Synonyms
Definition
Yellowstone National Park is mainly located in Wyoming but also extending into Montana and Idaho. It covers an area of 8,980 km2 and includes Yellowstone Caldera (a caldera is a large summital crater formed by the collapse of the volcanic edifice after a powerful eruption). The Yellowstone Caldera is considered the largest continental supervolcano (a volcano capable of producing a volcanic eruption with ejected volumes greater than 1,000 km3) in North America. Yellowstone National Park has been extensively studied in astrobiology for its many geothermal features, hydrothermal-related mineralization, and the microbial communities that flourish near or within the hot springs.
Overview
The Yellowstone National Park is well known for its numerous geothermal features such as the Old Faithful geyser (a geyseris a hot a spring characterized by intermittent and brutal discharge of water) or the Great Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in the USA and the...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References and Further Reading
Helmann MJ, Ramsey MS (2004) Analysis of hot springs and associated deposits in Yellowstone National Park using ASTER and AVIRIS remote sensing. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 135:195–219
Walker JJ, Spear JR, Pace NR (2005) Geobiology of a microbial endolithic community in the Yellowstone geothermal environment. Nature 434:1011–1014
Walter MR (1972) A hot spring analogue for the depositional environment of Precambrian iron formations of the Lake Superior region. Econ Geol 67:965–980
Walter MR, Bauld JM, Brock TD (1972) Siliceous algal and bacterial stromatolites in hot spring and Geyser effluents of Yellowstone National Park. Science 178:402–405
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this entry
Cite this entry
Pinti, D.L. (2015). Yellowstone National Park, Natural Analogue Site. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_1699
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_1699
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-662-44184-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-44185-5
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics