Yellowstone Road Melts

By Hum
in Science News & Discussion

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Grand Master

Hum

Posted
Posted

A popular road through Yellowstone National Park was shut down on Thursday when the asphalt started to melt. :huh:

The park says extreme heat from thermal areas is causing hot oil to bubble to the surface of Firehole Lake Drive, a scenic 3.3-mile loop that runs past Great Fountain Geyser, White Dome Geyser and Firehole Lake.

"It basically turned the asphalt into soup," park spokesman Dan Hottle told USA Today. "It turned the gravel road into oatmeal."

 

BsMU7YOIcAA_N_G.jpg:large

That same thermal heat melting the road is what gives the park its famous geysers, hot springs, mudpots and fumaroles. But for the moment, some of these natural wonders will be off-limits as officials ask both motorists and hikers to avoid the area.

"There are plenty of other great places to see thermal features in the park," Al Nash, another Yellowstone spokesman, told The Associated Press. "I wouldn't risk personal injury to see these during this temporary closure."

The park says the road will remain closed for several days, but no re-opening date has been announced. Visitors planning to travel to Yellowstone can call (307) 344-2117 to hear current road conditions.

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Grand Master

adrynalyne

Posted
Posted

So the road melts but the snow doesn't?

 

Asphalt absorbs and holds onto heat, and seeing how its just the road that is closed, I'd say its localized.  They would cordon off the entire area if it was a matter of the entire ground becoming too hot.

Veteran

sava700

Posted
Posted

This is why its best to use cement to do the road in for these area's...it has been suggested to them before from what I remember when there. They keep refusing to do it and would rather keep wasting the money on the pavement and work.

Grand Master

HawkMan

Posted
Posted

This is why its best to use cement to do the road in for these area's...it has been suggested to them before from what I remember when there. They keep refusing to do it and would rather keep wasting the money on the pavement and work.

 

Suggested by actual road engineers or Joe plumber?

 

Cause while cement works great on areas of the autobahn in geologically stable Germany. My layman opinion is that it would be a terrible idea on a geologically unstable area like Yellowstone where I imagine the ground can move a lot, on top of the high difference in summer and winter temperatures causing terrain shifts.

Grand Master

DocM

Posted
Posted

Suggested by actual road engineers or Joe plumber?

Cause while cement works great on areas of the autobahn in geologically stable Germany. My layman opinion is that it would be a terrible idea on a geologically unstable area like Yellowstone where I imagine the ground can move a lot, on top of the high difference in summer and winter temperatures causing terrain shifts.

Agreed, not to mention that even if you install a high heat resistance road passing vehicles tires may still melt or otherwise decompose.
Grand Master

HawkMan

Posted
Posted

I thought that a Yellowstone eruption would mean an "extinction event" for the entire planet?

 

Extinction level event rarely means what it says. It has never truly happened and killing all hums especially is nearly impossible without blowing up the planet at this point.

Veteran

TDT

Posted
Posted

Extinction level event rarely means what it says. It has never truly happened and killing all hums especially is nearly impossible without blowing up the planet at this point.

You mean killing all at once. Even if people survive, like those in Europe, they'll probably meet their end because of the drop in temperature and all the effects that follow...

Grand Master

adrynalyne

Posted
Posted

Suggested by actual road engineers or Joe plumber?

 

Cause while cement works great on areas of the autobahn in geologically stable Germany. My layman opinion is that it would be a terrible idea on a geologically unstable area like Yellowstone where I imagine the ground can move a lot, on top of the high difference in summer and winter temperatures causing terrain shifts.

Expansion joints?

 

 

Asphalt doesn't fare any better to shifting terrain and it melts.

 

LaCabimaPANAMA1.jpg

Extinction level event rarely means what it says. It has never truly happened and killing all hums especially is nearly impossible without blowing up the planet at this point.

Of course it has never truly happened...we wouldn't be discussing this, heh.

Grand Master

HawkMan

Posted
Posted

You mean killing all at once. Even if people survive, like those in Europe, they'll probably meet their end because of the drop in temperature and all the effects that follow...

 

Really... except human kind even thousands of years ago in the last ice age managed to survive. modern people have modern ways to stay warm and protect ourselves we're harder to kill than cockroaches. 

 

You need something a LOT bigger than Yellowstone to kill humans. 

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