There are two theories that have
been used to explain the volcanic activity of Yellow Stone
National Park
Plate
tectonics is a theory that has been used to explain why our planet is shaped
the way it is as well as the phenomenon that occurs on Earth’s land masses. The
Yellow Stone area is no exception; an important aspect of the famous volcanic
activity of the region can be explained by the theory of plate tectonics.
The Earth is comprised of several layers of
different materials. The two most important layers to the plate tectonic theory
are the Lithosphere, or crust, and the Asthenosphere which is the layer beneath
the crust. The Asthenosphere is comprised of molten rock that. This rock is
heated by the Earth’s core as the core heats the Asthenosphere currents of
warmer material circulate with cooler material to create a liquid current just
like in Earth’s oceans. This current causes the crust on top to move in
different directions.
The crust of the Earth is not one
solid piece of rock, rather different plates that our oceans and continents sit
on. The boundaries of these plates are widely known for their volcanic
activity, earthquakes mountain ranges, and under sea subduction zones. Yellow
Stone however, does not sit on a plate boundary, so what could explain the
volcanic activity here?
The
theory of plate tectonics and hot spots are two theories that best explains
Yellow Stones unusual amount of volcanic activity.
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