About 640,000 years ago, when the North American continent “walked” from volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, a giant crater with a total area of 2000 km² appeared near the Rocky Mountains. Over time, it turned into a plateau, where today a bubbling mass is bubbling, fumaroles, geysers, mud fountains and hot springs are beating from the ground. And so came Yellowstone Park, a photo of which is presented in this article.
Bit of history
There is a legend that 200 years ago a hunter got over in search of prey through the Rocky Mountains and came to the Yellowstone Plateau. Now only he understood the stories of the Indians about the "land of smoke and water", only now he believed in them. The picture that was revealed to him inspired superstitious fear in him. Canyons filled with solidified lava, rocks glistening with obsidian, petrified forests were combined with bubbling water in the craters of volcanoes, as well as foamy streams of steam rising from crevices. Over this other world, the smell of rotten eggs hovered - a kind of "aroma" of hydrogen sulfide. In the future, the story of St. John's wort about this amazing and strange area among others caused ridicule and mistrust. How can this be in a world created by God? And if it can, then where is Yellowstone Park located?
Only after 50 years, the reports of scientific expeditions were able to confirm the stories of this unrecognized eyewitness. After that, in the territory with such an amazing landscape, located on the lands of three states: Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, the US Congress in 1872 founded the world's first National Park, called Yellowstone National Park, which translates as "yellow stone ". Thus, in America began the development of environmental ethics, as well as the preservation of the area with untouched nature. Today, everyone can not only find Yellowstone Park on the map, but also visit it. In 1976, this place was given the status of a biosphere reserve. Two years later, he was put on the UNESCO list.
Description
Five square roads lead to Square in Yellowstone National Park, and you can get here from anywhere in the world.
In the north are amazingly beautiful gorges, where the Madisson and Yellowstone rivers flow along the bottom, breaking off hundreds of waterfalls in canyons. The largest of them is Lower Waterfall, the height of which is as much as 94 m! Mammoth Hot Keys are also located in the same place.
Calcite
At this point, the rock is rich in calcites. For thousands of years, calcium has been dissolved in the hot water of the springs here. Thus, sparkling crystals, picturesque terraces were formed, whose steep slopes were decorated with cascades resembling stalactites. It seems that amazing limestone figures should be white, but many of them are decorated in all shades of the rainbow spectrum. This is due to the admixture of microorganisms and metals that live in Mammoth Keys. Their color depends on the temperature at the water, therefore, some terraces are painted in a violet-blue palette, and the following shine with canary yellow and fiery scarlet shades.
In the northeastern part of the park you can find the largest petrified forest on the planet. This was due to the fact that during the eruption, which happened once a very long time ago, ash completely covered the trees, after which they mineralized, turning into idols.
West Yellowstone
Yellowstone Park is also known for its village of West Yellowstone, which is located at the western gate of this reserve. From here you can get to the most famous geyser fountains, which we will talk about below.
Grand Canyon
If we needed a contour map of North America, then in the eastern part of Yellowstone we would have noted the Grand Canyon. Its length is 20 km and its depth is 360 m! The park got its name from here - the sun's rays are reflected in the rocky yellow rocks. In the south of the park there is a mountain range completely covered with snow. He surprises with his slender unusual beauty.
Geysers
Yellowstone is one of five places on the planet in which huge geyser fields stretch (a contour map of North America of these places consists of volcanic layers). Here, magma approached the surface, therefore, the temperature of the water ejected to the surface is much more than the boiling point, it is rather vapor than liquid. It is interesting that small fountains regularly "work", and large ones - spontaneously. There are about 3000 of them.
The ship, the largest geyser in the world, emits 5,000 tons of water per 50-100 m, and the frequency of this is unpredictable - from 4 days to half a century.
Another impressive geyser is Excelsior, which is located in the center of a beautiful mountain lake. At its fountain, the height reaches 90 m, while such a process is accompanied by various special effects - roar, roar and tremor of the earth.
A terrific spring, called the Eye, is the real king of this valley. Microorganisms and bacteria located in hot water, it is painted in saturated bright colors. In shape, it resembles a large eye. There is a feeling that someone from under the ground is watching what is happening on it.
Ebb and flow
Yellowstone National Park on the map stands out as another miracle - a huge lake of the same name.
It is located in the center of the plateau. In huge reservoirs there are ebbs and flows, the water at which either departs from the coast or floods it. Yellowstone Lake does not obey the rules. Here the water changes the line in zigzags - on some shore there may be simultaneously an ebb and flow. Land at the same time often change their places.
This mystery is still not able to solve the greatest scientists. One of the assumptions explains this behavior of the reservoir by geological activity. The quirks of the reservoir do not interfere with the fish that live in it - there is a huge amount of it to the joy of numerous fishermen.
Plants and wolves
At the beginning of the last century, poaching led to the extermination of wolves there. Bred deer and moose devastated the coast of the Lamar River, while eating all the local plants. Then, as if by a chain, beavers began to die out, which had lost their food - trees. The ponds that were created by these hardworking rodents dried up, since no one else arranged the dams. Succulent plants, which grizzly bears ate, began to disappear without water. Thus, Yellowstone Park was on the verge of a real environmental disaster.
After that, the National Park Service of America brought wolves from Canada here. In a short period, they significantly reduced populations of elk and deer. Plants reappeared in the valley, after which the ecological balance began to recover.
At the moment, in this reserve you can see different animals: moose, bison, grizzly bears, deer, bighorn sheep, coyotes, beavers and wolves. Other animals live here: mountain lions, lynxes, cougars. There are many birds in the park - about 200 different species: pelican, trumpeter swan, bald eagle , etc.
Facilities for tourists
Entering Yellowstone Park, each vacationer receives a guide that helps him navigate the vast territory. Almost the whole area can be traveled around on an asphalt road, covering the G8 with all the interesting places: the caldera and the lake, thousands of geysers, petrified forests, waterfalls and hot springs. The park is surrounded by a highway with a total length of 150 km.
It should be noted that sightseeing usually takes 4 days. At this point, you can rent a car, take a horse, and also walk along trails, the total length of which is 1770 km. It should be prepared that along the way there are various wild animals - the virgin nature in its most dangerous greatness is revealed to the traveler.
It offers excursions, boat trips, visiting caves, horse riding, fishing - for any visitor you will find something to your liking, which will allow you to spend time with interest, as well as gain health and strength.
Arriving at Yellowstone Park, you need to be prepared for the fact that the fee for visiting will depend on the total time spent there. It offers guests hotels, hunting lodges, bars, bungalows, restaurants, cafes, gas stations and shops. This place can be booked in advance. The park is open for visits from May to the end of September, when there are up to 3 million tourists.
Some volcanologists believe that the caldera may wake up in the coming years. This will be a disaster, the scale of which can be equated with the apocalypse. The forecasts are as follows: half of the US will be erased from the planet. Europe will also suffer because volcanic ash will end up in the stratosphere and block the sun for a long time, after which “volcanic winter” will come to the whole Earth.
Hurry up to admire this miracle of nature, while there is still this opportunity!