Colourful Porcelain Basin
This is the fastest-changing area in the Norris Geyser Basin, in the north-west of Yellowstone National Park. In turn, Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest geothermal areas in the park (up to 138˚C for some steam vents).
The mineral siliceous sinter is brought to the surface by the hot water and forms a "sheet" over this flat area as the water flows across the ground and the mineral settles out in small basins that give the area the Porcelain name. Above are some of the water flows with various microbial mats around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The colours of the mats depend on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids and on the temperature gradient in the run-off.
Siliceous sinter is also called geyserite. Deposits usually accumulate very slowly, less than 2.5 cm per century, and form the geyser cones and mounds seen in most geyser basins. - From National Park Service webpages.
This image is scanned from a negative.
Colourful Porcelain Basin
This is the fastest-changing area in the Norris Geyser Basin, in the north-west of Yellowstone National Park. In turn, Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest geothermal areas in the park (up to 138˚C for some steam vents).
The mineral siliceous sinter is brought to the surface by the hot water and forms a "sheet" over this flat area as the water flows across the ground and the mineral settles out in small basins that give the area the Porcelain name. Above are some of the water flows with various microbial mats around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The colours of the mats depend on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids and on the temperature gradient in the run-off.
Siliceous sinter is also called geyserite. Deposits usually accumulate very slowly, less than 2.5 cm per century, and form the geyser cones and mounds seen in most geyser basins. - From National Park Service webpages.
This image is scanned from a negative.