Yellowstone National Park is an active super volcano located in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, U.S.A. It has a total land area of 2,219,791 acres (898,318 hectares). It, being considered as the largest caldera on earth, has half of the world’s geothermal features ie – geysers, hotsprings , mud pots and the likes.
Today, I am sharing about Mammoth Hot Springs. This is located on the Northern Entrance of Yellowstone National Park and is a part of Montana, U.S.A.
It is a large complex of hot springs on a limestone hill, formed by a rapid precipitation of calcium carbonate.
The spring water that runs through Mammoth comes from Norris Geyser Basin after traveling through an underground fault line. (I will write separately about Norris Geyser sometime in the future).
The Park Services built a board walk which people use to view the said hot spring.
It is unlawful to try leaving the said boardwalk. And very dangerous, considering that the water is above boiling degree. Plus its environment isn’t apt for walking since you might fall into a soft area that might open into a hole filled with volcanic activities.
The discoloration on the water that we are seeing are live bacteria called “thermophiles”. These organisms thrive on hot water with at least 41’c temperature.
The photo below shows a sink hole. This is exactly the reason why people are not allowed to walk beyond the designated areas. You can do so at your own risk. Since that is considered illegal, you will be fined or be arrested. Worst, you can die. So that said, please do not be stupid.
This bird amazed me. I saw it drinking the sulfuric water. Sometimes, our eco system is weird. Some plants and animals adapt to the environment. Made me realized how awesome the symbiotic relationship involved in the whole process.
And of course, I had to pose. ha ha
I have learned so much during this trip. And it opened my eyes to a lot of things. Most specially, it taught me to appreciate nature more.
This is gonna be a long series. So come back and continue to travel with me. 🙂
Lea C. Walker
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