Editing Grand Teton National Park (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Map of Grand Teton National Park.jpg|thumb|Map of Grand Teton National Park Also see [https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/collection-item.htm?pg=7347320&cid=305fb7af-a71b-469b-941e-a98b439c882f&id=9f35789f-3f7d-447b-9fe7-cb4914e0b6e1&sid=c6bd20d3-825d-4783-a5a0-cf528fc4d3fe&p=1&sort=relevance resolution adjustable pdf map]]]
Grand Teton National Park is located in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Wyoming.<ref>{{cite web|title=Grand Teton|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/index.htm|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=January 22, 2012|date=January 4, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619112157/http://www.nps.gov/grte/index.htm|archive-date=June 19, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref> To the north the park is bordered by the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway, which is administered by Grand Teton National Park. The scenic highway with the same name passes from the southern boundary of Grand Teton National Park to West Thumb in Yellowstone National Park.<ref name=jodr/> Grand Teton National Park covers approximately {{convert|310000|acre}}, while the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway includes {{convert|23700|acre}}.<ref name=stats1>{{cite web|title=Park Statistics|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/parkmgmt/statistics.htm|work=Park Management|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=January 8, 2012|date=December 20, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108182043/http://www.nps.gov/grte/parkmgmt/statistics.htm|archive-date=November 8, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>  Most of the Jackson Hole valley and virtually all the major mountain peaks of the Teton Range are within the park. The [[Jedediah Smith Wilderness]] of [[Caribou–Targhee National Forest|Caribou-Targhee National Forest]] lies along the western boundary and includes the western slopes of the Teton Range. To the northeast and east lie the [[Teton Wilderness]] and [[Gros Ventre Wilderness]] of [[Bridger-Teton National Forest]].<ref name=mohlenbrock>{{cite book|last=Mohlenbrock|first=Robert H.|title=This Land|date=March 15, 2005|publisher=University of California|isbn=978-0-520-23982-1|page=330|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JLChpl7sU_sC&pg=PA330|access-date=January 22, 2012}}</ref> The National Elk Refuge is to the southeast, and migrating herds of elk winter there. Privately owned land borders the park to the south and southwest. Grand Teton National Park, along with Yellowstone National Park, surrounding National Forests and related protected areas constitute the {{convert|18|e6acre|km2|adj=on|abbr=off|sp=us}} [[Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem]]. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem spans portions of three states and is one of the largest intact [[Middle latitudes|mid-latitude]] ecosystems remaining on Earth.<ref name=gye>{{cite web|title=Animals|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/animals.htm|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=June 2, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111130940/http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/animals.htm|archive-date=November 11, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> By road, Grand Teton National Park is {{convert|290|mi|abbr=on}} from [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]] and {{convert|550|mi|abbr=on}} from [[Denver]], [[Colorado]].<ref name=directions>{{cite web|title=Directions|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/directions.htm|work=Plan Your Visit|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=January 22, 2012|date=January 17, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012230810/http://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/directions.htm|archive-date=October 12, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

===Teton Range===
{{Main|Teton Range|Canyons of the Teton Range}}
The youngest mountain range in the [[Rocky Mountains]], the Teton Range began forming between 6 and 9&nbsp;million years ago.<ref name=geology>{{cite web|title=Park Geology|url=http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/parks/grte/index.cfm|work=Geology Fieldnotes|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=February 3, 2012|date=January 4, 2005|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921015620/http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/parks/grte/index.cfm|archive-date=September 21, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> It runs roughly north to south and rises from the floor of Jackson Hole without any [[foothill]]s along a {{convert|40|mi|km|-long|adj=mid}} by {{convert|7|to|9|mile|abbr=}} wide active [[fault-block mountain]] front.<ref name="stats1" /> The range tilts westward, rising abruptly above Jackson Hole valley which lies to the east but more gradually into [[Pierre's Hole|Teton Valley]] to the west. A series of [[earthquake]]s along the [[Teton Fault]] slowly displaced the western side of the fault upward and the eastern side of the fault downward at an average of {{convert|1|ft|cm}} of displacement every 300–400&nbsp;years.<ref name="geology" /> Most of the displacement of the fault occurred in the last 2&nbsp;million years.<ref name="byrd">{{cite journal|last=Byrd|first=John|author2=Robert Smith |author3=John Geissman |title=The Teton fault, Wyoming: Topographic signature, neotectonics, and mechanisms of deformation|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research|date=January 28, 1994|volume=99|issue=B10|series=B10|pages=20,095–20,122|doi=10.1029/94JB00281|bibcode=1994JGR....9920095B}}</ref> While the fault has experienced up to 7.5-[[Mercalli intensity scale|earthquake magnitude]] events since it formed, it has been relatively quiescent during historical periods, with only a few 5.0-magnitude or greater earthquakes known to have occurred since 1850.<ref name="smithr">{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Robert|title=The Teton fault, Wyoming: seismotectonics, Quaternary history, and earthquake hazards|url=http://www.uusatrg.utah.edu/PAPERS/The_Teton_fault.pdf|publisher=University of Utah, USGS|access-date=February 3, 2012|author2=John Byrd|author3=David Susong|year=1993|work=Geology of Wyoming: Geological Survey of Wyoming Memoir|volume=5|pages=628–667|editor1-last=Snoke|editor1-first=A. W.|editor2-last=Steidtmann|editor2-first=J. R.|editor3-last=Roberts|editor3-first=S. M.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120803195000/http://www.uusatrg.utah.edu/PAPERS/The_Teton_fault.pdf|archive-date=August 3, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
[[File:Teton fault block.jpg|thumb|right|Fault-block mountain formation of the Teton Range and Jackson Hole]]
In addition to {{convert|13775|ft|m|-high|adj=mid}} Grand Teton, another nine peaks are over {{convert|12000|ft|abbr=on}} above [[sea level]].<ref name=peakbagger>{{cite web|title=Teton Range|url=http://www.peakbagger.com/range.aspx?rid=14405|publisher=Peakbagger|access-date=February 3, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008172541/http://www.peakbagger.com/range.aspx?rid=14405|archive-date=October 8, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Eight of these peaks between [[Avalanche Canyon|Avalanche]] and [[Cascade Canyon]]s make up the often-photographed [[Cathedral Group]].<ref name=fryxell>{{cite book|last=Fryxell|first=Fritiof|title=The Tetons: interpretations of a mountain landscape|date=April 1996|publisher=Grand Teton Natural History Association|isbn=978-0-931895-05-0|page=11|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wbKiGxuADLIC&pg=PA11|access-date=February 3, 2012}}</ref> The most prominent peak north of Cascade Canyon is the monolithic [[Mount Moran]] ({{convert|12605|ft|0|abbr=on}}) which rises {{convert|5728|ft|0|abbr=on}} above Jackson Lake.<ref name=rossiter>{{cite book|last=Rossiter|first=Richard|title=Teton Classics: 50 Selected Climbs in Grand Teton National Park|date=January 1, 1994|publisher=Falcon|isbn=978-0-934641-71-5|page=105|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c4dGLjU6DEwC&pg=PA105|edition=2nd|access-date=February 3, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> To the north of Mount Moran, the range eventually merges into the high altitude [[Yellowstone Plateau]]. South of the central Cathedral Group the Teton Range tapers off near Teton Pass and blends into the [[Snake River Range]].<ref name=love>{{cite book|last=Love|first=David|title=Creation of the Teton Landscape|year=1997|publisher=Grand Teton Natural History Association|isbn=978-0-931895-08-1|at=The Story Begins|url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/grte/grte_geology/sec1.htm|access-date=February 3, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419054617/http://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/grte/grte_geology/sec1.htm|archive-date=April 19, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

West to east trending canyons provides easier access by foot into the heart of the range as no vehicular roads traverse the range except at Teton Pass, which is south of the park. Carved by a combination of glacier activity as well as numerous streams, the canyons are at their lowest point along the eastern margin of the range at Jackson Hole.<ref name=smith>{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Robert|title=Windows into the earth: the geologic story of Yellowstone and Grand Teton|year=2000|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-510597-1|pages=94–107|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZTHZfDcxXHAC&pg=PA94|access-date=February 3, 2012}}</ref> Flowing from higher to lower elevations, the glaciers created more than a dozen [[U-shaped valley]]s throughout the range.<ref name=past>{{cite web|title=Glaciation|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/upload/geology12.pdf|work=Journey Through the Past: A Geologic Tour|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=April 8, 2012|date=February 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621223908/http://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/upload/geology12.pdf|archive-date=June 21, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Cascade Canyon is sandwiched between Mount Owen and [[Teewinot Mountain]] to the south and [[Symmetry Spire]] to the north and is situated immediately west of Jenny Lake. North to south, [[Webb Canyon|Webb]], [[Moran Canyon (Wyoming)|Moran]], [[Paintbrush Canyon|Paintbrush]], Cascade, [[Death Canyon|Death]] and [[Granite Canyon]]s slice through Teton Range.

=== Jackson Hole ===
{{Main|Jackson Hole}}
[[File:Teton Fault Scarp WY1.jpg|right|thumb|The Teton Fault near the base of Rockchuck Peak creates a nearly horizontal line above the trees in the foreground.]]
Jackson Hole is a {{convert|55|mi|km|-long|adj=mid}} by {{convert|6|to|13|mi}} wide [[graben]] valley with an average elevation of {{convert|6800|ft|abbr=on}}, its lowest point is near the southern park boundary at {{convert|6350|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=dougherty1>{{cite book|last=Dougherty|first=Michael|title=The Ultimate Wyoming Atlas and Travel Encyclopedia|date=October 2003|publisher=Ultimate Press|isbn=978-1-888550-12-2|page=405|url=http://www.ultimatewyoming.com/wysections/WY2%20yGrand%20Teton.pdf|author2=Heidi Dougherty|access-date=February 4, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317170446/http://www.ultimatewyoming.com/wysections/WY2%20yGrand%20Teton.pdf|archive-date=March 17, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The valley sits east of the Teton Range and is vertically displaced downward {{convert|30000|ft|abbr=on}}, making the Teton Fault and its parallel twin on the east side of the valley normal faults with the Jackson Hole block being the hanging wall and the Teton Mountain block being the footwall.<ref name=nrp>{{cite web|title=Geologic Resources Inventory Report|url=http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/inventory/publications/reports/grte_gri_rpt_body_print.pdf|work=Natural Resource Report NPS/NRPC/GRD/NRR—2010/230|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=February 4, 2012|year=2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923122521/http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/inventory/publications/reports/grte_gri_rpt_body_print.pdf|archive-date=September 23, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Grand Teton National Park contains the major part of both blocks. Erosion of the range provided sediment in the valley so the topographic relief is only {{convert|7700|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=geology/> Jackson Hole is comparatively flat, with only a modest increase in altitude south to north; however, a few isolated [[butte]]s such as [[Blacktail Butte]] and hills including [[Signal Mountain (Wyoming)|Signal Mountain]] dot the valley floor.<ref name=love/> In addition to a few outcroppings, the [[Snake River]] has eroded [[Terrace (geology)|terraces]] into Jackson Hole. Southeast of Jackson Lake, glacial depressions known as [[Kettle (landform)|kettles]] are numerous. The kettles were formed when ice situated under gravel outwash from [[ice sheet]]s melted as the glaciers retreated.<ref name=love1>{{cite book|last=Love|first=David|title=Creation of the Teton Landscape|year=1997|publisher=Grand Teton Natural History Association|isbn=978-0-931895-08-1|at=Carving the Rugged Peaks|url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/grte/grte_geology/sec2.htm|access-date=February 4, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150420024745/http://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/grte/grte_geology/sec2.htm|archive-date=April 20, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

=== Lakes and rivers ===
{{See also|Snake River| Lakes of Grand Teton National Park}}
[[File:Oxbow Bend outlook in the Grand Teton National Park.jpg|right|thumb|Oxbow Bend on the Snake River]]
Most of the lakes in the park were formed by glaciers and the largest of these lakes are located at the base of the Teton Range.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lakes and Ponds|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/lakes.htm|work=Natural Features and Ecosystems|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=February 4, 2012|date=December 7, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108080833/http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/lakes.htm|archive-date=November 8, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In the northern section of the park lies Jackson Lake, the largest lake in the park at {{convert|15|mi|abbr=on}} in length, {{convert|5|mi|abbr=on}} wide and {{convert|438|ft|abbr=on}} deep.<ref name=stats1/> Though Jackson Lake is natural, the Jackson Lake Dam was constructed at its outlet before the creation of the park, and the lake level was raised almost {{convert|40|ft|abbr=on}} consequently.<ref name=reclamation/> East of the [[Jackson Lake Lodge]] lies [[Emma Matilda Lake|Emma Matilda]] and [[Two Ocean Lake]]s. South of Jackson Lake, [[Leigh Lake|Leigh]], [[Jenny Lake|Jenny]], [[Bradley Lake|Bradley]], [[Taggart Lake|Taggart]] and [[Phelps Lake (Wyoming)|Phelps Lake]]s rest at the outlets of the canyons which lead into the Teton Range. Within the Teton Range, small alpine lakes in [[cirque (landform)|cirque]]s are common, and there are more than 100 scattered throughout the high country.<ref name=keller>{{cite web|last=Keller|first=Lynn|title=Geologic Features and Processes|url=http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/inventory/publications/reports/grte_gri_rpt_body_print.pdf|work=Grand Teton National Park and John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway Geologic Resources Inventory Report|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=February 4, 2012|page=19|year=2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923122521/http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/inventory/publications/reports/grte_gri_rpt_body_print.pdf|archive-date=September 23, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[Lake Solitude (Wyoming)|Lake Solitude]], located at an elevation of {{convert|9035|ft|abbr=on}}, is in a cirque at the head of the North Fork of Cascade Canyon. Other high-altitude lakes can be found at over {{convert|10000|ft|abbr=on}} in elevation and a few, such as [[Icefloe Lake]], remain ice-clogged for much of the year.<ref name="ortenburger2">{{cite book|last=Ortenburger|first=Leigh|title=A Climbers Guide to the Teton Range|date=November 1, 1996|publisher=Mountaineers Books|isbn=978-0-89886-480-9|page=192|author2=Reynold Jackson}}</ref> The park is not noted for large waterfalls; however, {{convert|100|ft|m|-high|adj=mid}} [[Hidden Falls (Teton County, Wyoming)|Hidden Falls]] just west of Jenny Lake is easy to reach after a short hike.<ref name="dayhikes">{{cite web|title=Day Hikes|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/upload/Dayhikes10.pdf|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=March 26, 2012|date=March 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108041016/http://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/upload/Dayhikes10.pdf|archive-date=November 8, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

From its headwaters on Two Ocean Plateau in Yellowstone National Park, the Snake River flows north to south through the park, entering Jackson Lake near the boundary of Grand Teton National Park and John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway.<ref name=snake>{{cite web|title=Floating the Snake River|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/upload/Floating10.pdf|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=February 4, 2012|date=March 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108080350/http://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/upload/Floating10.pdf|archive-date=November 8, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The Snake River then flows through the spillways of the Jackson Lake Dam and from there southward through Jackson Hole, exiting the park just west of the Jackson Hole Airport.<ref name=snake/> The largest lakes in the park all drain either directly or by tributary streams into the Snake River. Major tributaries which flow into the Snake River include [[Pacific Creek (Teton County, Wyoming)|Pacific Creek]] and [[Buffalo Fork (Wyoming)|Buffalo Fork]] near [[Moran, Wyoming|Moran]] and the [[Gros Ventre River]] at the southern border of the park. Through the comparatively level Jackson Hole valley, the Snake River descends an average of {{convert|19|ft/mi}}, while other streams descending from the mountains to the east and west have higher gradients due to increased slope.<ref name=geology/> The Snake River creates [[Braided river|braids]] and channels in sections where the gradients are lower and in steeper sections, erodes and undercuts the cobblestone terraces once deposited by glaciers.<ref name=geology/>

=== Glaciation ===
[[File:Middle Teton Glacier looking southeast.jpg|right|thumb|[[Middle Teton Glacier]] on the northeast slopes of Middle Teton has numerous [[crevass]]es.]]
The major peaks of the Teton Range were carved into their current shapes by long-vanished [[glacier]]s. Commencing 250,000–150,000&nbsp;years ago, the Tetons went through several periods of [[glacial period|glaciation]] with some areas of Jackson Hole covered by glaciers {{convert|2000|ft|abbr=on}} thick.<ref name=geology/><ref name=love2>{{cite book|last=Love|first=David|title=Creation of the Teton Landscape|year=1997|publisher=Grand Teton Natural History Association|isbn=978-0-931895-08-1|at=Quaternary-Time of Ice, More Lakes and Continued Crustal Disturbance|url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/grte/grte_geology/sec9.htm|access-date=August 23, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108080217/https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/grte/grte_geology/sec9.htm|archive-date=November 8, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref> This heavy glaciation is unrelated to the uplift of the range itself and is instead part of a period of global cooling known as the [[Quaternary glaciation]].<ref name=love2/> Beginning with the Buffalo Glaciation and followed by the [[Bull Lake glaciation|Bull Lake]] and then the [[Last glacial period|Pinedale glaciation]], which ended roughly 15,000&nbsp;years ago, the landscape was greatly impacted by glacial activity. During the Pinedale glaciation, the landscape visible today was created as glaciers from the Yellowstone Plateau flowed south and formed Jackson Lake, while smaller glaciers descending from the Teton Range pushed rock [[moraines]] out from the canyons and left behind lakes near the base of the mountains.<ref name=love2/> The peaks themselves were carved into [[Pyramidal peak|horns]] and [[arête]]s and the canyons were transformed from water-eroded V-shapes to glacier-carved U-shaped valleys.<ref name=geology/> Approximately a dozen glaciers currently exist in the park, but they are not ancient as they were all reestablished sometime between 1400 and 1850&nbsp;AD during the [[Little Ice Age]].<ref name=keller2>{{cite web|last=Keller|first=Lynn|title=Glaciers and Climate Change|url=http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/inventory/publications/reports/grte_gri_rpt_body_print.pdf|work=Grand Teton National Park and John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway Geologic Resources Inventory Report|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=February 4, 2012|pages=8–9|year=2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923122521/http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/inventory/publications/reports/grte_gri_rpt_body_print.pdf|archive-date=September 23, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Of these more recent glaciers, the largest is [[Teton Glacier]], which sits below the northeast face of Grand Teton. Teton Glacier is {{convert|3500|ft|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|1100|ft|abbr=on}} wide, and nearly surrounded by the tallest summits in the range.<ref name=love2/> Teton Glacier is also the best-studied glacier in the range, and researchers concluded in 2005 that the glacier could disappear in 30 to 75&nbsp;years.<ref name=nrp/> West of the Cathedral Group near [[Hurricane Pass]], [[Schoolroom Glacier]] is tiny but has well-defined terminal and lateral moraines, a small [[proglacial lake]], and other typical glacier features near each other.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cooper|first=Ed|title=Soul of the Rockies: Portraits of America's Largest Mountain Range|year=2008|publisher=Falcon Guides|isbn=978-0-7627-4941-6|page=75|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yRggz0glL3gC&pg=PT95|edition=1st|access-date=February 4, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=July 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>