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Snake River Plain

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	Topics Snake River Plain Topic Home The Snake River Plain is a geologicGeology Geology anetary geology]] refers to the application of geologic principles to other bodies of the solar system.... feature located primarily in the AmericanUnited States The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is... state of IdahoIdaho Idaho is a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.... . It stretches about westward from northwest of the state of WyomingWyoming Wyoming is a state of the western United States.... to the Idaho-OregonOregon Overview Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.... border. The plain is a wide flat bow-shaped depression, and covers about a quarter of Idaho. Three major butteButte A butte is an isolated hill with steep sides and a small flat top, smaller than mesas and plateaus.... s dot the plain east of ArcoArco, Idaho Overview Arco is a city in Butte County, Idaho, United States.... , the largest being Big Southern ButteBig Southern Butte Overview Big Southern Butte is the largest and youngest of three rhyolitic domes formed over a million years near the center of the ... . Many of Idaho's major cities are in the Snake River Plain as is much of its agricultural land. Also located within Snake River Plain is the Idaho National Laboratory. Geology The Snake RiverSnake River The Snake River is a river in the western part of the United States.... PlainPlain Summary In geography, a plain is a large area of land with relatively low relief.... can be divided into three sections: western, central, and eastern. The western Snake River Plain is a large tectonic grabenGraben A graben is a depressed block of land bordered by parallel faults.... or rift valley filled with several km of lacustrine (lake) sediments; the sediments are underlain by rhyolite and basalt, and overlain by basalt. The western plain began to form around 11-12 MaAnnum *Annum* is a Latin noun meaning year.... with the eruption of rhyolite lavas and ignimbrites. The western plain is not parallel to North American Plate motion, and lies at a high angle to the central and eastern Snake River Plains. Its morphologyGeomorphology Geomorphology is the study of landforms, including their origin and evolution, and the processes that shape them.... is similar to other volcanic plateauVolcanic plateau A volcanic plateau is a plateau produced by volcanic activity.... s such as the Chilcotin Plateau BasaltsChilcotin Plateau Basalts The Chilcotin Plateau Basalts are a north-south range of volcanoes in southern British Columbia running parallel to the Gari... in south-central British ColumbiaBritish Columbia British Columbia, often referred to as B.C. or BC , is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for it... , CanadaCanada Summary Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, occupying most of northern North America.... . The eastern Snake River plain traces the path of the North American plateNorth American Plate The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, extending eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge an... over a geologic hot spotHotspot (geology) In geology, a hotspot is a location on the Earth's surface that has experienced active volcanism for a long period of time.... , now centered in Yellowstone National ParkYellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is a U.S.... . The eastern plain is a topographic depression that cuts across Basin and Range Mountain structures, more or less parallel to North American plate motion. It is underlain almost entirely by basalt erupted from large shield volcanoes. Beneath the basalts are rhyolite lavas and ignimbrites that erupted as the lithosphere passed over the hotspot. The central Snake River plain is similar to the eastern plain, but differs by having thick sections of interbedded lacustrine (lake) and fluvial (stream) sediments, including the Hagerman fossil bedsHagerman Fossil Beds National Monument Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument near Hagerman, Idaho, contains the largest concentration of Hagerman Horse fossils in... . Island ParkIsland Park Caldera The Island Park Caldera is a large caldera located in eastern Idaho just to the southwest of the Yellowstone Caldera.... and Yellowstone CalderaYellowstone Caldera The Yellowstone Caldera, sometimes known as the Yellowstone supervolcano, is a volcanically active region in Yellowsto... s formed as the result of enormous rhyolite ignimbrite eruptions, with single eruptions producing up to 2500 cubic km of ash. Younger volcanoes that erupted after passing over the hotspot covered the plain with young basalt lava flows in places, including Craters of the Moon National Monument. Effects on Climate The Snake River Plain has a significant effect on the climate of Yellowstone National ParkYellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is a U.S.... and the adjacent areas to the south and west of Yellowstone. As the Yellowstone hotspot burned its way across southern Idaho, it left a 70 mile wide channel through the Rocky MountainsRocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a broad mountain range in western North America.... . This channel is in line with the gap between the Cascade RangeCascade Range The Cascade Range is a mountainous region famous for its chain of tall volcanoes called the High Cascades that run nor... and the Sierra Nevada. The result is a moisture channel extending from the Pacific Ocean to Yellowstone. Moisture from the Pacific Ocean streams onshore in the form of clouds and humid air. It passes through the gap between the Sierras and Cascades and on into the Snake River Plain where it is channeled through most of the Rocky MountainsRocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a broad mountain range in western North America.... with no high plateaus nor mountain ranges to impede its progress. It finally encounters upslope conditions at the head of the Snake River Valley at Ashton, IdahoAshton, Idaho Ashton is a city in Fremont County, Idaho, United States.... and at Island Park, IdahoIsland Park, Idaho Island Park is a city in Fremont County, Idaho, United States.... , at the Teton RangeTeton Range Summary The Teton Range is a small but dramatic mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in North America.... east of Driggs, IdahoDriggs, Idaho Driggs is a city in Teton County, Idaho, United States.... , and at the Yellowstone PlateauYellowstone Plateau The Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field developed through three volcanic cycles spanning two million years that included some... of Yellowstone National Park where the channeled moisture precipitates out as rain and snow. The result is a localized climate on the eastern side of the Rockies that is akin to a climate on the west slope of the Cascades or the northern Sierras. The head of the Snake River Valley, the Tetons, and the Yellowstone PlateauFacts About Yellowstone Plateau The Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field developed through three volcanic cycles spanning two million years that included some... receive much more precipitation than other areas of the region and the area is known for being wet, green, having many streams, and having abundant snow in winter. See also Lost River (Idaho)Lost River (Idaho) There are two rivers in Idaho named "Lost", the Big Lost River and the Little Lost River.... Snake RiverSnake River The Snake River is a river in the western part of the United States.... Snake River Plain (ecoregion)Snake River Plain (ecoregion) The Snake River Plain ecoregion is a Level III ecoregion designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in...