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Something warm and steamy today.
One of the many intriguing, unique and smelly geothermal features in Yellowstone's Hayden Valley Mud Volcano area.
"The Crow peoples saw the steam from this mudpit as snorts of an angry bull bison. An unknown European American gave it the current name. Its previous names include Gothic Grotto, Blowing Cavern, and The Belcher.
The surging action has decreased since 1994, though no one is sure why. In 1999, more dramatic changes occurred: the water temperature dropped 10 degrees and the color changed from green to chalky white. nps.gov
Hope your day is warm and pleasant.
Some of the thermal treats at Yellowstone's Mud Volcano group near Hayden Valley. I could hear the gurgling waters in the middle pond and an occasional burp from the deeper holes. Very interesting. And rather smelly.
Happy Friday!
A bison ( Bison bison) heads down a steep slope near the Sulphur Cauldron in Hayden Valley, Yellowstone Park Wyoming.
Reference for Geothermal Features: www.rcn.montana.edu/Default.aspx
Two bison stand near a mud volcano vent (MVNN008) near the Sulphur Caldron in Hayden Valley, Yellowstone Park Wyoming.
Reference for Geothermal Features: www.rcn.montana.edu/Default.aspx..
A mud volcano vent (MVNN008) located near the Sulphur Caldron in Hayden Valley, Yellowstone Park Wyoming.
Thermal features are often hard to see when surveying a hillside such as this one in the Back Basin of Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Named for Dr, George Nelson Allen, a geologist from Oberlin College who was part of the first geological survey of Yellowstone National Park under Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden, the crater of this feature cannot be seen from the trail. It is often a fumarole but sometimes functions as a mud volcano. On those occasions, bursts of mud can sometimes be seen from the Back Basin Trail.
. . . Believe it or not, the sun was out and it was almost a clear blue sky, just a mile down the road! This was the scene at the Mud Volcano in Yellowstone NP, just north of lake Yellowstone on the way to the Hayden Valley.
There was so much steam in the air (temperature around 0 F, -18 C) that the trees and everything were coated with heavy frost, and the blue sky was obliterated!
P.S. My camera was acting up at this stop (totally my fault), so this one was taken by my daughter Carrie DeVries, with my editing.
Have a great weekend Facebook, Flickr, and 500px friends!
A bull bison (Bison bison) stands dangerously close to the Mud Volcano, one of several thermal features within the Mud Volcano Area at the edge of Hayden Valley in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Bison commonly frequent geothermal areas in Yellowstone and often approach hot springs and vents. While they usually navigate these hazards safely, there are rare incidents—such as one earlier in 2025, when a bison fell into Grand Prismatic Spring in Midway Geyser Basin—that serve as reminders of the dangers.
Dragons Breath is in between Grant Village and Canyon Village in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. It's a great stop. It sounds like it's breathing. It's pretty cool. There's a boardwalk around the basin. It's a short stop (about 30-45 minutes). #NPS #YellowstoneNationalPark. #MudVolcano
A bull bison (Bison bison) stands dangerously close to the Mud Volcano, one of several thermal features within the Mud Volcano area at the edge of Hayden Valley in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Bison commonly frequent geothermal areas in Yellowstone and often approach hot springs and vents. While they usually navigate these hazards safely, there are rare incidents—such as one earlier in 2025, when a bison fell into Grand Prismatic Spring in Midway Geyser Basin—that serve as reminders of the dangers.
The name of Yellowstone National Park's "Mud Volcano" feature and the surrounding area is misleading; it consists of hot springs, mud pots and fumaroles, rather than a true mud volcano. Depending upon the precise definition of the term mud volcano, the Yellowstone formation could be considered a hydrothermal mud volcano cluster. The feature is much less active than in its first recorded description, although the area is quite dynamic. Yellowstone is an active geothermal area with a magma chamber near the surface, and active gases are chiefly steam, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide.[8]
The mud volcano in Yellowstone was previously a mound, until suddenly, it tore itself apart into the formation seen today.[9]
Source: Wikipedia
None of the above takes away from the sense of awe and beauty seen in this majestic area.
Go West __________________________________________________Go West Mapped
This short 19 second video shows the bubbling mud and rising steam at the Mud Volcano. It's located between Grant Village and the Yellowstone Falls. It's accessed via a boardwalk. #NPS #YellowstoneNationalPark #Wyoming #MudVolcano #Wyoming
Mud Volcanoes, Qobustan, Azerbaijan.
Copyright © Piotr Gaborek. All rights reserved!! Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.
In 1870, explorers stood in awe as Mud Volcano spewed mud into the treetops, shaking the ground with each eruption. Two years later it was a pool of bubbling, muddy water. Mud Volcano had blown itself apart.
Hydrogen sulfide gas rising from Yellowstone's magma chamber causes the rotten-egg smell.
Microorganisms, or thermophiles, use this gas as a source of energy, and then help turn the gas into sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid breaks down the rock and soil into mud.
Many of the colors are vast communities of thermophiles, but some of the yellow is pure sulphur.
When iron mixes with sulphur to form iron sulfide, gray and black swirls sometimes appear in the mud.
(From a sign at the site.)
A short 30 second video of the Dragon's Mouth. It's a cool stop. It continuously vents or breaths. It's located at the Mud Volcano just south of Yellowstone Falls. It's in between Grant Village and Yellowstone Falls. It's a cool stop. We spent 30 to 40 minutes there. It's accessible via the boardwalk. #NPS #YellowstoneNationalPark #DragonsMouth #MudVolcano
Fumarole at the geothermal area named Hverir, east of Mt. Námafjall, close to Lake Myvatn, northern Iceland.
This is another lifelong favorite of a seven year old kid pushing 38. The roar of this big, sloshing pot of hot water can be heard hundreds of yards away.
The Washburn Expedition and the Hayden Survey discovered Mud Volcano during the early 1870s. Both groups heard the sound "resembling the reports of distant artillery" for several miles before arriving at Mud Volcano. Mud Volcano at that time exploded with mud from its hillside alcove. Since then Mud Volcano has quieted but still remains a bubbling, seething spring.
DRAGON'S MOUTH
Temperature 170.2°F Dimensions 18x30 feet. Depth 16 feet. Dragon's Mouth is a turbulent hot spring with a cavernous mouth. Water sloshes rhythmically in and out of the cavern giving the impression of a large overflow; however, the actual discharge is quite small. Much of the activity and energy is located within the cavern. As hot water rises to the surface, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and water vapor gases expand creating a pressure explosion in the cavern. The resulting activity is sloshing, belching, and steaming.
Mud Volcano Area, also known for Black Dragon's Caldron, Sour Lake, Mud Caldron, Dragon's Mouth Spring, and Sulfur Caldron, is very acidic. Iron sulfide is responsible for the dark-gray, blacker brown-colored water, while hydrogen sulfide produces the "rotten egg" smell common to the Mud Volcano area.
This 12 second video shows the Dragon's Mouth It is located at the Mud Volcano in between Grant Village and Yellowstone Falls. The boardwalk allows access to this area where there's bubbling mud and geothermal venting. The Dragon's Mouth is a good stop. It continuously breaths or vents so there isn't any waiting. We spent maybe 30 to 40 minutes there. #NPS #YellowstoneNationalPark #DragonsMouth #Wyoming #MudVolcano
Dragon's mouth is one of the major springs closest to the Mud Volcano Parking Lot in Yellowstone National Park Wyoming. This video shows its activity on Nov. 5, 2021.
This thermal feature can also be found in the Mud Volcano Area. It is a fairly new feature that didn't exist before 1947.
Mud Volcano in Gobustan State Historical and Cultural Reserve which is to the west of the settlement of Gobustan, approximately 64 km (40 miles) southwest of Baku. Azerbaijan has the highest number of mud volcanoes in the world. They are very different to the generally known igneous lava volcanoes and are created by the eruption of mud/slurries, water, and gases (such as methane). These are mostly cold and harmless but can sometimes be explosive, particularly if the natural gas being released catches fire. Mud and minerals found in mud volcanoes are believed by some to have therapeutic properties for a wide range of medical conditions and draws in many visitors for this purpose. The volcanoes can range in size from small cones to large mountains several kilometres across.
© Copyright 2016 Mark Warnes Photography All rights reserved. This image is not free for use <a href="http://www.markwarnes -photography.com
Excerpt from hellsgate.co.nz:
This is the only example of a mud volcano in a thermal park in New Zealand!
The mud volcano here is also unique in that normally mud formations are only .9m in height whereas the volcano here is already over 1.8m and looking to get taller.
From a volcanic perspective the shape of the mud volcano is that of a composite cone similar to three volcanoes in the middle of the North Island. Instead of lava the mud volcano regularly discharges mud lahars or ejects mud similar to lava bombs.
Every six weeks or so the top of the volcano goes hard and over a two to three day period pressure builds up which causes the top mud layer to erupt over a 5m wide diameter. Thankfully almost all of these eruptions take place at night.
MUD VOLCANO: Temperature 184°F Dimensions 27x36 feet. Depth 17 feet. The 1871 Hayden Expedition named this thermal feature. At that time Mud Volcano was a very active mud spring with bellowing and exploding mud. In later years since its discovery it has not shown the same forcefulness. However, minor earthquake tremors during 1979 increased heat and water activity and Mud Volcano began bursting from the crater, spilling mud across the boardwalks. This activity decreased shortly thereafter and it has since been a quiet caldron with occasional churning caused by rising gases. [Source: www.yellowstonenationalpark.com/mudvolcano.htm]
Yellowstone National Park is a national park located in the U.S. states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. It was established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. Yellowstone was the first National Park in the U.S. and is also widely held to be the first national park in the world. The park is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially Old Faithful Geyser, one of its most popular features. It has many types of ecosystems, but the subalpine forest is the most abundant. It is part of the South Central Rockies forests ecoregion. [Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_National_Park]
The Mud Volcano Area in Yellowstone is one of the park’s most acidic and geologically active hydrothermal zones, famous for its bubbling mudpots, roaring steam vents, and sulfur-rich springs. It offers a visceral experience of Yellowstone’s volcanic power and microbial chemistry.
Thank you for your visit and any faves or comments are always greatly appreciated!
~Sonja