Yellowstone. GEOL 1114 Hybrid Dr. Wendi J.W. Williams Fall 2011 Terrie Gayer Nicolas Guerrero Rachel Wright

Transcription

1 Yellowstone GEOL 1114 Hybrid Dr. Wendi J.W. Williams Fall 2011 Terrie Gayer Nicolas Guerrero Rachel Wright

2 What is Yellowstone? o First National Park in the US established in ocovering an area of 2.2 million acres total. olocated within the 3 states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. ohome to Old Faithful and the most wonderful collection of geysers and hot springs. oalso home to the biggest Volcano in North America. ogrand Canyon of Yellowstone

3 Yellowstone National Park omost of the Park is Located 7500 ft above sea level. o Over 3,000,000 visitors every year. o Protects over 10,000 geysers, mud pots, steam vents, and hot springs. ohighest Point: 11,358 ft at Eagle Peak. olowest Point: 5,282 ft at Reese Creek. o5% is covered by water. o15 % is covered by grassland. o80% is covered by forest.

4 Plants and Other Creatures o 7 species of conifers o Approximately 80% of forest is comprised of lodge pole pine o Approximately 1,150 species of native vascular plants o More than 199 species of nonnative plants o 186 species of lichens o At least 406 species of extremophiles, only 1% of hydrothermal areas researched.

5 Wildlife o 7 species of native ungulates o 2 species of bears o 322 recorded species of birds (148 nesting species) o 16 species of fish (5 non-native) o 6 species of reptiles o 4 species of amphibians o 2 threatened species: Canada lynx, grizzly bear o 1 endangered species: Gray wolf

6 Old Faithful o One of the most famous features of Yellowstone National Park. o Geyser that spills hot water into the air when the reservoir under it is filled. o Spills 3,700 to 8,500 gallons of water every time. o Goes up to 150 to 190 feet into the air. o Spills on average of every 65 minutes.

7 Grand Canyon of Yellowstone o First large canyon on the Yellowstone River. o Right after Yellowstone Falls. othe canyon is approximately 24 miles long, between 800 feet and 1,200 feet deep and between one quarter of a mile and three quarters of a mile wide.

8 The Super Volcano o Not a word used by scientists. o Term generally used for an eruption above 7 in the Volcanic Eruption Index. o Such events are rare. o Kind of eruption usually: 1. Cause long lasting changes in the weather (possibly trigger for ice ages) 2. Threaten the extinction of many species. 3. Cover huge areas in lava and ash. o There is such a volcano below Yellowstone National Park.

9 The Caldera o Covers of 30 x 45 square miles of the park. o Magma chamber is 30 miles long, 25 miles wide, and 10 miles deep. o Chamber is full of magma that is 1500 degrees F. o It is fed by a colossal volcanic pipe that goes down 400 miles or more into the planet o The way it moves deforms the ground above by expanding the fault lines in the earthquakes they produce. o Its heat ultimately powers all of Yellowstone s hot water pools and geysers.

10 Past Eruptions o Erupts every an average of every 600,000 years. o Forming eruption was 2.2 million years ago. 1. Huckleberry Ridge Tuff 2. 1 of the 5 most titanic eruptions known to have happen on Earth. 3. Caldera was 60 miles across. o Mesa Falls Tuff (1.3 million yrs) 1. Henry s Fork Caldera o Yellowstone Caldera (640 million yrs) 1. Lake Creek Tuff 2. 3,000 square miles were subjected to a flow of the pyroclastic material composed of 240 cubic miles of hot ash and pumice. 3. The ash was blasted high into the atmosphere and blanketed over much of North America.

11 History Repeating Itself o Last eruption was 640,000 years ago. o Scientist think that we are overdue for an eruption event. o Eruption 1. The thousands of cubic kilometers of ash that would shoot into the atmosphere would create a nuclear winter, a blocking out of light from the sun, making global temperatures collapse. 2. Millions would die from falling ash and the devastation that would follow. 3. The resulting climate change would devastate the planet, and destroy harvests making millions starve. 4. America s great agricultural heartland would be covered in ash and rendered infertile for at least a generation years.

12 Prevention o No prevention is possible for such an event. o Only safety is public awareness of the danger. o A volcanic eruption would mean increased earthquake activity, as the land rises because of the pressure. 1. Since 2009, there has been increased earthquake activity. o Because of such danger the activity of the volcano is closely monitored by hundreds of GPS sensors and 10 seismometer stations around the park. o Leaving a serious warming, volcano can erupt tomorrow or a 1000 years from now, its an unknown factor.

13 Geothermal Power of Yellowstone o Yellowstone is one of the largest untapped geothermal resources in the world. o It will never become a geothermal plant because of its national park status. o It needs to be preserved as such because of the rapid decay of environments in North America. o Also needs to be preserved so future generations can see those environments and the animals that are within them. o Yellowstone is also a reminder of the untapped geothermal wealth this country has and how it should be exploited for a better future.

14 Geothermal Energy o Thermal Energy is the a form of energy obtained from within the earth, originating in its core. o Also, energy produced by extracting the earth's internal heat. o Usually found in areas that are geologically active. o Used for thousands of years. o Valued by the temperature and size of the reservoir for energy exploitation. o Currently dependant on water containing systems. o Sustainable energy resource, not renewable.

15 Hydrothermal Systems o Hydrothermal power is the extraction of water heated by geothermal systems. o Can be used to produce electricity o Can be used to warm houses to help in energy conservation. o Highly dependent on rock porosity and permeability. o Closed system in with water is extracted from a reservoir and pumped back in to make usability last longer.

16 Electrical Grade Systems o Hydrothermal systems hot enough to turn a turbine in order to produce electricity degrees f or above. o Hot-water hydrothermal system. 1. Water is flashed to steam is separated and used to drive a turbine generator. o Vapor-dominated hydrothermal system. 1. Steam is used directly from wells to drive a turbine generator o Binary hydrothermal system. 1. Which the geothermal water is used to boil a second fluid (isobutene, gasohol, ect.) whose vapor then drives a turbine generator.

17 Warm Water Systems o Is not hot enough to produce electricity but can be used for more direct use applications. o Although a relatively low energy fuel that cannot be transported without the loss of thermal energy, it can supplement or complement local energy sources. o Currently used in powering heating systems in houses and for industrial greenhouse agriculture.

18 Geopressured Systems o A type of hydrothermal environment whose hot water is almost completely sealed from exchange with surrounding rocks. o Pressure is build from the layering of overlying sediment. o The pressuring of the water and its inability to move cause mechanical energy that is untapped. omoreover, these systems also contain potential for combustion energy, because considerable methane gas is contained within such reservoirs. o The market in not favorable for such exploitation so no further research has been done on these systems for energy production.

19 Dry Geothermal Environments o With the current technology, the abundant thermal energy of high temperature geothermal environments with little or no available water, are unsuitable for well extraction. o Magma and hot dry rock, which have the highest geothermal potential known, are the current focus by scientists in the feasibility of extracting energy from such sources. o Currently there is also an ongoing research and development movement into turning hot dry rock environments with acceptable permeability. 1. Pumping water into such places, and developing man made well geothermal systems that are sustainable. 2. Such efforts are still in experimental stages

20 Environmental Impact o Due to the fact of the uneven distribution of natural resources, most scientists see a near to immediate term depletion of such resources. I.e. Oil, coal. o Geothermal energy is a good a alternative to complement or replace such resources along with other alternatives. o Geothermal produces less than 0.5 % nitrous oxide and 5.0 % CO2 which are much lower than fossil fuel plants. o Land used for supporting a power plant can still be used for farming among other things.

21 The Future o Support for new exploration. o Developing Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). o Searching deeper geothermal wells. o Geothermal Energy in Our Nations Future.

22 Works Cited (No author) Geology Yellowstone National Park.com Retrieved November 20, 2011 < Arrandale, Tom, January 27, 2007, A Cautionary Tale: Yellowstone s Geothermal Wonders MyYellowstonepark.com Retrieved on November 20, 2011, < (No Author) October 12, 2011 Yellowstone NPS.Gov, Retrieved November 20, 2011, < Ratajeski, Kent, April 4, 2011 The Montana-Yellowstone Geologic Field Guide Database Retrieved on November 20, 2011, < Christiansen, Robert L., Henry, Jacob B., Lowenstern, Heasler, Morgan, Lisa A., and Smith, Robert B.March 7, 2005 What s in Yellowstone s Future?, Steam Explosions, Earthquakes, and Volcanic Eruptions U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, Retrieved November 23, 2011 < Handwerk, Brian, January 19, 2001, Yellowstone Has Bulged as Magma Pocket Swells, National Geographic News, Retrieved November 23,2011 < Rood, Dr. Ricky. "Volcanoes and Climate : Weather Underground." Weather Forecast & Reports - Long Range & Local Wunderground : Weather Underground. Web, Retrieved November 23, < > Wolchover, Natalie, June 08, 2011, The Big One:When Will the Yellowstone Supervolcano Erupt?, Life s Little Mysteries, Retrieved November 23, 2011 < > "Old Faithful". Yellowstone Geothermal Features Database. Montana State University Old Faithful". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. < "Supervolcano." Reference.com. Web. 10 Dec < "Yellowstone National Park - Canyon Area Geologic Highlights (U.S. National Park Service)." U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America. Web. 10 Dec < "Yellowstone Caldera.", Yellowstone National Park.com - Visit Yellowstone National Park. Web. November 23, < "Questions About Yellowstone Volcanic History.", Volcano Hazards Program. 14 Apr Web. Retrieved November < CVO Website Yellowstone Caldera, Wyoming." USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO). Web. Retrieved November