Yellowstone: Late Summer to Early Fall 2020 — Yellowstone Lake
Article 3: Yellowstone Lake (Third in the series about my journey to Yellowstone in the Late Summer and Early Fall of 2020)
Background
As Winter progresses here in Denver, and the pandemic stifles travel and some photography opportunities, I write to continue sharing episodes from my Yellowstone 2020 journeys with this third blog post dedicated to Yellowstone Lake and its dazzling colors at sunrise as well as the geologic history and formation of the Yellowstone Caldera.
Yellowstone Lake & The Yellowstone Caldera
Yellowstone Lake is the largest body of water in Yellowstone National Park covering an area of 136 square miles and 110 miles of shoreline. Yellowstone Lake lies 7,732 feet above sea level and is the largest lake in North America 7,000 feet above sea level. The lake has an average depth of 139 feet with its deepest spot of 394 feet. During Winter months, ice covers the lake to an average depth of approximately 3 feet except where the lake covers hot springs (e.g., West Thumb Geyser Basin).
During an eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano 640,000 years ago, the magma chamber under Yellowstone collapsed and created a massive caldera, referred to as the Yellowstone Caldera. Subsequent lava flows filled part of the Yellowstone Caldera, but a 136 square mile portion of the caldera became Yellowstone Lake. The original lake was approximately 200 feet higher and experts believe the lake drained south into the Snake River.
Yellowstone Lake today only flows north emptying first into the Yellowstone River at Fishing Bridge, then plunges through the Upper and Lower Falls of The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and makes a long journey to the Missouri River. As of 2004, the land under Yellowstone Lake has begun to significantly rise and a bulge under the lake (2,000 feet long and 100 feet high) demonstrating substantial modern geologic activity.
Yellowstone Lake at Sunrise
I spent several mornings and sunrises capturing images from various locations along the shores of Yellowstone Lake. Each day and location offered new surprises and dazzling arrays of light and color as the sun made its way above the horizion and the Absaroka Range far in the distance. Here are a few images from those early mornings and incredible sunrises:
To view my gallery of panorama shots (and their full frame details) of Yellowstone Lake, check out this gallery on my website:
My Book || Yellowstone: Late Summer to Early Fall 2020
“Yellowstone: Late Summer to Early Fall of 2020,” is a travel photography book that provides historical background information on Yellowstone National Park, as a backdrop to set the stage for the book’s images that depict the wonders of the park by traversing The Grand Loop, and offers travel tips and picture taking insights for a journey to Yellowstone. For this publication, see the link below:
