Lava Creek Tuff facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lava Creek eruption |
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Tuff Cliff showing the Lava Creek Tuff formation
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| Volcano | Yellowstone Caldera |
| Date | Around 630,000 years ago |
| Type | Ultra-Plinian |
| Location | Wyoming, United States 44°24′N 110°42′W / 44.400°N 110.700°W |
| VEI | 8 |
Extent of the Lava Creek ash bed
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The Lava Creek Tuff is a special type of rock formation. It is found in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho in the United States. This rock was made during a huge volcanic event called the Lava Creek eruption. This eruption happened about 630,000 years ago. It also created the giant hole in the ground known as the Yellowstone Caldera.
Contents
What is the Lava Creek Tuff?
The Lava Creek Tuff is a type of rock called tuff. Tuff is formed from volcanic ash and rock pieces that get blasted out of a volcano. These pieces then fall to the ground and get cemented together.
How it Formed
The Lava Creek Tuff was created by an "Ultra-Plinian" eruption. This is a very powerful type of volcanic eruption. It was so big that it formed the Yellowstone Caldera. A caldera is a large, bowl-shaped hollow. It forms when a volcano's magma chamber empties and the ground above it collapses.
The eruption sent out a massive amount of ash and rock. This material then spread out in all directions from the caldera. Scientists estimate that about 1,000 cubic kilometers (240 cubic miles) of material was released. This material cooled and hardened into the Lava Creek Tuff.
Where to Find It
You can see parts of the Lava Creek Tuff today. Erosion by rivers and weather has worn away some of the land. This has uncovered the tuff layers. One good place to see it is at Tuff Cliff. This cliff is located along the Gibbon River in Yellowstone National Park.
Appearance and Texture
The Lava Creek Tuff can look different in various places. Its color ranges from light gray to a pale red. The texture of the rock also varies. Some parts are very fine-grained, meaning the individual particles are tiny. Other parts are "aphanitic," which means the grains are so small you can't see them without a microscope.
Much of the tuff is also "densely welded." This means the hot volcanic ash and rock pieces were so hot when they landed that they fused together. This made the rock very solid and strong. The thickest parts of the Lava Creek Tuff layer are about 180 to 200 meters (590 to 656 feet) thick.
Impact of the Eruption
The Lava Creek eruption was one of the largest known eruptions on Earth. It had a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 8. This is the highest rating on the scale. Such a massive eruption would have had a huge impact on the climate and environment worldwide. It would have sent ash high into the atmosphere. This ash could have blocked sunlight and caused global cooling.
See also
In Spanish: Toba de Lava Creek para niños
