Yellowstone: Geology Field Courses Offered
Bob Berger
http://www.yellowstone.net/newspaper/
Bob
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GEOLOGY FIELD COURSES OFFERED
by Yellowstone Association .
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. -- The Yellowstone Association Institute is
offering nine field courses this summer on Yellowstone National Park’s
world-famous geology.
"Yellowstone’s geysers, lava flows, and explosion craters display the primeval
forces of the earth like no other place in the world," said Jim Williams,
Institute program manager. "Our expert geology instructors use field trips and
illustrated lectures to show participants how the Yellowstone volcano has shaped
the present park landscape and how it might dramatically reshape that landscape
in the future."
This year’s schedule of geology seminars includes:
* Geysers, Mudpots, and Hot Springs (July 13-15 and July 17-19), Dr. Duncan
Foley, Pacific Lutheran University, $190. Yellowstone has approximately 10,000
geothermal features and over 2/3rd’s of the world’s geysers. This course visits
a wide variety of these features and illustrates how and why they do the things
they do.
* Geology of Yellowstone Lake (July 26-28), Dr. Lisa Morgan, United States
Geological Survey, $125. On the floor of Yellowstone Lake, there is a geological
garden of hot springs, explosion craters, lava flows, and lofty spires. In this
course, the lead researcher investigating these features shares her recent
discoveries.
* Geology of the Yellowstone Country (August 5-9), Dr. David Fountain,
University of Wyoming, $300. The definitive Yellowstone geology course, Geology
of the Yellowstone Country is a comprehensive exploration of all the forces that
have shaped Yellowstone National Park and its surrounding ecosystem.
* Shaping the Northern Yellowstone Landscape (August 31 – September 2), Dr.
Grant Meyer, University of New Mexico, $180. Glaciers, volcanoes, and rivers
have interacted to sculpt Yellowstone’s Northern Range. This course helps
participants to reconstruct the history of this geologically complex region.
Other Institute geology courses include Hiking Through Time – Day Hikes into the
Geological Past (July 21-23), Yellowstone’s Geoecosystem (August 8-10),
Introduction to Yellowstone’s Geological Landscapes (August 11), Fire and Ice –
Yellowstone’s Last Two Million Years (August 11-13), and Interpreting the
Geological Landscapes of Yellowstone (August 13-15).
Some of the courses take place at the Institute’s Lamar Valley Buffalo Ranch
field campus in the northeast corner of the park. In addition to classroom
facilities, the campus offers simple and comfortable log cabins for $20 per
person per night. For courses based at park hotels, rooms are set aside for
participants and reservation information is available from the Institute
registrar.
The Institute is the educational division of the Yellowstone Association and has
offered courses in the park since 1976. The Association itself was founded in
1933. Its mission, in partnership with the National Park Service, is to foster
the public’s understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of Yellowstone National
Park and its surrounding ecosystem by funding and providing educational products
and services.
To learn more about Yellowstone Association Institute courses, call the
Institute registrar at (307) 344-2294 or visit www.YellowstoneAssociation.org.
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