Photo: http://wp.itsnature.org/wp-content/Old_Faithful_Geyser_Yellowstone_National_Park.jpg

Forces brewing deep beneath Yellowstone National Park could be making one of the largest volcanoes on Earth even bigger, a new study reveals.

In the past decade, part of the volcano has risen nearly five inches, most likely due to a backup of flowing molten rock miles below the planet's crust.

While the rise may not be noticeable to the casual hiker, the activity may have cracked the crust in the park's famous Norris Geyser Basin(NGB), leading to the formation of new fumaroles — holes that vent smoke and gas — and the reawakening of some of the area's geysers, including Steamboat, the largest geyser in the world.

Yellowstone last erupted about 640,000 years ago, spewing 240 cubic miles of material. Despite the newly discovered activity, researchers don't expect it to erupt any time soon.

Eventually, however, it could explode again as a super-volcano that would destroy life for hundreds of miles around and coat the entire country in ash.

Radar observations from the European Space Agency's ERS-2 satellite reveal that the jellybean-shaped Yellowstone caldera — a giant depression caused by past volcanic explosions — began to rise in 1995.

Although the caldera floor started to sink in late 1997, part of the north rim, called the north rim uplift anomaly (NUA) continued rising until 2003.

Molten rock called magma rises from the Earth's core under Sour Creek dome, a major feature in the eastern section of the caldera.

When the magma reaches the mantle layer, six to 12 miles below the surface, it spreads like a pancake before branching off into several tunnels.

Magma flow is controlled by natural valves — one at Sour Creek dome that lets magma enter the system, and others that allow it to flow out. The outflow valve below the north rim uplift anomaly, however, can only pass so much magma at once.

"Magma's always coming up in Sour Creek dome and going through the system," U.S. Geological Survey research geophysicist Charles Wicks told LiveScience. "But maybe there are pulses when more comes up. That may be what causes the surface to rise."

The research is detailed in the March 2 issue of the journal Nature.

The pulses might be more than the outflow valve can handle — like trying to squeeze all the toothpaste out of the tube at once. As the molten material pushes out on the surrounding rock, the ground around the valve expands and cracks.

This could explain why the uplift anomaly has risen and the Norris Geyser Basin has become more active, Wicks said.

Another explanation is that nearby geothermic changes and seismic activity altered the shape of the valve, perhaps narrowing it. However, previous studies have indicated that no such alterations have occurred, and that changes in flow rate more likely cause these deformations.

Big changes

The five-inch increase at the uplift anomaly probably wasn't noticed by many tourists, but the changes in the Norris Geyser Basin were easily spotted by some.

After a nine year period of inactivity, Steamboat Geyser erupted in May, 2000, and has erupted five times since. Reaching more than 300 feet in the air, Steamboat produces the highest plumes of any geyser in the world.

Since 1989, Pork Chop geyser was active only as a hot spring, but in the summer of 2003 it reawakened as a geyser. Also that summer, several footpaths near the Norris Geyser Basin were closed because of near-boiling ground temperatures.

And a 250-foot line of new fumaroles, holes venting hot smoke and gases, formed near Nymph Lake to the north of the uplift anomaly.

"But when the [uplift anomaly] quit inflating in 2002 and 2003, the thermal unrest died off too," Wicks said. "So we think there's pretty good evidence for tying these events together."

Despite these changes, Wicks doesn't believe that Yellowstone is ready to erupt.

"This is probably an ongoing feature in Yellowstone. We've only been able to study it like this for 10 years, so we're still not sure what's normal and what's not," Wicks said. "But there's no evidence yet to suspect an eruption."

Also, the magma pancake serves as a thermal buffer that helps stabilize the volcanic system against potentially dangerous sudden changes in temperature.

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By Bjorn Carey

Steve Schoonover/Staff Photo

By LAURA URSENY - Staff Writer, OrovilleMR.com
Article Launched: 10/01/2008 10:37:19 PM PDT

Lassen Volcanic National Park is a much friendlier destination these days, now that the volcanic wonderland has a visitor center.

Officially open on Saturday, the center is the park's showcase, providing information to the public, which now has a grand place to rest, learn, watch, buy and eat.

It'll be open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Built at the southwest entrance, the new center replaces the old chalet that had sheltered park visitors and once welcomed downhill skiers.

The one-story wood structure is called the Mountain Maidu name for Lassen Peak, Kohm Yah-mah-nee, meaning Snow Mountain.

Visitors can read about the volcanoes that make up Lassen park, watch eruptions, and examine the rocks that spewed forth.

Geologists say that originally, the area was part of a mammoth volcano called Mount Tehama, which eroded over time, leaving some of the peaks of today's park, including Brokeoff Mountain, Mount Diller, Mount Conrad and others.

Today, Mount Tehama's extent is shown in white lights on a three-dimensional display of the park, just inside the center's front door. Visitors press buttons on the topographic display to see its footprint.

To the left, a "planner and orientation" panel allows visitors to select their interest -- from bird watching and hiking to camping and boating -- and find the locations in the park that deliver.

Farther inside, the right wing houses the 80-seat theater that runs an all-encompassing video about the park. Next to it, the exhibit hall uncovers the park's explosive history, with mini volcanos that swing open like a book and drawers to pull out, revealing the type of rocks found around Lassen.

One wall burbles and burps like the boiling hot pots scattered throughout the park. Another nearby panel encourages visitors to "Jump!" thereby creating a mini-earthquake on a wall-mounted monitor.

A snack bar and eating area and a gift shop take care of other visitor needs.

What might be the most attractive aspect of the center is its tall windows, which capture the essence of the park from all directions. They also come into play for interior illumination.

Perched near the edge of a drop off, the center's views give visitors a longer chance to marvel at the mountains.

The center will stay open in winter, so visitors can enjoy the cold seasons and thaw out. The road to the center will be plowed and winter use encouraged, according to Lassen Superintendent Darlene Koontz.

With the opening of the center, park officials expect winter visits to increase dramatically, including more campers and cross county skiers.

The $10.3 million visitor center is the result of thousands of hours of planning and design orchestrated under the watch of three different superintendents.

Besides being a cornucopia of information, the building itself is a show piece. It is the most recent example of a "green" LEED-certified building. It is believed to be the first LEED-certified visitor center in the National Park Service.

"This is a real shining example of green building design," Koontz said.

No single aspect of the building jumps out at the visitor as being sustainable, but together they represent a cost and resource savings that is being heralded by the Park Service.

Examples include:

Lumber is from regional forests that were certified by the Forest Stewardship Council for sustainability;

Recycled materials were used in the floors, paint, wall tile, and carpeting;

Bathroom counters are made from recycled broken glass, and bathrooms contain low-flow toilets;

No lights in the building are incandescent;

The light system supplements the natural lighting from outside, brightening and fading with sunlight levels.

Air pushed through underground pipes cool the center.

Drivers of hybrid cars are treated to special green-marked parking spots nearer the center.
Park officials are also encouraging visitors to think about how to incorporate green ways into their own lives, and are selling the guide "It's Easy Being Green" in the bookstore.

Surrounding the center on the outside are a series of panels that explain the vista beyond.

Several organizations pitched in with the center project, including Lassen Park Foundation and Lassen Association.

Lassen Park Foundation president John Koeberer and executive director Jane Ziad herald the center's completion and promise visitors will be pleased with the results.

Raising money for the video and some of the exhibits, Lassen Park Foundation is launching a new campaign called Reach the Peak, which will restore the trail to Lassen Peak and maybe even put a bathroom along the way. Its goal is $250,000 a year for five years.

Former superintendent Mary Martin is heading up the foundation's fundraising campaign.

The foundation is also looking for new directors, and those interested can call the foundation at 898-9309.

Officials from the National Park Service in Washington were to be welcomed during an event today at the center.

Staff writer Laura Urseny can be reached at 896-7756 or lurseny@chicoer.com.

BACKGROUND: Lassen Volcanic National Park has never had an official visitor center.

WHAT'S NEW: Opening Saturday, the new $10 million center at the southwest entrance will help visitors explore the national park that's only a couple of hours away.

WHAT'S NEXT: Starting this year, the center will be open through the winter, helping park visitors the whiter side of Lassen Park.

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (Oct. 9) - Chunks of granite crashed to the Yosemite Valley floor in a cloud of dust Wednesday, injuring at least three people and destroying several cabins and trees at one of the park's most popular lodging areas, officials said.

Damage to trees and the side of a cabin remain at lodging facilities in Curry Village in Yosemite National Park following a rock slide Wed., Oct. 8, 2008. It was the second rock fall in the area in two days.

The rock slide was the second in two days in the area called Curry Village, a lodging and retail area defined by dramatic, sheer cliffs.

"We were awakened at 7 to what sounded like thunder and what felt like the Earth crumbling apart," said Deanne Maschmeyer, 41, of Monterey, who was staying in a nearby cabin with her two children. "People were stampeding everywhere and running, running like crazy. I felt like I was running ahead of a tsunami."

The slide destroyed five cabins and partially damaged at least three others, according to a park statement. Three visitors were treated for minor injuries.

The volume of rocks cascading from the granite face was estimated at about 1,800 cubic yards, or about 180 truck loads, said Vickie Mates, a park spokeswoman.

There was another, smaller rock slide in the same area Tuesday afternoon. No one was injured then.

In 1996, a rock slide in the same area sent as much as 162,000 tons of rock plummeting more than 2,000 feet, killing one visitor and felling 500 trees. A slide in 1999 killed one climber and injured three others while narrowly missing the popular campground.

Tom Trujillo, of New Milford, Conn., who was with a group of amateur photographers, saw Wednesday's rock slide and ran toward it.

"Trees were crushed all over the place," Trujillo said over the sound of a hovering helicopter. "A couple of kids, fifth or sixth-graders, were stumbling out of the area. I tried to pick them up, tried to get them out as fast as I could."

Trujillo said he helped one boy, who had blood on his forehead and down his back, get out and find his mother.

"It was a really big mess," Trujillo said. "Tents were crushed, trees were knocked down, hard cabins were moved out of their positions, with boulders blocking their doorway."

Another photographer, Rena McClain, a nurse from Dover, Del., told The Associated Press that she had her back to the granite face when she heard what sounded like a thunderclap. She whipped around and saw a giant cloud of rock and dust coming down.

"People were starting to yell, 'Run, run,' and kids started to scream," McClain said.

As the dust settled, shaken teachers and chaperones gathered groups of high school students and tried to get head counts.

"The kids were crying," said McClain. "I tried to comfort them. I'm a nurse; my immediate response was, 'What can I try to do to help?'"

Mates said the rocks fell across an area that used to be traversed by a trail no longer maintained because of heavy rock falls.

The beauty of the sheer granite face towering above the camp helps make Curry Village one of park's most popular lodging options.

In recent years, geologists have published studies describing a series of cracks along the cliff's face and hypothesizing that pressure from water flowing beneath the surface may be one trigger of the slides.

Researchers also say that tree roots growing down into cracks can sometimes wedge apart sheets of rock, sending sections of cliff tumbling.

Curry Village, founded in 1899 in south-central Yosemite, has 610 canvas and wood cabins in rows among huge boulders, which geologists say are there because of prehistoric rock falls.

Those who saw Wednesday's slide wondered about the safety of the camp.

"With the village right below the rock face, there is definitely a safety issue," said Trujillo, pointing out that the cabins could be moved farther away from the granite cliff, into the parking lot area.

To McClain, on her visit to the park, the rock slide was an eye-opener.

People walk through some of the damage to trees and lodging at Curry Village in Yosemite National Park following a rock slide Wed., Oct. 8, 2008, the second in two days at the facility.

"Nature here is unbelievable, but until you see what can happen, don't realize the danger that can result," McClain said. "I would return to Yosemite. But would I stay in Curry Village? I don't know that I would. I'm pretty shaken up."

By TRACIE CONE

Associated Press writers Juliana Barbassa and Marcus Wohlsen in San Francisco contributed to this report.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hDuAOq5saYAoVtB-dj_7Ov51Pi7gD93MI3TG0

Grand Canyon, AZ. –

Upon arriving at the scene, rangers on the rim and in the park helicopter spotted the victim approximately 250 feet below the rim. Rescue personnel quickly hiked down to the man, but determined that he had died as a result of the fall.

An investigation was initiated both below the rim and with witnesses on the rim. At the same time, the man’s body was prepared for transport and lifted out of the canyon by park helicopter using a long-line operation. The body was then transferred to the Coconino County Medical Examiner and transported to the Medical Examiner’s office in Flagstaff, Arizona.

The victim’s name is being withheld pending positive identification and notification of next-of-kin. The investigation into this incident is being conducted by the National Park Service.

For additional information regarding this incident, please contact the Grand Canyon Public Affairs Office at 928-638-7958.

Desert View Overlook - Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon photo by Malahini

This is great news and hopefully the funding will be arranged. The largest collection of dinosaur fossils have not been available for viewing since July of 2006 when the center was closed for structural difficulties and human safety. I, for one, look forward to visiting when the new center is up. You can visit our park page and learn more about this unique park- Dinosaur National Monument.  Corie Marks

By Mike Stark
The Associated Press The Salt Lake Tribune

Quarry Visitor Center, photo NPS

Design work will start next month for a new visitor center at the nation's premier quarry of Jurassic-period dinosaur bones.

The National Park Service has signed a decision allowing construction of a new interpretive center at Dinosaur National Monument and rehabilitation of the structure that protects its famous collection of bones.

The Quarry Visitor Center, about 20 miles east of Vernal, has been closed for more than two years because of safety problems. The center was built atop unstable clay. The center houses more than 1,500 dinosaur bones. The closure has frustrated visitors and paleontologists seeking access to what the Park Service calls ''the world's best window" into late-Jurassic fossils.

Mary Risser, the monument's superintendent, said design of the $10 million project will take about a year. Construction money could be available for 2011, according to the Park Service, but so far the project hasn't been funded.
 

''With that huge bailout bill, I have no idea what that's going to mean for our budget and these kinds of projects," Risser said.
 

The odds may be long for the project to be immediately funded but at least the Park Service will be ready with a design when Congress acts, said Jim Kirkland, Utah's state paleontologist. ''It's wonderful news, that's the crown jewel of Utah paleontology," he said.

The visitor center was built in 1957-58 to shelter an exposed cliff face full of dinosaur bones discovered by a Carnegie Museum researcher in 1909. But the bentonite beneath the building swells when it's wet, warping the concrete basement floor, and shifts again when the clay dries out. That has meant near-constant shifting and repairs. When engineers cut holes in the floor and ceiling for a closer look in 2006, the problem was worse than previously thought. The center abruptly closed that July. Federal investigators in March said the building's rapid deterioration puts the ''irreplaceable fossils at risk."

It's been frustrating to have the bones out of reach for the public and researchers, Kirkland said. ''Scientists from all over the world want to stop in and see that," he said.

Although fixes have been discussed since the visitor center closed, the process has been slow and complicated. The building is listed as a National Historic Landmark, which means having to comply with an extra set of rules. Under the plan, the Park Service will rehabilitate the existing exhibit hall surrounding the 150-foot fossil wall to make sure the bones are protected. Other parts of the building would be demolished. An interpretive center and administrative offices would be built nearby. Meanwhile, the existing building continues to creak and groan, Risser said. ''The cracks are getting large. It hasn't fallen through, but it's just not in good shape," Risser said.

The monument straddles the Utah-Colorado line, about 150 miles east of Salt Lake City.

FESTIVAL INFORMATION:

The Cedar Breaks National Monument Wildflower Festival is an annual event that takes place each July. Activities include guided wildflower walks; kid’s scavenger hunts, guided wildflower photography and guided hikes with Rangers. This year the festival will take place July 3rd --- July 20th. The winner of this competition will appear in the local newspaper and have their artwork used on the poster advertising the Wildflower Festival. The winner will also be pictured on the Cedar Breaks website. The competition will be judged by a committee composed of botanists, college professors, members of the Cedar City Arts Council and representatives from Cedar Breaks National Monument. For information on last years festival go to www.nps.gov/cebr .

SUBMISSION CRITERIA:

- Image should represent flora found in and around the Cedar Breaks National Monument.

- Submissions which best represent the Cedar Breaks flora will be given the strongest consideration by the Committee.

- The original work can be in any format, e.g. 2D --- watercolor, acrylic, oils, photography or 3D sculpture or installation.

- Entries need to be submitted in the form of a CD-R readable by any Windows XP operating system with high resolution and may be included in an online gallery. PLEASE DO NOT SEND your artwork as we are NOT ACCEPTING actual works of art.

- The file name of your artwork must include your last name.

They will accept a digital file of your artwork between March 1st, 2009 and April 30th 2009. You must include the attached form with your submission to be eligible.

By submitting a form you agree that Cedar Breaks National Monument may use all or parts of your work on all print and online media in connection with the 2008 Wildflower Festival. The Committee may also edit or alter the work so it can be used or printed effectively.

http://www.eastziontourismcouncil.org/sb143.htm

Effective Friday, September 12, 2008, Death Valley National Park will permit a flight exercise in partnership with the US military. This unique opportunity allows the park to obtain detailed aerial photographs and other data that will be used to study and protect park resources.

The exercise will take place in a special military-use airspace complex known as R-2508. The R-2508 Complex does overlap the park boundaries; however the R-2508 airspace managers have worked closely with Death Valley National Park in establishing agreements that have helped minimize aircraft over flights that may impact park resources and its visitors.

During this exercise visitors may observe low flying aircraft photographing and documenting certain areas of the park.

"This kind of partnership with the military is something we have desired since I arrived at Death Valley and we have finally realized this objective," states Superintendent JT Reynolds. When we are able to combine military expertise and technology with resource protection, everyone benefits. We also hope we can get the military’s support for future projects.

The National Park Service

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Editor

Picture courtesy of www.themusicage.com

Our favorite national park is celebrating 75 years in 2009. How appropriate that Dolly Parton who has been a big supporter of the Smoky Mountains heritage should be the official spokes person. We are definitely going down for some of the activities scheduled next year!   Look for our article telling you about just a few of the many events planned. Corie Marks

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — Dolly Parton, who often refers to her Smoky Mountains upbringing, will serve as the ambassador for the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

There will be events throughout 2009 celebrating Congress' approval to form the park on June 15, 1934.

Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson said Thursday that Parton emerged as the obvious choice for the ambassador selection.

Parton, who grew up in the foothills of the Smokies in Tennessee's Sevier County, said she's always been an advocate for the park, but she is honored to become "official."

The 62-year-old country singer will lend her endorsement through media announcements and publications and has written an album titled "Sha-Kon-O-Hey" — the phonetic spelling of the Cherokee words for "Land of Blue Smoke."

Adventurer Steve Fossett vanished 13 months ago after taking off from a Nevada airstrip. [Reuters]

ABC news Updated October 3, 2008

Authorities in the US say human remains have been found in the wreckage of the small plane of wealthy adventurer Steve Fossett in California's Sierra Nevada mountains.

Mr Fossett vanished 13 months ago after taking off from a Nevada airstrip.

The search for his plane resumed yesterday after a hiker found the adventurer's pilot's license and other I-D near Yosemite National Park.