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Bunsen Peak
Volcanic Peak
Peak
in
Yellowstone NP
,
Rocky Mountains
near
Mammoth
,
WY
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On Wikipedia
Bunsen Peak el. 8,564 feet (2,610 m) is a prominent peak due south of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. The peak lies on the east flank of Kingman Pass on the Mammoth to Norris section of the Grand Loop Road. The peak was first ascended by Ferdinand V. Hayden and Captain John W. Barlow in 1871, Bunsen Peak was not named until 1872 during the second Hayden Geologic Survey. E. S. Topping named the peak Observation Mountain in 1872 as well, but that name did not stick. The Bunsen Peak Trail with its trailhead just south of Mammoth is a steep 2.1 miles (3.4 km) to the summit. Bunsen Peak was named for the German chemist Robert Bunsen, the inventor of the Bunsen Burner and responsible for early work on volcanic geyser theories.
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Geographic Name Origin
Named for chemist Robert Bunsen by USGS in 1872.
For the eminent chemist and physicist, Robert Wilhelm Bunsen; inventor of the Bunsen electric cell and of the Bunsen Gas Burner; co-discoverer with Kirchoff of the principle of Spectrum Analysis; and the first thorough investigator of the phenomena of geyser action.
— Chittenden (page 293)
Geology
Absaroka Range volcanic activity occurred 53 to 43 million years ago, after the uplift of the Rocky Mountains but before the geologically recent arrival of the Yellowstone hotspot about 2 million years ago. At the end of Absaroka times:
… the last rising magma solidified in the main conduits to form slender, somewhat cylindrical bodies of rock called volcanic necks that probably conform closely to the shape of the original conduits. The circular [cone] intrusive rock body at Bunsen Peak, now exposed to view because erosion has stripped away the lava and volcanic breccia that once completely buried it, represents either a volcanic neck or a small stock that solidified directly beneath a volcano. (Keefer pg. 27)
— Keefer
Bunsen Peak Photographs
Stereograph below with detailed description of the Bunsen Peak landscape:
BUNSEN PEAK, YELLOWSTONE NAT. PARK, WYO. As we leave Mammoth Hot Springs and turn our faces southward toward the geyser basins, either in our own car or in one of the comfortable motor busses of the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co., the road winds in steep curves up the eastern side of Terrace Mountain and in a few moments we are looking from a dizzy height into the ravine of Glen Creek, while on the other side of it sheers up toward the clouds the vast, precipitous wall of Bunsen Peak (alt. 8,775 ft.). This peak was named in honor of the distinguished chemist and physicist, Robert W. Bunsen, author of the theory now generally accepted regarding the causes of geyser activity. If one desires he can make a 12-mile trip entirely around this mountain by an excellent auto road, commanding, on the other side of the peak, magnificent views of Gardiner River Canyon, which is second in magnitude only to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The majesty of Bunsen Peak, however, with the path of a mighty avalanche gashing its face, is well revealed in this view from the main road. The latter soon makes a turn to the right and passes between two great boulders of white [t]ravertine which constitute what is appropriately called the Silver Gate. (View looking S. E. Elev. 7,000 ft. Lat. 45° N.; Long. 111° W.)
— Unknown
Sources
Author, No. “Bunsen Peak, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.”. University of Wyoming, May 21, 2019.
doi.org/10.15786/13682221.v2
.
Chittenden, Hiram Martin.
Yellowstone National Park
. Cincinnati: The Robert Clarke Company, 1895.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/42112/42112-h/42112-h.htm
.
Keefer, William Richard. “The Geologic Story of Yellowstone National Park.” Bulletin 1347. Washington D.C.: USGS, 1971. USGS Publications Warehouse.
https://doi.org/10.3133/b1347
.
Further Research and Reading
Haynes, F. Jay (Frank Jay), 1853-1921,
Hoodoos and Bunsen Peak, YNP.
(1884). Montana History Portal, accessed 06/11/2023,
mtmemory.org/nodes/view/105661
Taxonomy
Classified As
Peak
Geologic Formation
Intrusive igneous rocks (WYTi;0)
Geologic Formation
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