Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone was founded as the first US national park in 1872. Famous for its geysers, such as Old Faithful, its large wild animals, such as Buffalo and Grisly bears, Yellowstone has played an essential role in modern biological science (see thermal pool image for details). Yellowstone sits atop a large, partially molten, magma chamber, which is its subterranean heat source. Wild animals take advantage of the hot zones for food and water during the cold winter.