Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Bluelinebrotha (talk | contribs) at 20:34, 13 September 2024 (→Colour). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Grand Prismatic Spring
Grand Prismatic Spring from an overlook
Location	Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Teton County, Wyoming
Coordinates	44°31′30″N 110°50′17″W / 44.52500°N 110.83806°W / 44.52500; -110.83806
Elevation	7,270 ft (2,220 m)
Type	Hot spring
Discharge	560 US gal (2,100 L) per minute
Temperature	160 °F (70 °C)
Depth	160 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 colours 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).

Colour

The bright, vivid colours in the spring are the result of microbial mats around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The mats produce colours 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 colour 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
• Aerial view of spring
• 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.

v t e Yellowstone National Park - Lower and Midway Geyser Basins
Geothermal features, geography, historic structures and other attractions in the Lower and Midway Geyser Basins
Lower Geyser Basin	A-0 Geyser Artesia Geyser Azure Spring Bead Geyser Botryoidal Spring Box Spring Clepsydra Geyser Dilemma Geyser Fountain Geyser Fountain Paint Pot Great Fountain Geyser Jet Geyser Labial Geyser Morning Geyser Narcissus Geyser Ojo Caliente Spring Pink Cone Geyser Pink Geyser Spindle Geyser Surprise Pool White Dome Geyser Young Hopeful and Grey Bulger Geysers
Midway Geyser Basin	Excelsior Geyser Grand Prismatic Spring Opal Pool Turquoise Pool
Structures and history	Firehole Village Grand Loop Road Historic District Marshall's Hotel Nez Perce National Historic Trail Nez Perce Flight Queen's Laundry Bath House
Geography and geology	Firehole Falls Firehole River
Yellowstone National Park-related articles Commons

v t e State of Wyoming
Cheyenne (capital)
Topics	Bibliography Governors Delegations History People State symbols Radio stations
Society	Abortion Climate change Crime Demographics Economy Education Gun laws LGBT rights Politics
Regions	Black Hills Grand Teton Great Basin Powder River Country Red Desert Yellowstone
Cities	Buffalo Casper Cheyenne Cody Douglas Evanston Gillette Green River Jackson Kemmerer Lander Laramie Newcastle Powell Rawlins Riverton Rock Springs Sheridan Torrington Worland
Counties	Albany Big Horn Campbell Carbon Converse Crook Fremont Goshen Hot Springs Johnson Laramie Lincoln Natrona Niobrara Park Platte Sheridan Sublette Sweetwater Teton Uinta Washakie Weston
Wyoming portal

• Geothermal features of Yellowstone National Park
• Hot springs of Wyoming
• Geothermal features of Teton County, Wyoming
• Hot springs of Teton County, Wyoming