Grand Prismatic Spring at Yellowstone National Park

When I was a student at Iowa State University, I took an introductory course in bacteriology to fulfill a science credit requirement. On the final exam, one of the questions dealt with the problem of how to separate out of a liquid a particular species of bacteria that was combined with another species of bacteria. I had no clue. Later, I asked my brother, who majored in bacteriology, how the question should have been answered. He said it was simple: the two bacteria react differently to heat. Heat up the liquid to a certain temperature and the one species will die. That will leave the other species, which can tolerate a higher temperature.

I thought of that recently when I remembered one of the thermal features at Yellowstone National Park.

My wife and I have visited Yellowstone National Park several times over the nearly 40 years of our marriage. Sometimes we had our son and daughter with us; sometimes it was just the two of us. On the one of the trips, we drove through the park while the park was burning. Years later, we saw nature's resilience as we enjoyed the sight of recovering forests with new trees and plant life. Regardless of the circumstances, those trips have always been special times.

My favorite spot in the park is the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. A close second, however, would have to be the Grand Prismatic Spring located in the Midway Geyser Basin of Yellowstone. It is known as the largest hot spring in the United States and the third largest in the world.

The approximate size of Grand Prismatic Spring is 250 by 300 feet in size and about 160 feet deep. Being a spring, water feeds into and is discharged from it. An estimated 560 gallons of water is discharged every minute at a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. For this information and for pictures of the spring, see an article on oddee.com.

The real beauty of the spring comes from its brilliant blue, orange, red, yellow, and green colors. Just as the secret of Yellowstone National Park itself is the heat-producing caldera (large volcanic area) that lies beneath the park, so the secret of the colors of Grand Prismatic Spring is the heat of the spring's water.

The colors of Grand Prismatic are the product of the bacteria and algae, which inhabit the waters of the spring. The waters are rich in minerals and, at different temperatures, make for a great home for the different organisms. Depending on the chemical makeup of particular bacteria and algae, the colors of the spring water will vary.

As beautiful as Grand Prismatic Spring is, however, it is a dangerous place. Stick to the walkways. People have died over the years for falling into the pools and springs at Yellowstone. Enjoy it at safe distances and, while you're there, check out the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Keep in mind, also, that the caldera beneath Yellowstone is overdue for a major eruption. If that happens, Grand Prismatic Spring--and everything else in the park--will be splattered all over the western half of the United States. My advice: if you're going to visit Yellowstone, do it soon!

Source: www.oddee.com/item_96580.aspx