Higher elevation
Immediately adjacent
Isolation prominence
Early morning sunlight spotlights the top of a geological phenomena under aesthetic scrutiny. Expanding the vicissitudes of time and place, this instance accentuates distinctions between what is changing and variable, subject to growth and decay, and what is more abiding.
“Mountain ranges differ considerably in their overall appearance.” – Adam Helman
Geologic history
Dramatic colors and shapes
Hydrothermally altered rhyolite
A tree on the precipice edge of an enormous erosional feature imparts a sense of scale in Yellowstone. Most of the yellows in the canyon are the result of iron existing in the rock walls.
“As I took in the scene, I realized my own littleness, my helplessness, my dread exposure to destruction, my inability to cope with or even comprehend the mighty architecture of nature.” – Nathaniel P. Langford
Land tranquility
Steaming geyser basins
Unique adventure
Hot spring water resists the winter cold caused by the Earth’s tilted axis and elliptical orbit.
“Winter is beautiful in Yellowstone National Park. Blanketed by snow, the 2.2-million-acre park exudes a mythical beauty.” – Candyce H. Stapen
Spectacular view
Enchanting remoteness
Dream destination
As the earth spins through space, the variegated sky places the mountain summit in context. Global topography is determined by the interaction of physical and chemical fluxes across a diffusive boundary surface.
“Never measure the height of a mountain until you reach the top. Then you will see how low it was.” – Dag Hammerskjold
Sacred ground
Nurturing realm
Internal reactions
A spirit of the landscape accumulates and evolves as an important way of participating. Experience of place is more than a static reproduction.
“I preferred to think that memory is never frozen, nor should it be.” – Maxwell Kosegarten
Existing reality
Objective knowledge
Philosophical alternatives
Dead tree skeletons punctuate the Gibbon Geyser Basin. Associated hydrogen sulfide gas yields the characteristic rotten egg odor of the active mudpot. Some things that inform consciousness exist beyond consciousness.
“But the rocks are full of the bones of extinct animals – mammoths and mastodons and enormous reptiles which lived here long before man was ever heard of.” – Winston Smith
Thin crust
Top component
Mechanical properties
The earth’s crust has spawned through igneous processes, which explains its diversity of material elements and appearances. In a formulation state, here the variety and phenomena of observable continental surface materials interacts with the atmosphere.
“Rocks are records of events that took place at the time they formed. They are books. They have a different vocabulary, a different alphabet, but you learn how to read them.” – John McPhee
Boundary layer
Parcel expansion
Convection constraint
The complexity of our atmospheric stratification is sometimes on display. Changes in air temperature and pressure occur with increasing altitude. An inversion represents a deviation from the normal atmospheric altitude variation by acting as a cap.
“This is where the air motion is determined by the properties of the Earth’s surface.” – Marino Tahi
Well-established
Widely celebrated
Physical elements
Landscapes embody a living synthesis, displaying a comprehensive vital force enveloping existence as a spontaneous morphogenesis of things in an increasingly complex configuration.
“In the continuum of landscape, mountains are discontinuity — culminating in high points, natural barriers, unearthly earth.” – Rebecca Solnit
Aqua constrained
Acidic thermal
Viscous slurry
A variegated mud geothermal feature, nourished by hot-springs, remains active during the winter season. Effervescing under a blanket of snow, at various junctures the ground heat overwhelms the freezing cold.
“Along this section of the path, you’ll notice that the Artists’ Paintpots feature a collection of pastel colors. This is because iron oxide stains their whitish/gray mud.” – Courtney Holden