The purpose of the DEAPS 2012 trip will be to teach students basic earth science from the nature and causes of volcanic eruptions to the origin and diversity of microbial life in hot springs, to what we can tell about past climates from the fossil record. The DEAPS 2012 trip will involve flying from Boston on August 18th to Bozeman Montana. Upon arrival we will load into rental vans and begin our trip, which will involve camping and touring in Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding region. We will leave Yellowstone on the night of the August 24th and fly back to Boston on August 25th.
Yellowstone National
Park is roughly the
size
of the state of Connecticut.
Most of the park is located
in the northwestern corner
of Wyoming, but small
portions occur within
Montana and Idaho. The
park comprises
primarily high, forested,
volcanic
plateaus that have been
eroded over the
millennia by glaciation
and stream flow.
With
half of the earth’s
geothermal features,
Yellowstone holds the
planet’s
most diverse collection
of geysers, hot springs,
mudpots, and
fumaroles. Its more than
300 geysers make up two
thirds of all those found
on earth. In all there
are more than 10,000
thermal features, including
hot springs,
bubbling mudpots, and
steaming fumaroles,
within the park.
The various geothermal
features owe their origin
to cataclysmic
volcanic eruptions over
the past 2 million years
which have left hot rock
and magma beneath the
area. You can learn a lot more about the various stops and can see photographs
from a previous year's trip here. To learn more
about the overall geology of Yellowstone, try this United States Geological
Survey
web site.
What Will We Do?
- Studying the volcanic history of the Yellowstone area
- Camp in Yellowstone Natl. Park
- Informal lectures by faculty and staff
- See geysers and hot springs
- Learn about life in extreme environments
- Detailed study of the chemistry and biology of hot springs
- See evidence of earthquakes and volcanoes
- See a fossil forest that is approximately 50 million years old
- Dates: Saturday, August 18nd through Saturday, August 25th. All students must arrive on Friday, August 17th and will depart for Montana as a group early in the morning of the 18th. No exceptions will be made.
- Place: Montana, Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park
- Supplies: All students are asked to bring a daypack, tent and/or sleeping bag and pad. Gear will be provided for those who do not have it. On most days there will be hikes of moderate difficulty at elevations considerably above sea level.
- Available Spaces: 15-20
- Cost: Each participant will be required to contribute $400.00 towards the cost of the trip. The Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences will cover all other costs.
- Contact: Sam Bowring
