Yellowstone Plateau
Encyclopedia
The Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field
is a geological feature found in the U.S. state
of Wyoming
. It is a popular site for tourists.
The plateau developed through three volcanic cycles spanning two million years that included some of the world's largest known eruptions. Eruption of the >2,500 km³ Huckleberry Ridge Tuff
about 2 million years ago created the more than 75-km-long Island Park Caldera
. The second cycle concluded with the eruption of the Mesa Falls Tuff around 1.3 million years ago, forming the 25-km-wide Henrys Fork
caldera at the western end of the first caldera. Activity subsequently shifted to the present Yellowstone Plateau and culminated 630,000 years ago with the eruption of the 1,000 km³ Lava Creek Tuff
and the formation of the present 45 x 75 km caldera. Resurgent doming then occurred at both the NE and SW sides of the caldera and voluminous (1,000 km³) intracaldera rhyolitic lava flows were erupted between 150,000 and 70,000 years ago. Phreatic eruptions produced local tephras during the early Holocene
. The caldera presently contains one of the world's largest hydrothermal systems including the world's largest concentration of geysers. Much of the plateau is located within Yellowstone National Park
.
Volcanic field
A volcanic field is an area of the Earth's crust that is prone to localized volcanic activity. They usually contain 10 to 100 volcanoes, such as cinder cones and are usually in clusters. Lava flows may also occur...
is a geological feature found in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. It is a popular site for tourists.
The plateau developed through three volcanic cycles spanning two million years that included some of the world's largest known eruptions. Eruption of the >2,500 km³ Huckleberry Ridge Tuff
Huckleberry Ridge Tuff
The Huckleberry Ridge Tuff is a tuff formation created by the Huckleberry Ridge eruption that formed the Island Park Caldera that lies partially in Yellowstone Park, Wyoming and stretches westward into Idaho into a region known as Island Park...
about 2 million years ago created the more than 75-km-long Island Park Caldera
Island Park Caldera
The volcanic feature commonly called the Island Park Caldera in the states of Idaho and Wyoming, U.S., is actually two calderas, one nested inside the other. The Island Park Caldera is the older and much larger caldera, with approximate dimensions of 58 miles by 40 miles...
. The second cycle concluded with the eruption of the Mesa Falls Tuff around 1.3 million years ago, forming the 25-km-wide Henrys Fork
Henrys Fork
Henrys Fork may refer to:*Henrys Fork in Idaho*Henrys Fork in Utah and Wyoming, forming one arm of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir...
caldera at the western end of the first caldera. Activity subsequently shifted to the present Yellowstone Plateau and culminated 630,000 years ago with the eruption of the 1,000 km³ Lava Creek Tuff
Lava Creek Tuff
Lava Creek Tuff is a tuff formation, in Wyoming, created when the Yellowstone Caldera erupted about 640,000 years ago.The Lava Creek Tuff distributed in a radial pattern around the caldera and is formed of of ash in pyroclastic flows....
and the formation of the present 45 x 75 km caldera. Resurgent doming then occurred at both the NE and SW sides of the caldera and voluminous (1,000 km³) intracaldera rhyolitic lava flows were erupted between 150,000 and 70,000 years ago. Phreatic eruptions produced local tephras during the early Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
. The caldera presently contains one of the world's largest hydrothermal systems including the world's largest concentration of geysers. Much of the plateau is located within Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
.