Yellowstone Hot Springs and Geysers 101

When water falls as snow or rain on the Yellowstone Plateau , it slowly percolates through layers of porous rock. Sinking to a depth of nearly 3300 meters (10000 feet), it comes in contact with the hot rocks of the magma chamber under the surface. The water is cooked and becomes superheated (200°C or 400°F) while remaining in its liquid state due to the pressure pushing down on it from rocks and water. Because the superheated water is less dense, it starts its journey back to the surface, where it forms a hot spring when pressure and heat energy which gets released slowly. Yellowstone Hot Spring...

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Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park, named after the Yellowstone River which flows through the park, is the first National Park of the United States, founded in 1872. The park is known for its wildlife and geothermal features as seen on the pictures in this post. The geothermal features of the park are caused by the Yellowstone Caldera, which is the largest volcanic system in North America. It has been termed a "supervolcano" because the caldera was formed by exceptionally large explosive eruptions. Chinese Spring, Yellowstone N.P. | Location on map The current caldera was created by an enormous eruption...

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