Taking advantage of learning opportunities at Yellowstone

The UNAVCO teaching module "Yellowstone National Park as a Hotbed for Inquiry" provides an example that uses problem-based learning to investigate the natural hazards of the world's first national park.

This lesson, set amongst the geological and biological marvels of Yellowstone National Park, offers instructors a way to teach their students about the science of Yellowstone volcanism, geysers and other hydrothermal features, seismicity, plate tectonic hot spots, the ever-changing motion of the ground, geological monitoring, and how the work of scientists can inform decisions made by non-scientists. The educational activity takes advantage of real-time and recent data collected by YVO partners to monitor geological changes and events in the Park. Students tackle a realistic problem in small teams: where could Yellowstone National Park place a research station that is not too close to the natural hazards of the park, while also being near an existing road?

To address this problem, students combine the Plate Boundary Observatory's high-precision GPS data with information on Yellowstone's past earthquakes and eruptions, hydrothermal activity, volcanic gases, and cultural features such as roads and lodges to site their proposed (fictitious) research station within the park. They work in small groups to learn about monitoring volcanoes, forecasting volcanic eruptions, and analyzing geophysical data. As a team, they create and then present their argument to justify their final choice of location for a research station to classmates. This challenge requires pattern recognition, reading graphs and maps, constructing explanations, team discussion, and collaboration. Yellowstone provides an ideal and captivating setting for students to pull together the skills they have learned about the practices of scientists, nature of science, and crosscutting concepts.

Sources/Usage: Public Domain.

If you would like to follow the Yellowstone deformation story yourself, all GPS data from the region are publically available. You can find GPS displacement plots on the new and improved YVO Monitoring Map by clicking on any of the star symbols (which represent GPS stations). Alternatively, explore Yellowstone ground motions through the UNAVCO Velocity Viewer by zooming into the region, selecting Station labels and data download and Show all markers then Draw Map to view GPS data; or through the Nevada Geodetic Laboratory interactive map by zooming in on the Yellowstone region and clicking on individual stations. Want more information on how to read the data? Visit Yellowstone station WLWY, one of the longest-running stations in the Park, on the GPS Spotlight page. We invite students of all ages to learn about the dynamic motions of Yellowstone's caldera!