Although Yellowstone is famous for its geysers, the brilliant colors associated with the geysers, pools and hot springs are often mesmerizing. According to the park website, it was Walter H. Weed who in 1889 first recognized that the colorful deposits of Yellowstone hot springs were microbial, officially called thermophiles.
The presence of living creatures in water too hot to touch — almost at its boiling point — is really amazing! But even more impressive is the fact that the organisms of hot springs are not only living, but thriving. In fact, they are so perfectly adapted to these hot environments that they can live no where else.
My family and I visited Yellowstone last summer and were truly amazed by these nature wonders. I like the words on the park web site, “These incredible heat-loving microbes literally put the yellow into Yellowstone”!
The following photos show some of the remarkable colors of the pools and waters of Yellowstone National Park — truly a unique and very recommended place to visit.
Wow amazing pictures, beautiful colors, i love the ones with the yellow and orange colors.
Is it true that under the Yellowstone Park is a giant vulcano and if it will be an eruption the whole America will be extinguished ?
Hi PHeymont, Andre and DrFumblefinger,
Just back from a winter break and glad to see many of you also like the brilliant colors associated with the geysers, pools and hot springs in Yellowstone! As of how the mesmerizing colors are formed, I know no more than my friend DrFumblefinger (thanks Karl for the explanation). I only know that was those incredible heat-loving thermophiles that somehow survived and produced those amazing nature wonders.
Wow! those vivid colors were totally unexpected. I’m assuming different chemicals in the water and rocks are producing them?
Thank you for the information DrFumble Let’s hope…
)
Hi Andre, and welcome. As DrY is away on vacation, I’ll try to answer your question before he gets back.
Yellowstone National Park does sit on what is known as the “Yellowstone Hot Spot”. You see this in its geysirs and hot water pools. This does have the potential to become a massive volcano and cause a tremendous eruption. As big as any volcano in recorded history and then some. The jet stream would carry the ash and smoke mostly east (towards the Atlantic Ocean), so those areas would be hardest hit. But I don’t think it would be big enough to destroy much of the country.
Let’s hope we never live to find out….
DrY is away on vacation this week, PHeymont, so he’ll get back to you on his return.
But I believe a lot of these colors are due to the highly specialized microorganisms that live in this environment.