The rise and fall of Yellowstone National Park Today’s Video of the Day from the USGS features Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, who describes the history of land deformation in Yellowstone National Park. 

In this region, forces of heat and pressure cause the Earth’s surface to periodically rise and fall. The hydrothermal system – all the hot water that powers the geysers – has an influence on deformation as well. 

Using various techniques such as leveling, satellite imagery, and radar imagery, experts are able to measure the extent to which the land deforms. The rise and fall of Yellowstone National Park as shown above in the video shows the ups and downs of what the park has been through.

Also the  history of the park began at least 11,000 years ago when Native Americans began to hunt and fish in the region. During the construction of the post office in Gardiner, Montana, in the 1950s, an obsidian point of Clovis origin was found that dated from approximately 11,000 years ago. These Paleo-Indians, of the Clovis culture, used the significant amounts of obsidian found in the park to make cutting tools and weapons.

Video Credit: USGS

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer