More Grand Prismatic Spring
The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, after Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand and Boiling Lake in Dominica. It is located in the Midway Geyser Basin in the western part of the park
The first records of the spring are from early European explorers and surveyors. In 1839, a group of fur trappers from the American Fur Company crossed the Midway Geyser Basin and made note of a "boiling lake", most likely the Grand Prismatic Spring, with a diameter of 90m. In 1870 the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition visited the spring, noting a 15m geyser nearby (later named Excelsior).
The spring was noted by geologists working in the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871, and named by them for its striking colouration. Its colours match the rainbow dispersion of white light by an optical prism: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.
The vivid colours are the result of microbial mats around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The mats produce colours ranging from green to red; the amount of colour in the microbial mats depends on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids and on the temperature gradient in the run-off. In the summer, the mats tend to be orange and red, whereas in the winter the mats are usually dark green. The centre of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat.
The deep blue colour of the water in the centre of the pool results from the intrinsic blue colour of water. The effect is strongest in the centre because of its sterility and depth.
The spring is approximately 110m in diameter and 50m deep. It discharges an estimated 2,100 litres of 70°C water every minute.
The pancaking in the foreground brown area is the result of this patch drying out at times, leaving just the dark brown rivulets running across the lighter base. In the background, the hillside is recovering from a a major blaze.
More Grand Prismatic Spring
The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, after Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand and Boiling Lake in Dominica. It is located in the Midway Geyser Basin in the western part of the park
The first records of the spring are from early European explorers and surveyors. In 1839, a group of fur trappers from the American Fur Company crossed the Midway Geyser Basin and made note of a "boiling lake", most likely the Grand Prismatic Spring, with a diameter of 90m. In 1870 the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition visited the spring, noting a 15m geyser nearby (later named Excelsior).
The spring was noted by geologists working in the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871, and named by them for its striking colouration. Its colours match the rainbow dispersion of white light by an optical prism: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.
The vivid colours are the result of microbial mats around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The mats produce colours ranging from green to red; the amount of colour in the microbial mats depends on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids and on the temperature gradient in the run-off. In the summer, the mats tend to be orange and red, whereas in the winter the mats are usually dark green. The centre of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat.
The deep blue colour of the water in the centre of the pool results from the intrinsic blue colour of water. The effect is strongest in the centre because of its sterility and depth.
The spring is approximately 110m in diameter and 50m deep. It discharges an estimated 2,100 litres of 70°C water every minute.
The pancaking in the foreground brown area is the result of this patch drying out at times, leaving just the dark brown rivulets running across the lighter base. In the background, the hillside is recovering from a a major blaze.