2008 Q & A
June 15, 2008
Were you were more afraid of hiking in the summer than in the winter because of the Grizzlies and other wildlife being out? Have you see a Grizzly Bear? Shyla and Alex, 3rd grade West Marion Elementary, McDowell County
No, not really, but we were much more aware of our surroundings. When hiking with a large group, bears are likely to hear us and leave the area. Yes, We have seen many Grizzly Bears — the cold weather just before we arrived has probably kept Grizzlies at lower elevations than usual for this time of year, making them much more visible.
What kind of changes do the animals go through to adapt from winter to summer? Drew, 8th grade, Table Rock Middle School, Burke County; Wyatt, 5th grade, Lincoln County; and Amber, 2nd grade, West Marion Elementary, McDowell County
The animals’ winter coats grow much thicker to protect them in the extreme cold. Many of the large animals such as Bighorn Sheep and Bison look very shaggy as they lose their winter coats. We see hunks of fur scattered along the trails. The bears, which have been asleep for the winter, are looking sleek.
Were the Bison walking on the roads in the summer as much as they were in the winter? Steven, 2nd grade West Marion Elementary, McDowell County
We have encountered several Bison on the roads — last night we even saw a calf nursing and two immature bulls head butting. In winter, many more Bison use the roads as a pathway because the snow is packed down on the roadways, which makes it much easier for them to travel from place to place.
What kind of names do the rocks have? The 1st grade, Wiley Elementary, Wake County
Here’s a few of the rock types in the park: rhyolite, andesite, basalt, limestone, sandstone, shale and welded tuff. These names might not mean much to a non-geologist, so here's an explanation of a few of the more common types. Rhyolite is one of the most common rocks in the park. It is a light-colored volcanic rock. Most of the rhyolite in the Park erupted from the Yellowstone volcano between 640,000 and 70,000 years ago. Welded tuff is formed when hot ash falls during a volcanic eruption and it is welded together by its own heat. There are two different tuffs in the park, one formed during the first explosive eruption about 2.1 million years ago (the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff) and one during the third eruption about 640,000 years ago (the Lava Creek Tuff). Tuff outcrops helped geologists figure out that Yellowstone is actually a huge volcano!
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