Monday, August 27, 2012

Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

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From the Geyser Hill, to the other parts of Upper Geyser Basin, to Midway Geyser Basin, we continue moving North from the Old Faithful Lodge to Lower Geyser Basin in the Fountain Paint Pot area.
Bacterial Mat, Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Silex Spring, Yellowstone National Park

As I have mentioned in the earlier posts, bacteria and other heat loving microorganisms provide the color palette you see in Yellowstone hydrothermal areas. The green, brown, and orange mats are cyanobacteria, which can live in waters as hot as 167F ( 73C ). Their colors depend on the temperature. The Silex Spring is one of the attractive hot spring on the Fountain Paint Pot nature trail, its brilliant blue color is so deep matching the sky. 
Fountain Paint Pot, Yellowstone National Park 
Fountain Paint Pot, Yellowstone National Park
Fountain Paint Pot is one of many mudpots found in Yellowstone. In early summer the mudpots are thin and watery from abundant rain and snow then it thickens by late summer. The mud is composed of clay minerals and fine particles of silica. In the Fountain Paint Pot area the rock is rhyolite, which is composed primarily of quartz and feldspar.
Clypsedra Geyser, Yellowstone National Park
Clypsedra Geyser, Yellowstone National Park
Clypsedra Geyser, Yellowstone National Park
Clypsedra Geyser is a constant performer at the Fountain Paint Pot area. It splashes from several vents and its steam can be seen throughout the Lower Geyser Basin. Its name is Greek for water clock, and was given because the geyser used to erupt regularly every three minutes. Since the 1959 Hebgen earthquake, however, Clepsydra erupts almost without pause. Sometimes it quits during Fountain's eruption. Since we did not see the Fountain Geyser erupt, we were able to witness the non stop eruption of Clypsedra Geyser.
Fumarole
The fumarole above gave non-stop hissing and roaring that come from gases - steam, carbon dioxide, and a little hydrogen sulfide - rushing from the earth through the vent.
Dead Lodgepole Pine Trees
These dead lodgepole pine trees were actually pioneers but did not survive. They established a toehold in thin new soil, enriched themselves through natural recycling of minerals and organic material. The increasing humus would have nurtured a mature forest - but then, the hot springs shifted, and these pioneering lodge pole pines got drowned in the hot spring environment. Silica also penetrated the trees and hardened their bases. Though these trees are dead, but they do tell a lot of stories of the cycle of life.

source: http://www.nps.gov/yell/photosmultimedia/virtualtour.htm
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You may want to check out also the Upper Geyser Basin ( part 1 and part 2) and Midway Geyser Basin in Yellowstone which I had written previously.
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29 comments:

  1. Looks rather dangerous if you ask me. What if the boiling geyser gets you?

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    1. thanks Tekkaus. So far, the National Parks always calculate the safety of visitors, they put up assigned wooded boardwalks and railings to prevent people from getting closer to the hot springs and geyser and where the distance is safe enough that when water reaches there, it actually feels colder than hot. But it may be a lot different if you are right next to it.

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  2. Wow! this is Earth Science 101! This is very informative and I wish I am still teaching the subject I could make this a great reference for my students to look into. This gives me the itch to really go visit Yellowstone National Park as I have always desired. Your photos are just so awesome!

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  3. yes eventhough the trees does not survive ..
    there are a lot of great stories to tell...

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  4. The photos affirmed how amazing God's creations are! And the descriptions on each photo are very informative.

    Thanks for sharing them, Betchai and for the frequent visits and lovely comments at my blogs.

    Swinging by here via FBF.

    See you around!

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  5. I saw some of these dead lodgepoles and had no idea what they were until now. Thanks for the explanation. They make for a unique scenery.

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  6. Wow..this is amazing! You came very close to some of the geysers there, and the photos are just out of this world.

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  7. Yes I agree with Precious, amazing photos and very informative article here..

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  8. Amazing, love it...you're a good photographer. One of my travel lists to visit one day.

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  9. OMG..the colors around these geysers are just absolutely amazing and beautiful! Yours and Khai's photos are glorious to see.

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  10. awesome post. i hope i could visit that place someday... :)

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  11. Colours make them beautiful.

    Which attract us so much.

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  12. Wow! fascinating photos. Kahit hindi ko na makita sa personal solve na ang curiosity ko.

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  13. I remember this Park on the movie 2012! Nice place for family camping and hiking!

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  14. The photos are so stunning. They should be in travel magazines. Amazing....

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  15. i agree with Judy, your travel photos should be in travel magazines.
    btw, just submitted my entry for #capturethecolour. thanks again for the nomination.

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  16. It would be an incredible experience to see all these natural wonders just in front of us

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  17. Beautiful photographs, fantastic place. I am greeting

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  18. whew, catching my breath here as always Betchai...what a dynamic set of photos...making me really wish I were with you...thank you for taking us to another awesome virtual scientific tour! ..and yes all the magical blue in here is making me gasp!

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  19. Your photos are beautiful as always. The growth information was so interesting.

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  20. Do you feel the heat when you are there? Great pictures.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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  21. Yellowstone is amazing. I have some very old pics from 1965 taken with an Instamatic and even so the weird colors show.

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  22. back for ABH..this is one of my travel list...

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  23. Gorgeous shots and what amazing colours indeed! You have captured the geyser's in full bloom!! Loved it, have a wonderful day :)

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  24. You visit some of the most interesting and beautiful places. I always love seeing the pictures you bring and the information about these great places.

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  25. As always Betchai, you never fails to amaze us with the beautiful photos you shared in this post...

    Added this in my blog list as well... Thanks!

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  26. lovely clicks!!

    http://sushmita-smile.blogspot.in/

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  27. What is a fumarole? It looks interesting!

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THANK YOU SO MUCH!!