Gallatin Range
Encyclopedia
The Gallatin Range is located in the U.S. state
s of Montana
and Wyoming
and includes more than 10 mountains over 10000 feet (3,048 m). The highest peak in the range is Electric Peak
at 10969 feet (3,343.4 m). The Gallatin Range was named after Albert Gallatin
, the longest-serving US Secretary of the Treasury
and one of the negotiators of the Alaska Boundary Treaty. The range extends 75 miles (120.7 km) north to south and averages 20 miles (32.2 km) in width.
The southernmost peaks of the range are in the northwestern section of Yellowstone National Park
, however the majority of the range is in Gallatin National Forest
. The Yellowstone River
flows north on the eastern flank of the range. The Madison Range
parallels the Gallatins to the west. The northern end of the range is near Livingston, Montana
and Bozeman Pass
separates the Gallatins from the Bridger Mountains
to the north. The range is an integral part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
and has grizzly bears, wolves
and other threatened
and endangered species
also found in Yellowstone National Park.
The Gallatin Range has one of the largest petrified forest
s of the Eocene
Epoch. Petrified trees are mineralized fossils of what was once wooden tree trunks. The petrified trees found in the Gallatin Range were covered by lava
, lahar
s and ash
from volcanic
activity approximately 50 million year ago. The U.S. Forest Service has a 2 mile (3.2 km) long interpretive trail which details the petrified trees.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
s of Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
and includes more than 10 mountains over 10000 feet (3,048 m). The highest peak in the range is Electric Peak
Electric Peak
Electric Peak is the tallest mountain in the Gallatin Range of southern Montana, close to the Wyoming border and rises to an altitude of . The peak has some of the greatest physical relief in Yellowstone National Park, rising above its base....
at 10969 feet (3,343.4 m). The Gallatin Range was named after Albert Gallatin
Albert Gallatin
Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin was a Swiss-American ethnologist, linguist, politician, diplomat, congressman, and the longest-serving United States Secretary of the Treasury. In 1831, he founded the University of the City of New York...
, the longest-serving US Secretary of the Treasury
United States Secretary of the Treasury
The Secretary of the Treasury of the United States is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, which is concerned with financial and monetary matters, and, until 2003, also with some issues of national security and defense. This position in the Federal Government of the United...
and one of the negotiators of the Alaska Boundary Treaty. The range extends 75 miles (120.7 km) north to south and averages 20 miles (32.2 km) in width.
The southernmost peaks of the range are in the northwestern section of Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
, however the majority of the range is in Gallatin National Forest
Gallatin National Forest
Founded in 1899, Gallatin National Forest is located in south central Montana, United States. The forest comprises 2.1 million acres and has portions of both the Absaroka-Beartooth and Lee Metcalf Wilderness areas within its boundaries...
. The Yellowstone River
Yellowstone River
The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long, in the western United States. Considered the principal tributary of the upper Missouri, the river and its tributaries drain a wide area stretching from the Rocky Mountains in the vicinity of the Yellowstone National...
flows north on the eastern flank of the range. The Madison Range
Madison Range
The Madison Range is a mountain range located in the Rocky Mountains of Montana and Idaho, U.S. The range was named in honor of future President of the United States, then U.S. Secretary of State James Madison by Meriwether Lewis as the Lewis and Clark Expedition travelled through Montana in 1805...
parallels the Gallatins to the west. The northern end of the range is near Livingston, Montana
Livingston, Montana
-Geography:Livingston is located at , at an altitude of 4.501 feet .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and 0.38% is waters.-Climate:-Demographics:...
and Bozeman Pass
Bozeman Pass
Bozeman Pass is a mountain pass situated approximately 13 miles east of the town of Bozeman, Montana and approximately 15 miles west of the town of Livingston, Montana, and between the Bridger and Gallatin mountain ranges....
separates the Gallatins from the Bridger Mountains
Bridger Mountains (Montana)
The Bridger Range is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains, in southern Montana in the United States. The range runs mostly in a north - south direction between Bozeman and Maudlow and is separated from the Gallatin Range to the south by Bozeman Pass...
to the north. The range is an integral part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is one of the last remaining large, nearly intact ecosystems in the northern temperate zone of the Earth and is partly located in Yellowstone National Park. Conflict over management has been controversial, and the area is a flagship site among conservation groups...
and has grizzly bears, wolves
Gray Wolf
The gray wolf , also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family...
and other threatened
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
and endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
also found in Yellowstone National Park.
The Gallatin Range has one of the largest petrified forest
Petrified Forest
A petrified forest is a forest in which tree trunks have fossilized as petrified wood.Petrified Forest may refer to:*Lake Macquarie Petrified Forest, Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia*Mississippi Petrified Forest, Mississippi, United States...
s of the Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
Epoch. Petrified trees are mineralized fossils of what was once wooden tree trunks. The petrified trees found in the Gallatin Range were covered by lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
, lahar
Lahar
A lahar is a type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of pyroclastic material, rocky debris, and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley. The term is a shortened version of "berlahar" which originated in the Javanese language of...
s and ash
Volcanic ash
Volcanic ash consists of small tephra, which are bits of pulverized rock and glass created by volcanic eruptions, less than in diameter. There are three mechanisms of volcanic ash formation: gas release under decompression causing magmatic eruptions; thermal contraction from chilling on contact...
from volcanic
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
activity approximately 50 million year ago. The U.S. Forest Service has a 2 mile (3.2 km) long interpretive trail which details the petrified trees.
See also
- Mountains and mountain ranges of Yellowstone National ParkMountains and mountain ranges of Yellowstone National ParkYellowstone National Park, located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, though the park also extends into Montana and Idaho and its Mountains and Mountain Ranges are part of the Rocky Mountains. There are at least 70 named mountain peaks over in Yellowstone in four mountain ranges...
- List of mountain ranges in Montana