Yellowstone Cabins, Accommodation, Inn, Lodging, Camping, RV

Notable Thermal Features of Yellowstone

The History of Handkerchief Pool

One of the most famous attractions at Yellowstone at the turn of the century was a small spring called the Handkerchief Pool. Visitors would amuse themselves by throwing dirty handkerchiefs into the water and then excitedly watch as they got sucked up into the depths of the pool, only to emerge a few minutes later, considerably cleaner. Visitors would also toss a variety of other objects into the hot spring, including coins, broken bottles, rocks, hair pins, and even small horseshoes.

Unfortunately, as a result of such activity, the plumbing system of Handkerchief Pool was damaged and the spring eventually became dormant. Today this hot spring has nearly been forgotten.

Morning Glory Pool

This pool has always been, and continues to be a favorite of Park visitors. One early account raved: “It is precisely like a morning glory flower. Its long and slender throat, like the tube of the blossom, reaching from unknown depths below, branches out in ever-widening snowy walls, forming at last a perfectly symmetrical and exquisite chalice, which is filled with water of the loveliest, clearest, robin's egg blue.”

Mammoth Hot Springs 

The bedrock underlying the Mammoth area is limestone, deposited here millions of years ago by a vast inland sea. Hot water with dissolved carbon dioxide makes a weak carbonic acid. As the solution rises through underground channels, it dissolves calcium carbonate, the primary ingredient of limestone. At the surface, the calcium carbonate is deposited in the form of travertine, the mineral that forms the terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs.

Grand Prismatic Spring

Grand Prismatic Spring, located in Midway Geyser Basin, has the distinction of being the park’s largest hot spring. It measures approximately 370 feet (112.8 meters) in diameter and is over 121 feet (37 meters) deep. A description of this spring by fur trapper Osborne Russell in 1839 also makes it the earliest described thermal feature in Yellowstone that is definitely identifiable.
 

Old Faithful Geyser

Old Faithful is a cone geyser that received its name in 1870 by the Washburn Expedition and was the first geyser to receive a name. It erupts every 45 - 120 minutes, depending up the previous eruption; Old Faithful liveds up to its name. The geyser can spew anywhere from 3,700 - 8,400 gallons of scalding hot water to heights of 106 - 184 feet with this particular display lasting one and a half to five minutes. Much is know about the geyser today as it is one of the most studied and researched in the world, but it wasn't always a geyser. 750 years ago Old Faithful was a hot spring and has only been a geyser for around 300 years. Old Faithful Geyser is located in the Upper Geyser Basin.

Castle Geyser is a cone geyser that is believed to be the oldest in the world since scientists estimate the cone is 5,000 - 15,000 years old. Castle Geyser is 200°F inside and was named in 1870 by the Hayden Expedition because its cone was similar to the ruins of an old castle. the geyser erupts on a predictable 10 - 12 hours cycle with a two-phase eruption where it ejects hot water 60 - 90 feet in the iar for around 20 minutes and then moves to a steam phase that lasts an additional 30 - 45 minutes.

Steamboat Geyser

Steamboat Geyser is the world's tallest active geyser with major eruptions blasting 300 - 400 feet in the air and lasting for 3 - 40 minutes. After a major eruption steam takes over hissing and roaring can be heard for over 24 hours and a cloud emits that can reach up to 500 feet high. The geyser is completely unpredictable and it often has minor eruptions of only 10 - 40 feet, but there can be years or even decades between major eruptions. Since May 2000 the geyser has erupted seven times with the last eruption on May 23, 2005. Steamboat has been more active in the 21st century than ever previously recorded. It is a cone geyser and is located in the Norris Geyser Basin.

Great Fountain Geyser

Great Fountain Geyser is located in a beautiful sinter formation that has created terraced pools. The geyser is in the middle of the sinter formation and is a fountain geyser 16 feet in diameter. Great Fountain is predictable with eruptions occurring every 8 - 12 hours with durations of 45 - 60 minutes and shooting into the sky at heights of 75 - 200 feet. A series of bursts characterize the eruptions of this geyser. The first burst is generall the largest, but sometimes the largest can occur on the second or third burst. The Great Fountain Geyser is located in the Lower Geyser Basin.