Yellowstone National Park v.2

This volume of Yellowstone National Park traverses the Grand Loop from the Old Faithful Area to Mammoth Hot Springs. Sections include Biscuit and Black Sand Basins, Firehole Lake Drive and Fountain Paint Pot Area, Norris Geyser Basin, and Mammoth Hot Springs.

Black Sand Basin and Biscuit Basin

Black Sand and Biscuit Basins are part of Upper Geyser Basin. They are a pair of small but interesting basins located a few miles from Old Faithful.

Black Sand Basin

Black Sand Basin is named for its black sand (obsidian) which is formed when lava cools too quickly.

Emerald Pool
Black Sand Basin

Rainbow Pool
Black Sand Basin

Iron Spring Creek
Black Sand Basin

Opalescent Pool
Black Sand Basin

Hydrothermal Feature
Black Sand Basin

Biscuit Basin

Biscuit Basin is named for the unusual biscuit-like deposits formerly surrounding Sapphire Pool. The "biscuits" were blown away with Sapphite Pool erupted in 1959 following an earthqueake. Some of the features in the basin are Jewel Geyser, Shell Geyser, Avoca Spring, and Mustard Spring.

Mustard Spring
Biscuit Basin

Avoca Spring
Biscuit Basin

Shell Spring
Biscuit Basin

Midway Geyser Basin and Lower Geyser Basin

The Lower Geyser Basin is the largest geyser basin in Yellowstone National Park, covering about 11 square miles. Because of its large size, groups of thermal features in Lower Geyser Basin tend to be spread out. Some of the groups include the Fountain Group, Firehole Lake Group, and White Dome Group. The Lower Geyser Basin has a large variety of hydrothermal features, including mud pots, geysers, pools, springs, and fumaroles. We will be touring the Fountain and Firehole Lake groups.

Midway is part of the Lower Geyser Basin, but because of its isolated position between the main features of Lower and Upper geyser basins it became known as Midway. Rudyard Kipling, who visited Yellowstone in 1889, refered to it as "Hell's Half Acre." Midway possesses two of the largest hot springs in the world, Grand Prismatic Spring and Excelsior Geyser, a dormant geyser that is now considered a hot spring.

Firehole Lake Road is a 3-mile, one-way road off the Grand Loop in the Lower Geyser Basin. Geysers and hot springs are visible from the road and boardwalk. Some of the hydrothermal features along the Drive are Firehole Spring, Surprise Pool, Great Fountain Geyser, White Dome Geyser, Pink Cone Geyser, and Firehole Lake.

Firehole Spring
Firehole Lake Drive

Great Fountain Geyser
Firehole Lake Drive

White Dome Geyser
Firehole Lake Drive

Pink Cone Geyser
Firehole Lake Drive

Fountain Paint Pot is in Lower Geyser Basin. It contains four types of hydrothermal features, geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and fumaroles.

Fountain Paint Pot Area

Silex Spring 1991
Fountain Paint Pot

Silex Spring 2014
Fountain Paint Pot

Fountain Paint Pots
Fountain Paint Pot

Leather Pool
Fountain Paint Pot

Red Spouter
Fountain Paint Pot

Jet Geyser and Spasm Geyser
Fountain Paint Pot

Jet Geyser
Fountain Paint Pot

Spasm Geyser
Fountain Paint Pot

Fountain Geyser and Morning Geyser

Clepsydra Geyser
Fountain Paint Pot

Sinter Flats
Fountain Paint Pot

Fountain Paint Pots

"Bobby Socks" trees
Lower Geyser Basin

Norris Geyser Basin and Norris Junction Area

Norris Geyser Basin is one of the hottest and most acidic hyrothermal areas in Yellowstone. This Basin is very dynamic, with new hots springs and geysers continually forming and others becoming dormant. Multiple underground hot water reservoirs exist here with varying concentrations of iron, arsenic, and sulfur. Norris Geyser Basin contains two basins, Back Basin and Porcelain Basin. We will tour each one.

Bison near Norris Geyser Basin

This can't end well

Beryl Spring
Grand Loop Road south of Norris Junction

Porcelain Basin

Porcelain Basin is so named because of the milky white mineral deposits found here. The mineral is siliceous sinter, also called geyserite. Some of the features found in Porcelain Basin are Ledge Geyser, Black Growler Steam Vent, Whirligig Geyser, and Whale's Mouth.

Porcelain Basin
Norris Geyser Basin

Hurricaine Vent - Porcelain Basin
Norris Geyser Basin

Interpetive sign about thermophiles
Porcelain Basin in Norris Geyser Basin

Thermophiles living in Whirligig Geyser runoff
Refer to previous photo

Whale's Mouth
Porcelain Basin

Crackling Lake
Porcelain Basin

Back Basin

Back Basin is the larger of the two and the one of which I have the fewest photos. Back Basin is more forested than Porcelain Basin and its features are more isolated. Some of its hydrothermal features are Emerald Spring, Steamboat Geyser, Cistern Spring, and Echinus Geyser.

Emerald Spring
Back Basin

Cistern Spring
Back Basin

Milky Pool
Back Basin

Vixen Geyser
Back Basin

Morris Geyser Basin Memories

Norris to Mammoth Hot Springs

Bison
Hayden Valley

Sheepeater Cliff

Sheepeater Cliff basalt formation
Can you spot the marmot?

Yellow Bellied Marmots
Sheepeater Cliff

Trumpeter Swans
Gardners Hole

Pronghorn
Gardners Hole

Rustic Falls close to Mammoth (no audio)

Mammoth Hot Springs

Mammoth Hot Springs is a series of hot springs. The springs have deposited travertine (calcium carbonte) over time to build the terraces that are seen today. These features are constantly changing, with new springs appearing and old ones becoming inactive.

Town of Mammoth
View from top of Minerva Terrace

Mammoth Area 1991

Mammoth Area 2014

Terrace Grill

Make a choice

Lower Terraces

Libery Cap 1991
Mammoth Hot Springs

Libery Cap 2014
Mammoth Hot Springs

Opal Terrace
Mammoth Hots Springs

Palette Spring

Devil's Thumb

East side of Devil's Thumb

Devil's Thumb and Palette Spring Runoff

Minerva Terrace
Mammoth Hot Springs

Cleopatra Terrace Panorama (no audio)

Main Terrace

Mound Terrace

New Blue Spring?
Mammoth Hot Springs

Unidentified

Mammoth Hot Springs

Could be Canary Spring
Mammoth Hot Springs

Could be Cupid Spring
Mammoth Hot Springs

Urban Elk

Big antlers, little antlers

Elk One Antler
Mammoth Hot Springs

Elk Siesta
Mammoth Hot Springs

Thanks to the National Park Service and Wikipedia for much of the content in this presentation.
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