Yellowstone National Park

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/yellowstone-national-park

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Where is Yellowstone National Park?Primarily Park County, Wyoming; Gallatin County, Montana; and Teton County, Wyoming, USA
2. How big is Yellowstone National Park?Approximately 2,219,807 acres (3,472 square miles)
3. What is the capital of Yellowstone National Park?N/A (National Park)
4. When was Yellowstone National Park built?March 1, 1872
5. What makes Yellowstone special for geysers and hot springs?Yellowstone has more than 10,000 hot springs, geysers, and mudpots because heat from an ancient supervolcano keeps the water hot. Famous ones like Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic Spring are found here.
6. Why were wolves brought back to Yellowstone?Wolves were reintroduced in 1995 to help balance the food chain. Their presence changes plant growth and benefits many other animals.

Trophic Cascade: Powerful indirect interactions that can control entire ecosystems, occurring when predators limit the density and/or behavior of their prey.
Keystone Species: A species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if it were removed, the ecosystem would change drastically.
Hydrothermal Activity: The emission of heat and gases from the Earth's crust, often associated with volcanic regions, creating features like geysers and hot springs.