| 7:30 AM-6:00 PM, Colorado Convention Center: |
401. Track of the Yellowstone Hot Spot: Young and On-Going Geologic Processes From the Snake River Plain to Yellowstone
|
| Primary Leader: Lisa A. Morgan |
| Leader(s): Kenneth L. Pierce |
| Field Trip Description: The 16-Ma Yellowstone hotspot track is one of the few places on Earth where a time-transgressive suite of processes on continental crust can be seen in the volcanic and tectonic (faulting and uplift) record at the rate and direction as predicted by plate motion. Recent interest in young and possibly renewed volcanism at Yellowstone coupled with new discoveries and previous synthesis for Yellowstone (from new tomographic, deformation, bathymetric, seismic surveys) has renewed the discussion as to its possible plume origin.
This field trip will highlight various stages in the evolution of the Snake River Plain-Yellowstone Plateau bimodal volcanic province, also known as the track of the Yellowstone hot spot. Field trip stops will include the young basaltic Craters of the Moon, exposures of 4-12-Ma rhyolites and edges of their collapsed calderas on the Snake River Plain, faulting progressing with the volcanic fields, and Yellowstone National Park where the last major caldera-forming event occurred 640,000 years ago and is now host to the world’s largest hydrothermal field. This 3-day trip will present a quick but intensive overview into volcanism and tectonism in this dynamically active region. We will discuss origin models and examine features which may be reflective of a tilted thermal plume indicated in recent tomographic studies. Our drive home will pass through Grand Teton National Park where the Teton Range is currently rising in response to the passage of the North American plate over the Yellowstone hot spot. |
| Field Trip will span: 3 days |
| Sponsor(s): |