This isn’t the most artistic image in the world, but it’s one worth sharing.  This is Grand Prismatic Spring, and it far exceeded my expectations.  I had seen pictures in books, etc., but had no clue how massive and beautiful it would be in real life.

Yellowstone is full of geothermal features.  Much of it sits on an active volcanic caldera, sometimes referred to as the “Yellowstone Supervolcano.”  Rising steam and hot pools are apparent throughout the park, but on the west side in particular.

Grand Prismatic blows most all the others away in terms of scale and beauty.  The first recorded reference to this spring is from 1839.  It spans 300 feet in diameter.  The scale and size are apparent if you look closely at the boardwalk with people just behind it.  The vivid colors in the spring are the result of pigmented bacteria in the microbial mats that grow around the edges of the mineral-rich water.  The spring discharges an estimated 560 US gallons of 160 °F water per minute.

This web-sized image certainly does not do it justice.

Grand Prismatic Spring

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