Grand Prismatic Spring I
by Teresa Zieba
Title
Grand Prismatic Spring I
Artist
Teresa Zieba
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The Grand Prismatic Spring 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, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA.
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 the rainbow dispersion of white light by an optical prism: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.
The vivid colors in the spring are the result of pigmented bacteria in the microbial mats that grow around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The bacteria 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 of the water which favors one bacterium over another. In the summer, the mats tend to be orange and red, whereas in the winter the mats are usually dark green.
The spring is approximately 250 by 300 feet (80 by 90 m) in size and is 160 feet (50 m) deep.
Yellowstone National Park is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site - Ref: 28
.
Uploaded
June 27th, 2015
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Viewed 888 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 04/10/2024 at 12:46 AM
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Comments (50)
Dorothy Pugh
Wonderful presentation of the different colors in this landscape, and the steam coming off the spring! l/f
Teresa Zieba
Barbie, thank you very much for the feature in "The 200 Club" group. Truly appreciated.
Barbie Corbett-Newmin
It is a pleasure to feature your scenic shot on the home page of the high activity group, The 200 Club.
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