Monday, June 6, 2011

Mammoth Hot Springs

One of my favorite things to do on a day off is to go into Yellowstone National Park. Its such an incredible place with tons of stuff to see...wildlife, and geothermal features just to name a few. The north entrance is only 20 miles from the ranch, so we go visit the park a lot. 5 miles into the park are the Mammoth Hot Springs, which are some of the coolest things there.

The view from the top of the Mammoth Hot Springs. So pretty!

The Mammoth Hot Springs are different then most of the other geysers, fumaroles, and hot springs in the park. They look a lot different (the main mineral in them is limestone which is unique) and they are all on top of each other, which is why its referred to as the Mammoth Terrace Hot Springs.

The top of the springs...the water in the very middle of the pool is the hottest, and is blue and clear because thermophile organisms live in it and make it that way. The outer edges are brown and orange because of the different kind of thermophiles that are those colors and live in those temperatures.

The water movement through the springs are constantly changing as well (quicker and more dynamic changes then take place with the other geothermal features in the rest of the park.

This set of springs is at the start of the Mammoth Terrace walk. The day I took these pictures (a week or so ago) it was completely dry, and yesterday it was flowing heavily with water.

This is another place where the springs are changing. This spring has popped up relatively recently in this patch of grass by the boardwalk.

1 comment:

  1. Very interesting on top of being absolutely beautiful spot. Lucky you.

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