Tracey Tilson Photography
Castle Geyser of Yellowstone
♥ EXPLORE ♥ ......12-19-08..... Best Position #43
Many people flock to Yellowstone National Park to see the abundance of wildlife and the famous "Old Faithful" geyser. But it was Castle Geyser that caught my eye...
The following excerpt was taken from: www.yellowstone.net/geysers/geyser02.htm
Castle Geyser is a very old geyser. Estimates put the age of its 12 foot high cone at 5,000 to 15,000 years. It would take that long to build such a large cone. Even more remarkable is that Castle's cone sits on top of an even more massive sinter formation deposited by an even earlier spring. Castle is a cone-type geyser. Its interval is usually between 9 and 11 hours. Its maximum height is 60 to 90 feet.
About the colors associated with geysers, mudpots and hotsprings: www.hometrainingtools.com/articles/geothermal-features.html
Many of these geothermal features are very colorful. These colors are due to the substances found in the water, and the color is a very good indicator of what these substances are. If a spring has a red color to it, most likely it is caused by a large amount of iron. If it is yellow, it is probably due to the presence of sulfur (though the smell of rotten eggs pretty much guarantees it is sulfur). Pinks and whites are often caused by the presence of calcium.
Amazingly, not all of the colors are caused by minerals. Due to the extreme heat and high acidity of many hot springs, for a long time it was believed that life forms could not exist in them. Then it was discovered that microorganisms known as thermophiles (literally "heat loving") can live and actually thrive in this very hot water. If the water is blue or green in color, that gives a very good indication that microorganisms, such as algae, protozoa, and bacteria, make their home here.
Castle Geyser of Yellowstone
♥ EXPLORE ♥ ......12-19-08..... Best Position #43
Many people flock to Yellowstone National Park to see the abundance of wildlife and the famous "Old Faithful" geyser. But it was Castle Geyser that caught my eye...
The following excerpt was taken from: www.yellowstone.net/geysers/geyser02.htm
Castle Geyser is a very old geyser. Estimates put the age of its 12 foot high cone at 5,000 to 15,000 years. It would take that long to build such a large cone. Even more remarkable is that Castle's cone sits on top of an even more massive sinter formation deposited by an even earlier spring. Castle is a cone-type geyser. Its interval is usually between 9 and 11 hours. Its maximum height is 60 to 90 feet.
About the colors associated with geysers, mudpots and hotsprings: www.hometrainingtools.com/articles/geothermal-features.html
Many of these geothermal features are very colorful. These colors are due to the substances found in the water, and the color is a very good indicator of what these substances are. If a spring has a red color to it, most likely it is caused by a large amount of iron. If it is yellow, it is probably due to the presence of sulfur (though the smell of rotten eggs pretty much guarantees it is sulfur). Pinks and whites are often caused by the presence of calcium.
Amazingly, not all of the colors are caused by minerals. Due to the extreme heat and high acidity of many hot springs, for a long time it was believed that life forms could not exist in them. Then it was discovered that microorganisms known as thermophiles (literally "heat loving") can live and actually thrive in this very hot water. If the water is blue or green in color, that gives a very good indication that microorganisms, such as algae, protozoa, and bacteria, make their home here.