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{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Short description|Largest hot spring in the United States}}{{Infobox hot spring {{Short description|Largest hot spring in the United States}}{{Infobox hot spring
| name = Grand Prismatic Spring | name = Grand Prismatic Spring
| photo = Grand Prismatic Spring and Midway Geyser Basin from above.jpg | photo = Aerial image of Grand Prismatic Spring (view from the south).jpg
| photo_width = | photo_width =
| photo_caption = Grand Prismatic Spring from an overlook | photo_caption = Aerial view of the Grand Prismatic Spring
| location = ], ], ] | location = ], ], ]
| coordinates = {{coord|44.5250489|N|110.83819|W|region:US|display=inline,title}} | coordinates = {{Wikidatacoord|Q1422831|region:US-WY_type:waterbody|display=inline,title}}
| coords_ref = <ref>{{cite rcn|5748|Grand Prismatic Spring}}</ref> | coords_ref = <ref>{{cite rcn|5748|Grand Prismatic Spring }}</ref>
| elevation = {{convert|7270|ft}}<ref>{{cite gnis|1609256|Grand Prismatic Spring}}</ref> | elevation = {{cvt|7270|ft}}<ref>{{cite gnis|1609256|Grand Prismatic Spring }}</ref>
| hot_spring_type = ] | hot_spring_type = ]
| height = | height =
| duration = | duration =
| frequency = | frequency =
| discharge = {{convert|560|USgal|L|-2}} per minute | discharge = {{cvt|560|USgal|L|-2}} per minute
| temperature = {{convert|160|F|C|-1}} | temperature = {{cvt|160|F|C|-1}}
| depth = {{convert|160|ft|m|-1}} | depth = {{cvt|160|ft|m|-1}}
}} }}
⚫ The '''Grand Prismatic Spring''' in ] is the largest ] in the United States, and the third largest in the world,<ref>{{cite web |title=Steam Explosions, Earthquakes, and Volcanic Eruptions—What's in Yellowstone's Future? |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2005/3024/ |access-date=September 14, 2005 |archive-date=July 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723093212/https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2005/3024/ |url-status=live }}</ref> after ] in New Zealand and ] in Dominica. It is located in the ].


⚫ Grand Prismatic Spring was noted by geologists working in the ], and named by them for its striking coloration. Its colors match most of those seen in the ] dispersion of white light by an optical ]: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/fieldtrips/2007/explorations/grand_prismatic/index.html |title=Grand Prismatic Spring |author1=Traci Bryan |author2=Leslie Machen |author3=Joyce Heinsz |author4=Peggy McCracken |publisher=Lunar and Planetary Institute |access-date=December 4, 2015 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214633/http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/fieldtrips/2007/explorations/grand_prismatic/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
⚫ The '''Grand Prismatic Spring''' in ] is the largest ] in the ], and the third largest in the world,<ref>{{cite web |title=Steam Explosions, Earthquakes, and Volcanic Eruptions—What's in Yellowstone's Future? |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2005/3024/}}</ref> after ] in ] and ] in ]. It is located in the ].


⚫ ==History==
⚫ Grand Prismatic Spring was noted by geologists working in the ], and named by them for its striking coloration. Its colors match most of those seen in the ] dispersion of white light by an optical ]: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/fieldtrips/2007/explorations/grand_prismatic/index.html| title=Grand Prismatic Spring| author1=Traci Bryan| author2=Leslie Machen| author3=Joyce Heinsz| author4=Peggy McCracken| publisher=Lunar and Planetary Institute| access-date=December 4, 2015}}</ref>


⚫ The first records of the spring are from early European explorers and surveyors. In 1839, a group of four trappers from the ] crossed the Midway Geyser Basin and made note of a "boiling lake", most likely the Grand Prismatic Spring,<ref>{{cite book |chapter="The Fire Hole": Era of the American Fur Company, 1833-1840 |title=Colter's Hell & Jackson's Hole |chapter-url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/grte1/chap7.htm |publisher=] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050312032047/http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/grte1/chap7.htm |archive-date=March 12, 2005 }}</ref> with a diameter of {{convert|300|ft|m|-1}}. In 1870 the ] visited the spring, noting a {{convert|50|ft|m|adj=on}} ] nearby (later named ]).<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Notes |title=Yellowstone National Park: Its Exploration and Establishment |chapter-url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/haines1/ieee.htm#2146 |publisher=National Park Service |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060208011441/http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/haines1/ieee.htm#2146 |archive-date=February 8, 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |chapter=Part II: Definitive Knowledge - The Washburn Party (1870) |title=Yellowstone National Park: Its Exploration and Establishment |publisher=National Park Service |chapter-url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/haines1/iee2d.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041213044126/http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/haines1/iee2d.htm |archive-date=December 13, 2004 }}</ref>
]

⚫ ==History==
]
⚫ The first records of the spring are from early European explorers and surveyors. In 1839, a group of four trappers from the ] crossed the Midway Geyser Basin and made note of a "boiling lake", most likely the Grand Prismatic Spring,<ref>{{cite book |chapter="The Fire Hole": Era of the American Fur Company, 1833-1840 |title=Colter's Hell & Jackson's Hole |chapter-url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/grte1/chap7.htm |publisher=] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050312032047/http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/grte1/chap7.htm |archive-date=2005-03-12 }}</ref> with a diameter of {{convert|300|ft|m|-1}}. In 1870 the ] visited the spring, noting a {{convert|50|ft|m|adj=on}} ] nearby (later named ]).<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Notes |title=Yellowstone National Park: Its Exploration and Establishment |chapter-url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/haines1/ieee.htm#2146 |publisher=National Park Service |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060208011441/http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/haines1/ieee.htm#2146 |archive-date=2006-02-08 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |chapter=Part II: Definitive Knowledge - The Washburn Party (1870) |title=Yellowstone National Park: Its Exploration and Establishment |publisher=National Park Service |chapter-url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/haines1/iee2d.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041213044126/http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/haines1/iee2d.htm |archive-date=2004-12-13 }}</ref>


==Color== ==Color==

]
The bright, vivid colors in the spring are the result of ]s around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The mats produce colors ranging from green to red; the amount of color in the microbial mats depends on the ratio of ] to ]s and on the temperature gradient in the runoff. In the summer, the mats tend to be orange and red, whereas in the winter the mats are usually dark green.<ref>{{cite web |author=Thomas D. Brock |author-link=Thomas D. Brock |title=Colorful Yellowstone |work=Life at High Temperature |url=http://www.bact.wisc.edu/bact303/b4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051125213458/http://www.bact.wisc.edu/bact303/b4 |archive-date=2005-11-25}}</ref> The center of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat. The bright, vivid colors in the spring are the result of ]s of ] bacteria around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The mats produce colors ranging from green to red; the amount of color in the microbial mats depends on the ratio of ] to ]s and on the temperature gradient in the runoff. In the summer, the mats tend to be orange and red, whereas in the winter the mats are usually dark green.<ref>{{cite web |author=Thomas D. Brock |author-link=Thomas D. Brock |title=Colorful Yellowstone |work=Life at High Temperature |url=http://www.bact.wisc.edu/bact303/b4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051125213458/http://www.bact.wisc.edu/bact303/b4 |archive-date=November 25, 2005 }}</ref> The center of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat.


The deep blue color of the water in the center of the pool results from the ]. The effect is strongest in the center of the spring, because of its sterility and depth.<ref name=Geiling/> The deep blue color of the water in the center of the pool results from the ]. The effect is strongest in the center of the spring, because of its sterility and depth.<ref name=Geiling/>


==Physical structure== ==Physical structure==

The spring is approximately {{convert|370|ft|m|-1}} in diameter and is {{convert|160|ft|m|-1}} deep. The spring discharges an estimated {{convert|560|USgal|L|-2}} of {{convert|160|F|C|-1}} water per minute.<ref name=Geiling>{{cite web|last1=Geiling|first1=Natasha|title=The Science Behind Yellowstone's Rainbow Hot Spring|url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/science-behind-yellowstones-rainbow-hot-spring-180950483/?no-ist|website=Smithsonian.com|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|access-date=17 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite gosa|GRANDPRISMATIC|Grand Prismatic Spring}}</ref> The spring is approximately {{convert|370|ft|m|-1}} in diameter and is {{convert|160|ft|m|-1}} deep. The spring discharges an estimated {{convert|560|USgal|L|-2}} of {{convert|160|F|C|-1}} water per minute.<ref name=Geiling>{{cite web |last1=Geiling |first1=Natasha |title=The Science Behind Yellowstone's Rainbow Hot Spring |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/science-behind-yellowstones-rainbow-hot-spring-180950483/?no-ist |website=Smithsonian.com |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |access-date=August 17, 2015 |archive-date=August 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807201143/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/science-behind-yellowstones-rainbow-hot-spring-180950483/?no-ist |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite gosa|GRANDPRISMATIC|Grand Prismatic Spring }}</ref>
{{gallery
|width = 250
|File:Grand Prismatic Springs in July.jpg|Grand Prismatic Spring|4=Aerial view of spring|5=File:Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone NP.jpg|6=Microbial mat|7=File:Grand_Prismatic_Spring_(timelapse).webm|8=Timelapse video of the Grand Prismatic Spring}}


==References== ==References==
⚫ {{Commons category|position=right}}
{{Portal|Volcanoes|Geology|Wyoming|United States}}
{{Reflist}} {{Reflist}}

==External links==
⚫ *{{Commons category-inline}}

{{Lower Midway}} {{Lower Midway}}
{{Wyoming}} {{Wyoming}}

Latest revision as of 13:13, 20 December 2024

Largest hot spring in the United States
Grand Prismatic Spring
Aerial view of the Grand Prismatic Spring
LocationMidway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Teton County, Wyoming
Coordinates44°31′30″N 110°50′17″W / 44.52500°N 110.83806°W / 44.52500; -110.83806
Elevation7,270 ft (2,220 m)
TypeHot spring
Discharge560 US gal (2,100 L) per minute
Temperature160 °F (70 °C)
Depth160 ft (50 m)

The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, after Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand and Boiling Lake in Dominica. It is located in the Midway Geyser Basin.

Grand Prismatic Spring was noted by geologists working in the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871, and named by them for its striking coloration. Its colors match most of those seen in the rainbow dispersion of white light by an optical prism: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.

History

The first records of the spring are from early European explorers and surveyors. In 1839, a group of four trappers from the American Fur Company crossed the Midway Geyser Basin and made note of a "boiling lake", most likely the Grand Prismatic Spring, with a diameter of 300 feet (90 m). In 1870 the Washburn–Langford–Doane Expedition visited the spring, noting a 50-foot (15 m) geyser nearby (later named Excelsior).

Color

The bright, vivid colors in the spring are the result of microbial mats of thermophilic bacteria around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The mats produce colors ranging from green to red; the amount of color in the microbial mats depends on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids and on the temperature gradient in the runoff. In the summer, the mats tend to be orange and red, whereas in the winter the mats are usually dark green. The center of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat.

The deep blue color of the water in the center of the pool results from the intrinsic blue color of water. The effect is strongest in the center of the spring, because of its sterility and depth.

Physical structure

The spring is approximately 370 feet (110 m) in diameter and is 160 feet (50 m) deep. The spring discharges an estimated 560 US gallons (2,100 L) of 160 °F (70 °C) water per minute.

  • Grand Prismatic Spring Grand Prismatic Spring
  • Microbial mat Microbial mat
  • Timelapse video of the Grand Prismatic Spring

References

  1. "Grand Prismatic Spring". Yellowstone Geothermal Features Database. Montana State University.
  2. "Grand Prismatic Spring". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. "Steam Explosions, Earthquakes, and Volcanic Eruptions—What's in Yellowstone's Future?". U.S. Geological Survey. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2005.
  4. Traci Bryan; Leslie Machen; Joyce Heinsz; Peggy McCracken. "Grand Prismatic Spring". Lunar and Planetary Institute. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  5. ""The Fire Hole": Era of the American Fur Company, 1833-1840". Colter's Hell & Jackson's Hole. National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 12, 2005.
  6. "Notes". Yellowstone National Park: Its Exploration and Establishment. National Park Service. Archived from the original on February 8, 2006.
  7. "Part II: Definitive Knowledge - The Washburn Party (1870)". Yellowstone National Park: Its Exploration and Establishment. National Park Service. Archived from the original on December 13, 2004.
  8. Thomas D. Brock. "Colorful Yellowstone". Life at High Temperature. Archived from the original on November 25, 2005.
  9. ^ Geiling, Natasha. "The Science Behind Yellowstone's Rainbow Hot Spring". Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on August 7, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  10. "Grand Prismatic Spring". Geyser Observation and Study Association.
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