Misplaced Pages

#537462

107-623: It is centered in Wyoming and Colorado , with outcrops in Montana , North Dakota , South Dakota , Nebraska , Kansas , the panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas , New Mexico , Arizona , Utah , and Idaho . Equivalent rocks under different names are found in Canada. It covers an area of 1.5 million square kilometers (600,000 square miles), although only a tiny fraction is exposed and accessible to geologists and paleontologists . Over 75%

214-696: A United States Bureau of Economic Analysis report, Wyoming's gross state product in 2022 was $ 49.8 billion. As of 2014, the population was growing slightly with the most growth in tourist-oriented areas, such as Teton County . Boom conditions in neighboring states, such as North Dakota , were drawing energy workers away. About half of Wyoming's counties showed population loss. The state makes active efforts through Wyoming Grown, an internet-based recruitment program, to find jobs for young people educated in Wyoming who have emigrated but may wish to return. The mineral-extraction industry and travel and tourism sector are

321-731: A bill to Congress to provide a "temporary government for the territory of Wyoming ". The territory was named after the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania. Thomas Campbell wrote his 1809 poem " Gertrude of Wyoming ", inspired by the Battle of Wyoming in the American Revolutionary War . The name ultimately derives from the Lenape Munsee word xwé:wamənk ("at the big river flat"). Wyoming's climate

428-480: A climate sensitivity for the rest of the Phanerozoic which was calculated to be similar to today's modern range of values. The difference in global mean temperatures between a fully glacial Earth and an ice free Earth is estimated at 10 °C, though far larger changes would be observed at high latitudes and smaller ones at low latitudes. One requirement for the development of large scale ice sheets seems to be

535-464: A continually relatively warm surface during the complete early temperature record of Earth with the exception of one cold glacial phase about 2.4 billion years ago. In the late Archaean eon, an oxygen-containing atmosphere began to develop, apparently from photosynthesizing cyanobacteria (see Great Oxygenation Event ) which have been found as stromatolite fossils from 2.7 billion years ago. The early basic carbon isotopy ( isotope ratio proportions)

642-401: A good amount of precipitation, 20 inches (510 mm) or more, much of it as snow, sometimes 200 inches (510 cm) or more annually. The state's highest recorded temperature is 114 °F (46 °C) at Basin on July 12, 1900, and the lowest recorded temperature is −66 °F (−54 °C) at Riverside on February 9, 1933. The number of thunderstorm days varies across the state with

749-527: A higher overall number. In 2010, 93.39% (474,343) of Wyomingites over age 5 spoke English as their primary language ; 4.47% (22,722) spoke Spanish , 0.35% (1,771) spoke German , and 0.28% (1,434) spoke French . Other common non-English languages included Algonquian (0.18%), Russian (0.10%), Tagalog , and Greek (both 0.09%). In 2007, the American Community Survey reported 6.2% (30,419) of Wyoming's population over five spoke

856-506: A language other than English at home. Of those, 68.1% were able to speak English very well, 16.0% spoke English well, 10.9% did not speak English well, and 5.0% did not speak English at all. Surveys have consistently ranked Wyoming among the most irreligious states . According to the 2020 American Values Atlas survey, Wyoming was the least religious state in the country. Religious self-identification, Public Religion Research Institute 's 2020 American Values Atlas survey. In 2020,

963-515: A once warmer climate, which he thought could be explained by a shift in Earth's axis. Fossils were, at that time, often explained as a consequence of a biblical flood. Systematic observations of sunspots started by amateur astronomer Heinrich Schwabe in the early 19th century, starting a discussion of the Sun's influence on Earth's climate. The scientific study of paleoclimatology began to take shape in

1070-416: A particular area. On a longer time scale, geologists must refer to the sedimentary record for data. On a longer time scale, the rock record may show signs of sea level rise and fall, and features such as "fossilised" sand dunes can be identified. Scientists can get a grasp of long-term climate by studying sedimentary rock going back billions of years. The division of Earth history into separate periods

1177-494: A return from Astoria , Robert Stuart and a party of five men discovered South Pass in 1812. The Oregon Trail later followed that route as emigrants moved to the west coast. In 1850, mountain man Jim Bridger first documented what is now known as Bridger Pass . Bridger also explored Yellowstone, and filed reports on the region that, like Colter's, were largely regarded at the time as tall tales . The Union Pacific Railroad constructed track through Bridger Pass in 1868. It

SECTION 10

#1732756961538

1284-535: A shift from a reducing atmosphere to an oxidizing atmosphere. O 2 showed major variations until reaching a steady state of more than 15% by the end of the Precambrian. The following time span was the Phanerozoic eon, during which oxygen-breathing metazoan life forms began to appear. The amount of oxygen in the atmosphere has fluctuated over the last 600 million years, reaching a peak of 35% during

1391-700: A short-lived boom after the Carissa Mine began producing gold in 1867. Copper was mined in some areas between the Sierra Madre Mountains and the Snowy Range near Grand Encampment . Once government-sponsored expeditions to the Yellowstone country began, Colter's and Bridger's descriptions of the region's landscape were confirmed. In 1872, Yellowstone National Park was created as the world's first, to protect this area. Nearly all of

1498-409: A wide variety of techniques to deduce ancient climates. The techniques used depend on which variable has to be reconstructed (this could be temperature , precipitation , or something else) and how long ago the climate of interest occurred. For instance, the deep marine record, the source of most isotopic data, exists only on oceanic plates, which are eventually subducted ; the oldest remaining material

1605-459: Is 200 million years old. Older sediments are also more prone to corruption by diagenesis . This is due to the millions of years of disruption experienced by the rock formations, such as pressure, tectonic activity, and fluid flowing. These factors often result in a lack of quality or quantity of data, which causes resolution and confidence in the data decrease over time. Specific techniques used to make inferences on ancient climate conditions are

1712-668: Is Cheyenne , which had a population of 65,132 in 2020. Wyoming's western half consists mostly of the ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountains ; its eastern half consists of high-elevation prairie , and is referred to as the High Plains . Wyoming's climate is semi-arid in some parts and continental in others, making it drier and windier overall than other states, with greater temperature extremes. The federal government owns just under half of Wyoming's land, generally protecting it for public use. The state ranks sixth in

1819-417: Is "Equal Rights". Farming and ranching, and the attendant range wars , feature prominently in the state's history. Wyoming's economy is largely based on tourism and the extraction of minerals such as coal , natural gas , oil , and trona . Its agricultural commodities include barley, hay, livestock, sugar beets , wheat, and wool. Wyoming does not require the beneficial owners of LLCs to be disclosed in

1926-579: Is "Equal Rights". Wyoming's constitution also included a pioneering article on water rights . Bills for Wyoming Territory's admission to the union were introduced in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives in December 1889. On March 27, 1890, the House passed the bill and President Benjamin Harrison signed Wyoming's statehood bill; Wyoming became the 44th state in the union. Wyoming

2033-415: Is a disadvantage to this method. Data of the climate only started being recorded in the mid-1800s. This means that researchers can only utilize 150 years of data. That is not helpful when trying to map the climate of an area 10,000 years ago. This is where more complex methods can be used. Mountain glaciers and the polar ice caps / ice sheets provide much data in paleoclimatology. Ice-coring projects in

2140-554: Is a dry state with much of the land receiving less than 10 inches (250 mm) of rainfall per year. Precipitation depends on elevation with lower areas in the Big Horn Basin averaging 5–8 inches (130–200 mm), making the area nearly a true desert . The lower areas in the North and on the eastern plains typically average around 10–12 inches (250–300 mm), making the climate there semi-arid . Some mountain areas do receive

2247-616: Is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States . It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the south. With a population of 576,851 in 2020 , Wyoming is the least populous state despite being the 10th largest by area , with the second-lowest population density after Alaska . The state capital and most populous city

SECTION 20

#1732756961538

2354-442: Is analyzing how the varying concentrations of CO2 affect the overall climate. This is done by using various proxies to estimate past greenhouse gas concentrations and compare those to that of the present day. Researchers are then able to assess their role in progression of climate change throughout Earth’s history. The Earth's climate system involves the atmosphere , biosphere , cryosphere , hydrosphere , and lithosphere , and

2461-617: Is generally semi-arid and continental ( Köppen climate classification BSk ) and is drier and windier in comparison to most of the United States with greater temperature extremes. Much of this is due to the topography of the state. Summers in Wyoming are warm with July high temperatures averaging between 80 and 90 °F (27 and 32 °C) in most of the state. With increasing elevation, however, this average drops rapidly with locations above 9,000 feet (2,700 m) averaging around 70 °F (21 °C). Summer nights throughout

2568-414: Is generally reflected by a greater or lesser thickness in growth rings. Different species however, respond to changes in climatic variables in different ways. A tree-ring record is established by compiling information from many living trees in a specific area. This is done by comparing the number, thickness, ring boundaries, and pattern matching of tree growth rings. The differences in thickness displayed in

2675-411: Is important to understand natural variation and the evolution of the current climate. Paleoclimatology uses a variety of proxy methods from Earth and life sciences to obtain data previously preserved within rocks , sediments , boreholes , ice sheets , tree rings , corals , shells , and microfossils . Combined with techniques to date the proxies, the paleoclimate records are used to determine

2782-521: Is largely based on visible changes in sedimentary rock layers that demarcate major changes in conditions. Often, they include major shifts in climate. Coral “rings'' share similar evidence of growth to that of trees, and thus can be dated in similar ways. A primary difference is their environments and the conditions within those that they respond to. Examples of these conditions for coral include water temperature, freshwater influx, changes in pH, and wave disturbances. From there, specialized equipment, such as

2889-414: Is made up of 23 counties. From the north border to the south border, it is 276 miles (444 km); and from the east to the west border is 365 miles (587 km) at its south end and 342 miles (550 km) at the north end. The Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming. The state is a great plateau broken by many mountain ranges . Surface elevations range from the summit of Gannett Peak in

2996-596: Is not replenished anymore and starts decaying. The proportion of 'normal' carbon and Carbon-14 gives information of how long the plant material has not been in contact with the atmosphere. Knowledge of precise climatic events decreases as the record goes back in time, but some notable climate events are known: The first atmosphere would have consisted of gases in the solar nebula , primarily hydrogen . In addition, there would probably have been simple hydrides such as those now found in gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn , notably water vapor, methane , and ammonia . As

3103-618: Is now southwestern Wyoming was claimed by the Spanish Empire , which extended through the Southwest and Mexico. With Mexican independence in 1821, it was considered part of Alta California . U.S. expansion brought settlers who fought for control. Mexico ceded these territories after its defeat in 1848 in the Mexican–American War . From the late 18th century, French-Canadian trappers from Québec and Montréal regularly entered

3210-404: Is of limited use to study recent ( Quaternary , Holocene ) large climate changes since there are seldom discernible in the geomorphological record. The field of geochronology has scientists working on determining how old certain proxies are. For recent proxy archives of tree rings and corals the individual year rings can be counted, and an exact year can be determined. Radiometric dating uses

3317-542: Is still buried under the prairie to the east, and much of its western paleogeographic extent was eroded during exhumation of the Rocky Mountains . It was named after Morrison, Colorado , where some of the first fossils in the formation were discovered by Arthur Lakes in 1877. That same year, it became the center of the Bone Wars , a fossil-collecting rivalry between early paleontologists Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope . In Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah,

Morrison Formation - Misplaced Pages Continue

3424-492: Is to study relict landforms to infer ancient climates. Being often concerned about past climates climatic geomorphology is considered sometimes to be a theme of historical geology . Evidence of these past climates to be studied can be found in the landforms they leave behind. Examples of these landforms are those such as glacial landforms (moraines, striations), desert features (dunes, desert pavements), and coastal landforms (marine terraces, beach ridges). Climatic geomorphology

3531-870: The Arapaho , Crow , Lakota , and Shoshone . Part of the land that is now Wyoming came under American sovereignty via the Louisiana Purchase , part via the Oregon Treaty , and, lastly, via the Mexican Cession . With the opening of the Oregon Trail , the Mormon Trail , and the California Trail , vast numbers of pioneers traveled through parts of the state that had once been traversed mainly by fur trappers, and this spurred

3638-525: The Carboniferous period, significantly higher than today's 21%. Two main processes govern changes in the atmosphere: plants use carbon dioxide from the atmosphere , releasing oxygen and the breakdown of pyrite and volcanic eruptions release sulfur into the atmosphere, which oxidizes and hence reduces the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere. However, volcanic eruptions also release carbon dioxide, which plants can convert to oxygen. The exact cause of

3745-474: The Great Oxygenation Event , and its appearance is indicated by the end of the banded iron formations . Until then, any oxygen produced by photosynthesis was consumed by oxidation of reduced materials, notably iron. Molecules of free oxygen did not start to accumulate in the atmosphere until the rate of production of oxygen began to exceed the availability of reducing materials. That point was

3852-906: The Gulf of Mexico . They are the North Platte , Wind , Bighorn , and Yellowstone rivers. The Snake River in northwest Wyoming eventually drains into the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean, as does the Green River through the Colorado River Basin. The Continental Divide forks in the south-central part of the state in an area known as the Great Divide Basin where water that precipitates onto or flows into it cannot reach an ocean—it all sinks into

3959-596: The Public Religion Research Institute determined that about 55% of Wyoming's adult population was Christian , primarily evangelical and mainline Protestant , Roman Catholic , and Mormon . The Public Religion Research Institute survey documented a decrease in religiosity from a 2014 separate Pew Research Center study; according to the Public Religion Research Institute, the irreligious made up 40% of

4066-799: The Tendaguru Formation in Tanzania . The age and much of the fauna is similar to the Lourinhã Formation in Portugal. Throughout the western United States, it variously overlies the Middle Jurassic Summerville, Sundance , Bell Ranch, Wanakah, and Stump Formations. At the time, the supercontinent of Laurasia had recently split into the continents of North America and Eurasia, although they were still connected by land bridges. North America moved north and

4173-885: The Wind River Mountain Range , at 13,804 feet (4,207 m), to the Belle Fourche River valley in the state's northeast corner, at 3,125 feet (952 m). In the northwest are the Absaroka , Owl Creek , Gros Ventre , Wind River , and the Teton ranges. In the north central are the Big Horn Mountains ; in the northeast, the Black Hills ; and in the southern region the Laramie , Snowy , and Sierra Madre ranges. The Snowy Range in

4280-511: The carbon cycle . The weathering sequesters CO 2 , by the reaction of minerals with chemicals (especially silicate weathering with CO 2 ) and thereby removing CO 2 from the atmosphere and reducing the radiative forcing. The opposite effect is volcanism , responsible for the natural greenhouse effect , by emitting CO 2 into the atmosphere, thus affecting glaciation (Ice Age) cycles. Jim Hansen suggested that humans emit CO 2 10,000 times faster than natural processes have done in

4387-519: The Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) instrument, can be used to derive the sea surface temperature and water salinity from the past few centuries. The δ O of coralline red algae provides a useful proxy of the combined sea surface temperature and sea surface salinity at high latitudes and the tropics, where many traditional techniques are limited. Within climatic geomorphology , one approach

Morrison Formation - Misplaced Pages Continue

4494-550: The Catholic Church, with 61,222 (10.8%); and the Southern Baptist Convention , with 15,812 (2.8%). The report counted 59,247 evangelical Protestants (10.5%), 36,539 mainline Protestants (6.5%), 785 Eastern Orthodox Christians; 281 Black Protestants; 65,000 adhering to other traditions; and 340,552 claiming no religious tradition. In 2020, ARDA reported the state's largest individual denominations as

4601-540: The Earth's current oxygen level. At the end of the Proterozoic, there is evidence of global glaciation events of varying severity causing a ' Snowball Earth '. Snowball Earth is supported by different indicators such as, glacial deposits, significant continental erosion called the Great Unconformity , and sedimentary rocks called cap carbonates that form after a deglaciation episode. Major drivers for

4708-430: The Earth's surface. Dependent on the radiative balance of incoming and outgoing energy, the Earth either warms up or cools down. Earth radiative balance originates from changes in solar insolation and the concentrations of greenhouse gases and aerosols . Climate change may be due to internal processes in Earth sphere's and/or following external forcings. One example of a way this can be applied to study climatology

4815-478: The Earth’s climate system. These estimates include the evidence for systems such as long term climate variability (eccentricity, obliquity precession), feedback mechanisms (Ice-Albedo Effect), and anthropogenic influence. Examples: On timescales of millions of years, the uplift of mountain ranges and subsequent weathering processes of rocks and soils and the subduction of tectonic plates , are an important part of

4922-707: The Jackpile uranium body discovered near Grants, New Mexico in 1951. The ore deposits in the rich Grants mineral belt are concentrated in sandstone beds of the Westwater Canyon Member and the Jackpile Member. Mines in this belt produced 340,000,000 pounds (150,000,000 kg) of U 3 O 8 between 1948 and 2002. The uranium was precipitated by plant debris and humate that acted as reducing agents. Wyoming Wyoming ( / w aɪ ˈ oʊ m ɪ ŋ / wye- OH -ming )

5029-638: The Morrison Formation was a major source of uranium ore. According to radiometric dating , the Morrison Formation dates from 156.3 ± 2 million years old ( Ma ) at its base, to 146.8 ± 1 million years old at the top, which places it in the earliest Kimmeridgian , and early Tithonian stages of the late Jurassic. This is similar in age to the Solnhofen Limestone Formation in Germany and

5136-709: The Morrison include the Stockett Bed in Montana, an unofficial sub-unit which contains bituminous coal; the outdated terms Casamero, Chavez, and Prewitt Sandstone for the Brushy Basin, Recapture, and Westwater Canyon, respectively; and the Bullington Member, which has been discarded entirely. Though many of the Morrison Formation fossils are fragmentary, they are sufficient to provide a good picture of

5243-522: The Precambrian climate is difficult for various reasons including the low number of reliable indicators and a, generally, not well-preserved or extensive fossil record (especially when compared to the Phanerozoic eon). Despite these issues, there is evidence for a number of major climate events throughout the history of the Precambrian: The Great Oxygenation Event , which started around 2.3 Ga ago (the beginning of

5350-622: The Proterozoic) is indicated by biomarkers which demonstrate the appearance of photosynthetic organisms. Due to the high levels of oxygen in the atmosphere from the GOE, CH 4 levels fell rapidly cooling the atmosphere causing the Huronian glaciation. For about 1 Ga after the glaciation (2-0.8 Ga ago), the Earth likely experienced warmer temperatures indicated by microfossils of photosynthetic eukaryotes, and oxygen levels between 5 and 18% of

5457-458: The amount of land—and fifth in the proportion of its land—that is owned by the federal government. Its federal lands include two national parks ( Grand Teton and Yellowstone ), two national recreation areas, two national monuments, and several national forests, as well as historic sites, fish hatcheries, and wildlife refuges. Indigenous peoples inhabited the region for thousands of years. Historic and currently federally recognized tribes include

SECTION 50

#1732756961538

5564-603: The area for trade with the tribes. French toponyms such as Téton and La Ramie are marks of that history. American John Colter first recorded a description in English of the region in 1807. He was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition , which was guided by French Canadian Toussaint Charbonneau and his young Shoshone wife, Sacagawea . At the time, Colter's reports of the Yellowstone area were considered fictional. On

5671-613: The arrangement of continental land masses at or near the poles. The constant rearrangement of continents by plate tectonics can also shape long-term climate evolution. However, the presence or absence of land masses at the poles is not sufficient to guarantee glaciations or exclude polar ice caps. Evidence exists of past warm periods in Earth's climate when polar land masses similar to Antarctica were home to deciduous forests rather than ice sheets. The relatively warm local minimum between Jurassic and Cretaceous goes along with an increase of subduction and mid-ocean ridge volcanism due to

5778-503: The auspices of International Partnerships in Ice Core Sciences (IPICS), defined a priority project to obtain the oldest possible ice core record from Antarctica, an ice core record reaching back to or towards 1.5 million years ago. Climatic information can be obtained through an understanding of changes in tree growth. Generally, trees respond to changes in climatic variables by speeding up or slowing down growth, which in turn

5885-522: The borders of present-day Nevada and Utah) and deposited in swampy lowlands, lakes, river channels and floodplains , became the Morrison Formation. In the north, the Sundance Sea , an extension of the Arctic Ocean , stretched through Canada down to the United States. Coal is found in the Morrison Formation of Montana, which means that the northern part of the formation, along the shores of

5992-617: The breakup of the Pangea supercontinent . Superimposed on the long-term evolution between hot and cold climates have been many short-term fluctuations in climate similar to, and sometimes more severe than, the varying glacial and interglacial states of the present ice age . Some of the most severe fluctuations, such as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum , may be related to rapid climate changes due to sudden collapses of natural methane clathrate reservoirs in

6099-673: The bulk of the Rocky Mountains. The Teton Range in the northwest extends for 50 miles (80 km), part of which is included in Grand Teton National Park . The park includes the Grand Teton , the second-highest peak in the state. The Continental Divide spans north–south across the central portion of the state. Rivers east of the divide drain into the Missouri River Basin and eventually

6206-527: The climate and how they affected the surrounding species. Older intact wood that has escaped decay can extend the time covered by the record by matching the ring depth changes to contemporary specimens. By using that method, some areas have tree-ring records dating back a few thousand years. Older wood not connected to a contemporary record can be dated generally with radiocarbon techniques. A tree-ring record can be used to produce information regarding precipitation, temperature, hydrology, and fire corresponding to

6313-431: The country (behind Alaska ) and is the sparsest-populated of the 48 contiguous states . It is one of only two states with a population smaller than that of the nation's capital; the only other state with this distinction is Vermont . According to HUD 's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report , there were an estimated 648 homeless people in Wyoming. According to the 2020 census, the population's racial composition

6420-557: The current situation, specifically the impact of climate on mass extinctions and biotic recovery and current global warming . Notions of a changing climate most likely evolved in ancient Egypt , Mesopotamia , the Indus Valley and China , where prolonged periods of droughts and floods were experienced. In the seventeenth century, Robert Hooke postulated that fossils of giant turtles found in Dorset could only be explained by

6527-575: The designating legislation for the Territory of Wyoming , Wyoming's borders are lines of latitude 41°N and 45°N , and longitude 104°3'W and 111°3'W (27 and 34 west of the Washington Meridian )—a geodesic quadrangle. Wyoming is one of only three states (the others being Colorado and Utah ) to have borders defined by only "straight" lines. Due to surveying inaccuracies during the 19th century, Wyoming's legal border deviates from

SECTION 60

#1732756961538

6634-660: The early 19th century, when discoveries about glaciations and natural changes in Earth's past climate helped to understand the greenhouse effect . It was only in the 20th century that paleoclimatology became a unified scientific field. Before, different aspects of Earth's climate history were studied by a variety of disciplines. At the end of the 20th century, the empirical research into Earth's ancient climates started to be combined with computer models of increasing complexity. A new objective also developed in this period: finding ancient analog climates that could provide information about current climate change . Paleoclimatologists employ

6741-512: The establishment of forts, such as Fort Laramie , that today serve as population centers. The Transcontinental Railroad supplanted the wagon trails in 1867 with a route through southern Wyoming, bringing new settlers and the establishment of founding towns, including the state capital of Cheyenne. On March 27, 1890, Wyoming became the union's 44th state. Wyoming is known for having a political culture that leans towards libertarian conservatism . The Republican presidential nominee has carried

6848-401: The filing, which creates an opportunity for a tax haven . Wyoming levies no individual or corporate income tax and no tax on retirement income. Several Native American groups originally inhabited the region today known as Wyoming. The Crow , Arapaho , Lakota , and Shoshone were but a few of the original inhabitants European explorers encountered when they first visited the region. What

6955-417: The first female court bailiff (Mary Atkinson, Laramie, in 1870), and the first female justice of the peace in the country ( Esther Hobart Morris , South Pass City, in 1870). In 1924, Wyoming was the first state to elect a female governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross , who took office in January 1925. Due to its civil-rights history, one of Wyoming's state nicknames is "The Equality State", and the official state motto

7062-422: The flora and fauna in the Morrison Basin during the Kimmeridgian. Overall, the climate was dry, similar to a savanna but, since there were no angiosperms ( grasses , flowers , and some trees ), the flora was quite different. Conifers , the dominant plants of the time, were to be found with ginkgos , cycads , tree ferns , and horsetail rushes . Much of the fossilized vegetation was riparian , living along

7169-457: The following: the Catholic Church (69,500); the LDS Church (67,729); and the Southern Baptist Convention (11,082). Non-denominational Protestants were 23,410 in number. According to ARDA's 2020 report, the Roman Catholics had an adherence rate of 120.48 per 1,000 people, Mormons 117.41 per 1,000 people, and Southern Baptists 19.21 per 1,000 people. Non-denominational Protestants had an adherence rate of 40.58 per 1,000 people; these trends reflected

7276-411: The growth rings in trees can often indicate the quality of conditions in the environment, and the fitness of the tree species evaluated. Different species of trees will display different growth responses to the changes in the climate. An evaluation of multiple trees within the same species, along with one of trees in different species, will allow for a more accurate analysis of the changing variables within

7383-416: The ice caps of Greenland and Antarctica have yielded data going back several hundred thousand years, over 800,000 years in the case of the EPICA project. A multinational consortium, the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA), has drilled an ice core in Dome C on the East Antarctic ice sheet and retrieved ice from roughly 800,000 years ago. The international ice core community has, under

7490-459: The large body mass of the sauropods has been interpreted as an adaptation to migration in times of drought. Sauropods that have been discovered include Diplodocus (most famously, the first nearly complete specimen of D. carnegii , which is now exhibited at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History , in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), Camarasaurus (the most commonly found sauropod), Brachiosaurus , Apatosaurus , Brontosaurus , Barosaurus ,

7597-399: The left shows the temperature change over the past 12,000 years, from various sources; the thick black curve is an average. Climate forcing is the difference between radiant energy ( sunlight ) received by the Earth and the outgoing longwave radiation back to space. Such radiative forcing is quantified based on the CO 2 amount in the tropopause , in units of watts per square meter to

7704-655: The main drivers of Wyoming's economy. The federal government owns about 42.3% of its landmass, while the state controls 6%. The total taxable value of mining production in Wyoming in 2007 was over $ 14.5 billion. In 2018, tourism industry contributed approximately $ 3.8 billion in spending from domestic and international visitors. In 2002, more than six million people visited Wyoming's national parks and monuments. Wyoming's main tourist attractions include Grand Teton National Park , Yellowstone National Park , Devils Tower National Monument , Independence Rock and Fossil Butte National Monument . Yellowstone, established in 1872 as

7811-538: The majority are in Jackson Lake and Yellowstone Lake , within Yellowstone National Park in the northwest portion of the state. The Green River in the southwest also contains a number of islands. The state of Wyoming has 23 counties . Wyoming license plates have a number on the left that indicates the county where the vehicle is registered, ranked by an earlier census. Specifically,

7918-416: The numbers are representative of the property values of the counties in 1930. The county license plate numbers are: The State of Wyoming has 99 incorporated municipalities . In 2020, 51.1% of Wyomingites lived in one of the 12 most populous Wyoming municipalities. The United States Census Bureau has defined two metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) and eight micropolitan statistical areas (MiSA) for

8025-538: The oceans. A similar, single event of induced severe climate change after a meteorite impact has been proposed as reason for the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event . Other major thresholds are the Permian-Triassic , and Ordovician-Silurian extinction events with various reasons suggested. The Quaternary geological period includes the current climate. There has been a cycle of ice ages for

8132-417: The park lies within the northwestern corner of Wyoming. On December 10, 1869, territorial Governor John Allen Campbell extended the right to vote to women, making Wyoming the first territory to do so, and upon statehood became the first state to grant women's suffrage . Women first served on juries in Wyoming ( Laramie in 1870). Wyoming was also a pioneer in welcoming women into electoral politics. It had

8239-514: The past 2.2–2.1 million years (starting before the Quaternary in the late Neogene Period). Note in the graphic on the right the strong 120,000-year periodicity of the cycles, and the striking asymmetry of the curves. This asymmetry is believed to result from complex interactions of feedback mechanisms. It has been observed that ice ages deepen by progressive steps, but the recovery to interglacial conditions occurs in one big step. The graph on

8346-558: The past states of Earth's atmosphere . The scientific field of paleoclimatology came to maturity in the 20th century. Notable periods studied by paleoclimatologists include the frequent glaciations that Earth has undergone, rapid cooling events like the Younger Dryas , and the rapid warming during the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum . Studies of past changes in the environment and biodiversity often reflect on

8453-409: The preindustrial ages have been variations of the Sun, volcanic ashes and exhalations, relative movements of the Earth towards the Sun, and tectonically induced effects as for major sea currents, watersheds, and ocean oscillations. In the early Phanerozoic, increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have been linked to driving or amplifying increased global temperatures. Royer et al. 2004 found

8560-417: The properties of radioactive elements in proxies. In older material, more of the radioactive material will have decayed and the proportion of different elements will be different from newer proxies. One example of radiometric dating is radiocarbon dating . In the air, cosmic rays constantly convert nitrogen into a specific radioactive carbon isotope, C . When plants then use this carbon to grow, this isotope

8667-471: The river flood plains. Along the rivers, there were fish , frogs , salamanders , lizards , crocodiles , turtles , pterosaurs , crayfish , clams , and mammaliforms . The dinosaurs were most likely riparian, as well. Hundreds of dinosaur fossils have been discovered, such as Allosaurus , Ceratosaurus , Torvosaurus , Saurophaganax , Camptosaurus , Ornitholestes , several stegosaurs comprising at least two species of Stegosaurus and

8774-419: The sea, was wet and swampy, with more vegetation. Aeolian , or wind-deposited sandstones, are found in the southwestern part, which indicates it was much more arid—a desert , with sand dunes . The Morrison Formation is subdivided into several members, the occurrence of which are varied across the geographic extent of the Morrison. Members are (in alphabetical order): Other informal or disused designations of

8881-574: The separate 2014 Pew study's varying attendance at religious services. In 2014, 38% visited a religious service at least once a week, 28% once or twice a month, and 32% seldom/never. A 2018 research article by the National Christian Foundation cited non-churchgoing Christians nationwide did not attend religious services often through practicing the faith in other ways, not finding a house of worship they liked, disliking sermons and feeling unwelcomed, and logistics. According to

8988-502: The slightly older Hesperosaurus , and the early ankylosaurs , Mymoorapelta and Gargoyleosaurus , most notably a very broad range of sauropods (the giants of the Mesozoic era). Since at least some of these species are known to have nested in the area ( Camptosaurus embryoes have been discovered), there are indications that it was a good environment for dinosaurs and not just home to migratory, seasonal populations. However,

9095-991: The soil and eventually evaporates. Several rivers begin in or flow through the state, including the Yellowstone River, Bighorn River, Green River, and the Snake River. Much of Wyoming is covered with large basins containing different eco-regions, from shrublands to smaller patches of desert. Regions of the state classified as basins contain everything from large geologic formations to sand dunes and vast unpopulated spaces. Basin landscapes are typically at lower elevations and include rolling hills, valleys, mesas, terraces and other rugged terrain, but also include natural springs as well as rivers and artificial reservoirs. They have common plant species such as various subspecies of sagebrush , juniper and grasses such as wheatgrass , but basins are known for their diversity of plant and animal species. Wyoming has 32 named islands;

9202-565: The solar nebula dissipated, the gases would have escaped, partly driven off by the solar wind . The next atmosphere, consisting largely of nitrogen , carbon dioxide , and inert gases, was produced by outgassing from volcanism , supplemented by gases produced during the late heavy bombardment of Earth by huge asteroids . A major part of carbon dioxide emissions were soon dissolved in water and built up carbonate sediments. Water-related sediments have been found dating from as early as 3.8 billion years ago. About 3.4 billion years ago, nitrogen

9309-477: The south-central part of the state is an extension of the Colorado Rockies both in geology and in appearance. The Wind River Range in the west central part of the state is remote and includes more than 40 mountain peaks in excess of 13,000 ft (4,000 m) tall in addition to Gannett Peak , the highest peak in the state. The Bighorn Mountains in the north-central portion are somewhat isolated from

9416-543: The southeastern plains of the state having the most days of thunderstorm activity. Thunderstorm activity in the state is highest during the late spring and early summer. The southeastern corner of the state is the most vulnerable part of the state to tornado activity. Moving away from that point and westwards, the incidence of tornadoes drops dramatically with the west part of the state showing little vulnerability. Tornadoes, where they occur, tend to be small and brief, unlike some of those that occur farther east. As specified in

9523-447: The state are characterized by a rapid cooldown with even the hottest locations averaging in the 50–60 °F (10–16 °C) range at night. In most of the state, most of the precipitation tends to fall in the late spring and early summer. Winters are cold but are variable with periods of sometimes extreme cold interspersed between generally mild periods, with Chinook winds providing unusually warm temperatures in some locations. Wyoming

9630-437: The state in every election since 1968 . It is one of the least religious states in the country. Wyoming was the first state to allow women the right to vote (not counting New Jersey, which had allowed it until 1807 ), and the right to assume elected office, as well as the first state to elect a female governor. In honor of this part of its history, its most common nickname is "The Equality State" and its official state motto

9737-468: The state population by 2020. According to a 2013 Gallup poll, Wyomingites' religious affiliations were 49% Protestant, 23% nonreligious or other, 18% Catholic, 9% Latter-day Saint (Mormons), and less than 1% Jewish . A 2010 Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) report recognized as Wyoming's largest denominations the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), with 62,804 (11%);

9844-681: The state. Immigration resulted in a net increase of 2,264 and migration within the country produced a net increase of 1,771. In 2004, the foreign-born population was 11,000 (2.2%). In 2005, total births in Wyoming were 7,231 (birth rate of 14.04 per thousand). According to the 2000 census, the largest ancestry groups in Wyoming were: German (26.0%), English (16.0%), Irish (13.3%), Norwegian (4.3%), and Swedish (3.5%). In 2018, The top countries of origin for Wyoming's immigrants were Mexico , China , Germany , England and Canada . Note: Births in table do not add up, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving

9951-494: The state. In 2020, 31.3% of Wyomingites lived in either of the metropolitan statistical areas, and 80.4% lived in either a metropolitan or a micropolitan area. The 2020 United States census counted 576,851 people living in Wyoming. The center of population of Wyoming is in Natrona County . Sparsely populated, Wyoming is the least populous state of the United States. Wyoming has the second-lowest population density in

10058-408: The sum of these processes from Earth's spheres is what affects the climate. Greenhouse gasses act as the internal forcing of the climate system. Particular interests in climate science and paleoclimatology focus on the study of Earth climate sensitivity , in response to the sum of forcings. Analyzing the sum of these forcings contributes to the ability of scientists to make broad conclusive estimates on

10165-466: The time of the dinosaur extinction, "Hothouse", endured from 56 Mya to 47 Mya and was ~14 °C warmer than average modern temperatures. The Precambrian took place between the time when Earth first formed 4.6 billion years ( Ga ) ago, and 542 million years ago. The Precambrian can be split into two eons, the Archean and the Proterozoic, which can be further subdivided into eras. The reconstruction of

10272-456: The true latitude and longitude lines by up to one-half mile (0.80 km) in some spots, especially in the mountainous region along the 45th parallel . Wyoming is bordered on the north by Montana , on the east by South Dakota and Nebraska , on the south by Colorado , on the southwest by Utah , and on the west by Idaho . It is the tenth largest state in the United States in total area, containing 97,814 square miles (253,340 km ) and

10379-543: The uncommon Haplocanthosaurus and Supersaurus . The very diversity of the sauropods has raised some questions about how they could all co-exist. While their body shapes are very similar (long neck, long tail, huge elephant-like body), they are assumed to have had very different feeding strategies, in order for all to have existed in the same time frame and similar environment. Locations where significant Morrison Formation fossil discoveries have been made include: The Morrison Formation contains uranium deposits, including

10486-464: The use of lake sediment cores and speleothems. These utilize an analysis of sediment layers and rock growth formations respectively, amongst element-dating methods utilizing oxygen, carbon and uranium. The Direct Quantitative Measurements method is the most direct approach to understand the change in a climate. Comparisons between recent data to older data allows a researcher to gain a basic understanding of weather and climate changes within an area. There

10593-602: The variation of the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere is not known. Periods with much oxygen in the atmosphere are associated with rapid development of animals. Today's atmosphere contains 21% oxygen, which is high enough for rapid development of animals. In 2020 scientists published a continuous, high-fidelity record of variations in Earth's climate during the past 66 million years and identified four climate states , separated by transitions that include changing greenhouse gas levels and polar ice sheets volumes. They integrated data of various sources. The warmest climate state since

10700-418: The world's first national park, attracts over three million visitors each year. Paleoclimate Paleoclimatology ( British spelling , palaeoclimatology ) is the scientific study of climates predating the invention of meteorological instruments , when no direct measurement data were available. As instrumental records only span a tiny part of Earth's history , the reconstruction of ancient climate

10807-407: Was 84.7% white (81.4% non-Hispanic white), 2.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Black or African American, 0.9% Asian American, and 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 3.5% from some other race, and 7.5% from two or more races. As of 2011, 24.9% of Wyoming's population younger than age   1 were minorities. According to data from the American Community Survey , as of 2018, Wyoming

10914-542: Was passing through the subtropical regions . The Morrison Basin, which stretched from New Mexico in the south to Alberta and Saskatchewan in the north, was formed during the Nevadan orogeny , a precursor event to later orogenic episodes that created the Rocky Mountains started pushing up to the west. The deposits from their east-facing drainage basins , carried by streams and rivers from the Elko Highlands (along

11021-571: Was the location of the Johnson County War of 1892, which erupted between competing groups of cattle ranchers. The passage of the Homestead Act led to an influx of small ranchers. A range war broke out when either or both of the groups chose violent conflict over commercial competition in the use of the public land. The region had acquired the name Wyoming by 1865 when Representative James Mitchell Ashley of Ohio introduced

11128-457: Was the major part of the then stable "second atmosphere". An influence of life has to be taken into account rather soon in the history of the atmosphere because hints of early life forms have been dated to as early as 3.5 to 4.3 billion years ago. The fact that it is not perfectly in line with the 30% lower solar radiance (compared to today) of the early Sun has been described as the " faint young Sun paradox ". The geological record, however, shows

11235-431: Was the only U.S. state where African Americans earn a higher median income than white workers. As of 2015, Wyoming had an estimated population of 586,107, which was an increase of 1,954, or 0.29%, from the prior year and an increase of 22,481, or 3.99%, since the 2010 census . This includes a natural increase since the last census of 12,165 (33,704 births minus 21,539 deaths) and an increase from net migration of 4,035 into

11342-565: Was used as the route for construction of Interstate 80 through the mountains 90 years later. After the Union Pacific Railroad reached Cheyenne in 1867, population growth was stimulated. The federal government established the Wyoming Territory on July 25, 1868. Lacking significant deposits of gold and silver, unlike mineral-rich Colorado , Wyoming did not have such a population boom. But South Pass City had

11449-442: Was very much in line with what is found today, suggesting that the fundamental features of the carbon cycle were established as early as 4 billion years ago. The constant rearrangement of continents by plate tectonics influences the long-term evolution of the atmosphere by transferring carbon dioxide to and from large continental carbonate stores. Free oxygen did not exist in the atmosphere until about 2.4 billion years ago, during

#537462