Yellowstone National Park, set aside as a national park on March 1, 1872, is located mostly in the U.S. state of Wyoming, though it also extends into Montana and Idaho. The park was the first of its kind, and is known for its wildlife and geothermal features, especially Old Faithful Geyser, one of the most popular areas in the park.

Aboriginal Americans have lived in the Yellowstone region for at least 11,000 years. The region was bypassed during the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the early 1800s. Aside from visits by mountain men during the early to mid-1800s, organized exploration did not begin until the late 1860s. The U.S. Army was commissioned to oversee the park just after its establishment. In 1917, administration of the park was transferred to the National Park Service, which had been created the previous year. Hundreds of structures have been built and are protected for their architectural and historical significance, and researchers have examined more than 1,000 archaeological sites.

Yellowstone National Park spans an area of 3,472 square miles (8,987 km), comprising lakes, canyons, rivers and mountain ranges. Yellowstone Lake is one of the largest high-altitude lakes in North America and is centered over the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest supervolcano on the continent. The caldera is considered an active volcano; it has erupted with tremendous force several times in the last two million years. Half of the world's geothermal features are in Yellowstone, fueled by this ongoing volcanism. Lava flows and rocks from volcanic eruptions cover most of the land area of Yellowstone. The park is the centerpiece of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the largest remaining, nearly-intact ecosystem in the Earth's northern temperate zone.

The last big eruption at Yellowstone was 640,000 years ago. Similar eruptions have happened on a fairly regular basis over the past 2million years, so it could be said that the next is overdue. A similar eruption of the supervolcano in Toba, Indonesia, 75,000 years ago, is believed to have killed 60 per cent of Earth¹s inhabitants. On that occasion, the Toba volcano ejected three times as much material as Yellowstone did 640,000 years ago. However, the Yellowstone caldera can do much worse - and it did, 2.2million years ago when it first erupted, producing what is still the largest, most violent volcanic eruption of all time.

Hundreds of species of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles have been documented, including several that are either endangered or threatened. The vast forests and grasslands also include unique species of plants. Grizzlies, wolves, and free-ranging herds of bison and elk live in the park. Forest fires occur in the park each year; in the large forest fires of 1988, nearly one third of the park burned. Yellowstone has numerous recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, boating, fishing and sightseeing. Paved roads provide close access to the major geothermal areas as well as some of the lakes and waterfalls. During the winter, visitors often access the park by way of guided tours that use either snow coaches or snowmobile.

Yellowstone National Park Wikipedia

Yellowstone National Park Google Images

What¹s in Yellowstone¹s Future? USGS

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory USGS

Yellowstone Webcams

Yellowstone National Park YouTube

Yellowstone supervolcano fed by bigger plume   BBC - April 14, 2011
The underground volcanic plume at Yellowstone in the US may be bigger than previously thought, according to a new study by geologists. The volcanic hotspot below Yellowstone feeds the hot springs, mud pots and geysers that bring millions of visitors to the US national park each year. But the Yellowstone "supervolcano" has erupted violently in the distant past and could do so again at some point.

Electric Yellowstone: Conductivity image hints volcano plume is bigger than thought   PhysOrg - April 11, 2011

University of Utah geophysicists made the first large-scale picture of the electrical conductivity of the gigantic underground plume of hot and partly molten rock that feeds the Yellowstone supervolcano. The image suggests the plume is even bigger than it appears in earlier images made with earthquake waves.

Yellowstone Microbes Hint at Earth's Early Life   Live Science - March 1, 2010

Yellowstone bioblitz uncovers hidden species   MSNBC - November 4, 2009
Initial report shows 46 kinds of bees, 373 plant species and over 300 bugs

When Yellowstone Explodes   National Geographic - October 1, 2009