Yellowstone National Park is a nearly 3,500-sq.-mile wilderness recreation area atop a volcanic hot spot. Yellowstone National Park is so large that is covers three states, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, 96% in Wyoming. It is a live volcano - geysers, fumaroles (steam vents), hot springs, mudpots... Witnessing the volcanic power in a geyser, and its energy in hot springs is amazing. One of the biggest challenges in visiting Yellowstone is finding a close place to stay. It's a big park, just driving along the park is 4 hours. You can either stay inside it (lodge which can be expensive and booked way in advance); or you have to drive quite a while to even hit any park attractions. The photo was taken at Grand Prismatic Spring. The vivid colors in the spring are the result of microbial mats around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The center of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat. Because there's very little living in the center of the pool, the water looks extremely clear, and has a beautiful, deep-blue color. As the water spreads out and cools, it creates concentric circles of varying temperatures. 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.

Tags:   Yellowstone National Park Volcano Grand Prismatic Spring Wyoming

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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…

Tags:   Grand Prismatic Spring Hot Macroorganism Geyser Basin Yellowstone

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Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces - Impressed by the rock formations and their colors – white, yellow, gold, and orange! All these colors are due to the presence of bacteria and algae that flourish in the extremely hot waters of the springs. Over thousands of years they have formed terraces called travertine formations - Rain waters seep into the rocks, and once they reach a certain depth, they are heated by the action of boiling magma. They rise back to the surface of the earth. The waters at Mammoth Hot Springs are not expelled into the air. They cross the rocks up and deposit limestone sediments on the surface. The warm waters slowly flow from one basin to another, forming terraces as shown in the picture. It flows over some white limestone and orange travertine deposits. Mammoth Hot Springs is “journey to the center of Earth”, but outdoors!

The diversity of life in Yellowstone's thermal hot springs is more complex than we'd ever thought. Heat-loving microbes living in the Yellowstone's thermal pools – showing as living thermometer. The color of the bacteria is determined by the temperature of the water (You can tell the water temperature by the colors of microorganisms). The area is nature’s laboratory and provide unique opportunity to study and unveil earth’s secrets.

Tags:   Yellowstone Mammoth Hot Springs Limestones Terraces Microorganisms

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The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is the first large canyon on the Yellowstone River downstream from Yellowstone Falls in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Past and current hydrothermal activity altered and weakened the rhyolite, making the rocks softer. The Yellowstone River eroded these weakened rocks to deepen and widen the canyon, a process that continues today. The multi-hued rocks of the canyon result from the hydrothermally altered rhyolite and sediments. Look closely at dark orange, brown, and green areas near the river for still-active hydrothermal features. Their activity—and that of water, wind, and earthquakes—continue to sculpt the canyon.

Tags:   Yellowstone Grand Canyon River Wyoming

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