Grand Prismatic Spring
The Midway Geyser Basin's Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in the United States, approximately 370 feet in size and around 121 feet deep. Its rainbow waters are what really make it fascinating: While the center is blue, encircling with the deep reds, bright yellows and fiery oranges. The vivid colors in the spring are the result of microbial mats around the edges of the mineral-rich water. In the summer, the mats tend to be orange and red, whereas in the winter the mats are usually dark green. Each ring creates a very different environment inhabited by different types of bacteria. And it's the different types of bacteria that give the spring its prismatic colors. The color of the bacteria is determined by the temperature of the water. The photo was taken around the edges of Prismatic Spring…
Grand Prismatic Spring
The Midway Geyser Basin's Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in the United States, approximately 370 feet in size and around 121 feet deep. Its rainbow waters are what really make it fascinating: While the center is blue, encircling with the deep reds, bright yellows and fiery oranges. The vivid colors in the spring are the result of microbial mats around the edges of the mineral-rich water. In the summer, the mats tend to be orange and red, whereas in the winter the mats are usually dark green. Each ring creates a very different environment inhabited by different types of bacteria. And it's the different types of bacteria that give the spring its prismatic colors. The color of the bacteria is determined by the temperature of the water. The photo was taken around the edges of Prismatic Spring…