Did you miss my other posts on the strange beauty of Yellowstone National Park? If you’d like to catch up, start here.
If you’ve been following my series on Yellowstone, you may remember that the first morning we drove into the park, a misty fog made visibility difficult. On the second morning, which shone bright and clear, we realized that at least some of the mistiness came from the steam of the geysers and hot springs that dot the landscape.
Like the photo above. On one main road, we could see pillars of hot steam on both sides of the street. The photo below shows the other side.
Yellowstone was full of surprises.
Including stands of dead lodgepole pines that look like they’re wearing ankle socks or “bobby socks”, like those in the top photo. The dead trees soak up the mineral-laden water near hydrothermal features, and the minerals turn the “feet” of the trees white.
We saw those trees in the Lower Geyser Basin at an area called the Fountain Paint Pot Trail. (My last post covered Artists Paint Pot, but this area was larger and had several new things to see.)
Amazingly, this area in the Lower Geyser Basin has all four types of hydrothermal features in one place.
It knocked my bobby socks off.
Before 1959, this area was simply a grassy knoll. But then the Hebgen Lake earthquake opened up a vent in the earth, which then turned into a mudpot. Called Red Spouter, it changes with the seasons. In the spring, because of the snowmelt, it splashes muddy water. In the summer, the pool is drier so Red Spouter splatters thick mud. In the fall, the water is nearly dry so it becomes a steam vent or fumarole.
In mid-August, it looked pretty steamed. I didn’t see any hot flying mud, and I was just fine with that.
A few steps away from Red Spouter is Silex Spring. According to the National Park Service website, silica in and around the spring (which you can see in the photo below) comes from the underlying volcanic rocks, which are dissolved by the hot waters. “This silica is then deposited as sinter, which lines the pool and forms terraces along the runoff channels.”
I just couldn’t get enough of the sight of Yellowstone’s blue-green hot spring pools.
Further down the boardwalk, we came to an area labeled “Volcanic Tableland.” It certainly seemed aptly named.
In this photo, you can see sinter terraces and what looks like a crater in the middle, which was probably a geyser getting ready to let off some steam.
And next to that? This.
Fountain Geyser is one of the most stunning sights in the park. It can erupt 10-50 feet for 20 minutes or more. The activity of other nearby geysers seems to be tied to it, as if they are heralding or echoing its eruptions. Pointing to it, even.
Just in case we might miss it.
My next post: the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and a grand old beast, too.
Big thanks to the National Park Service website, which is full of helpful information about the park and its features. I am learning so much, and I hope you are too!
At Glimsen, I share glimpses of the beauty around us in nature, the arts, and the unexpected. Click the green button below to get my posts delivered to your inbox once a week, and you'll also get a little printable gift of beauty just for signing up.
