survey". www.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2024-10-23.