Vegetational History of Yellowstone Park as Determined by Pollen Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to interpret the vegetational history of the Yellowstone Park area by the analysis of pollen contained in sediment cores from four locations in Yellowstone Lake. The cores, collected by Dr. Robert Smith of the University of Utah, were from the north central portion, the west thumb area, the south arm and the southeast arm of the lake. The cores were to be compared to determine pollen variations within the lake. Differences between a small pond and a large lake basin in reflecting climatic change were to be studied by comparing the results with pollen counts from Fifteen Foot Lagoon (Baker, 1976).