The Yellowstone caldera is a super volcano, the eruption of which can completely change our planet. Strictly speaking, this caldera is a huge funnel in the earth, located on the territory of the Yellowstone National Reserve in the United States , which was among the first listed in the list of World Heritage sites of UNESCO.
Where is Yellowstone?
Organized in 1872, the natural park is located in the north of the United States of America on the adjacent territory of the states of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. The total area of the reserve is 9,000 km ². Through the main park attractions is the highway "Big loop", the length of which is 230 km.
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Yellowstone Attractions
Attractions of the national park are unique natural formations, representatives of flora and museums on the territory of the reserve.
Yellowstone Geysers
There are 3000 geysers in the park. Source Steamboat Geyser (Steamboat) - the largest on Earth. The geyser Old Faithful Geyser (Old Officer) is widely known. He became famous for his unpredictable disposition: from time to time he starts water jets up to 40 m high. You can admire the geyser only from the viewing platform.
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Yellowstone Falls
The park includes many lakes, as well as rivers. The fact that river channels pass through the mountainous terrain explains the presence of a significant number of waterfalls - their 290. The highest (94 m), and in combination the most attractive for tourists, the Lower Waterfall on the Yellowstone River.
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Yellowstone Caldera
One of the largest in the area of the lakes of the North American continent is the Yellowstone reservoir, located in Caldera - a gigantic volcano in Yellowstone Park - the largest in the world . According to research scientists speliologists for 17 million years the volcano has intensified at least 100 times, the latest eruption occurred about 640 thousand years ago. Yellowstone eruptions occurred with unthinkable power, so most of the reserve is flooded with frozen lava. The structure of the volcano is unusual: it does not have a cone, but it is a huge hole with an area of 75x55 km. Another amazing feature is that the Yellowstone volcano is located in the center of the tectonic plate, and not at the junction of the slabs, like most of the volcanoes.
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Recently, there have been reports of a real danger of eruption in the media. The fact is that there is more red-hot lava under the national park than was believed. The eruptions of the Yellowstone super volcano occur approximately once every 650-700 thousand years. These facts alarm scientists and disturb the public. Activity giant will be a world tragedy, because the cataclysm will be comparable to the power of a nuclear explosion, much of the US territory will be flooded with lava, and volcanic ash will spread around the globe. The suspension of ash in the air will greatly affect the Earth's climate, blocking the sun's light. In fact, for several years on the planet there will be year-round winter, and the model built on the computer for this event showed that, at worst, 4/5 of all life on Earth will die.
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Yellowstone Fauna
There are 60 species of mammals, including rare ones: bison, puma, baribal, wapiti, etc. There are also 6 species of reptiles, 4 species of amphibians, 13 species of fish and more than 300 species of birds, among them very rare.
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How to get to Yellowstone?
The National Reserve is an hour's bus ride from the US airport Cody. Also in the period from July to September, shuttle buses run from Salt Lake City and Bozeman. The park is open throughout the calendar year, but before the trip it is recommended to consult about the weather forecast, especially since the public transport does not go by the park.
