Yellowstone Canyon, Yellowstone NP, 20th Century
Postcard of the Yellowstone Canyon photographed by Frank J. Haynes, no date. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is the first large canyon on the Yellowstone River downstream from Yellowstone Falls in Yellowstone NP. The canyon is approximately 24 miles long, between 800 and 1,200 feet deep and from .25 to .75 miles wide. The specifics of the geology of the canyon are not well understood, except that it is an erosional feature rather than the result of glaciation. After the Yellowstone Caldera eruption of about 600,000 years ago, the area was covered by a series of lava flows. The area was also faulted by the doming action of the caldera before the eruption. The site of the present canyon, as well as any previous canyons, was probably the result of this uplift and related faulting, which allowed erosion to proceed at an accelerated rate. The area was also covered by the glaciers that formed during several ice ages. Glacial deposits probably filled the canyon at one time, but have since been eroded away, leaving little or no evidence of their presence. The colors in the canyon are also a result of hydrothermal alteration.
Size: 4200px × 2849px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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