OSHER 176 - Beautiful America: The Geology Behind the Scenery at Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

In 1872, Yellowstone became the world first national park. Grand Teton National Park was established in 1929. Together, the two parks have made northwestern Wyoming one of the great spots for people from around the world who love the natural world. This class is for the non-geologist who wants to know more about the parks than he or she can get from an interpretive sign or a park brochure. We will look at the events that led to today's park starting with the subduction of a tectonic plate off the west coast of North America. Then we will examine the formation of a hot spot that resulted in a line of massive calderas across southern Idaho. Today's Yellowstone is parked over that hot spot and has produced three great eruptions in the last 2.1 million years. We will learn about the glaciers that have sculpted the area, the famous terraces of the Snake River, and how geysers work. Finally, we will watch the rise of the Tetons, one of the most wildly beautiful mountain ranges in the West.