Old Faithful, is Yellowstone's most noted geyser and viewed
by more people than any other place in the entire park.

 

Yellowstone....The World's
Hydrothermal Garden

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

 

Yellowstone National Park preserves the worlds largest hydrothermal gardens, on the planet and features a fragile rarity of nature. You have the unparalleled opportunity to view hot springs, geysers, mudpots, and fumeroles all within the bounds of the Yellowstone National Park.

Change takes place naturally in hydrothermal areas, where merely the falling of a limb or stick, or the shifting of a rock can disrupt the processes of these active volcanoes and hydrothermal systems, that have formed over thousands of years. According to scientists, Yellowstone's volcanic geology began forming over 2 million years ago, and has survived three major volcanic erruptions, and the volcanoes are still active. Molten rock, or magma, may be as close as 3 to 8 miles from the surface.

This magma provides the first ingredient for thermal features, HEAT. Then, rain and snow supply the second feature, WATER. The water seeps down several thousand feet below the surface where it is heated. Then, underground cracks form the third ingredient, a natural plumbing system. Hot water rises through the plumbing to produce hot springs and geysers.

Additionally, Fumaroles, are Yellowstone's hottest surfaces, that vent steam. Their underground systems reach down into the hot rock masses, but contain very little water. When rain or melting snow drain into the fumaroles, it is instantly converted to steam.

 

 

 

 

Then, Mudpots, are acidic hot springs with a limited water supply. Hydrogen sulfide, which rises from deep within the earth, is used by some microorganisms as an energy source. They help convert the smelly gas to sulfuric acid, which breaks down rock into clay. Various gases escape through the wet clay mud and causes it to bubble and plop, in what is known as Mudpots.

 

 

 

"Old Faithful" erupts more frequently than any of the other big geysers, although it is not the largest or most regular geyser in Yellowstone Park. Its average interval between eruptions is about 90 minutes, varying from 51 to 120 minutes. An eruption lasts from 1 1/2 to 5 minutes and expels 3,700 to 8,400 gallons of boiling water. Its spray reaches from 106 to 184 feet in height. They geyser was named by the Washburn Expedition in 1870 and although its interval has lengthened, Old Faithful is still as spectacular today, as it was over a century ago.

 

 

Old Faithful.....

 

Enjoy the following photos of Yellowstone National Park's hydrothermal features:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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