I took a lot of still pictures of hot springs, but they really don't convey just how dynamic they are. So I took a bunch of videos, too.
This is just a nameless little bubbling mud cone thing. I thought it was cool.
Some random bubbling hot spring. I'm sure it has a name, but I neglected to make a note of it.
Moira and Cliff Geyser. This one was almost constantly erupting.
Excelsior Geyser Crater. There's a sign next to it that reads:
In the 1880s Excelsior Geyser erupted in bursts 50 to 300 feet high. The thermal violence formed the jagged crater and apparently
ruptured the geyser's underground system, causing eruptions to cease after 1890. On September 14, 1985, Excelsior roared back to life with forty-seven hours of major eruptions.
It is impossible to predict when this dormant but powerful geyser's next eruption will occur. Though its eruptions have been erratic, the geyser's outflow is nearly constant, pumping more than 4000 gallons of
boiling water per minute over the crater rim into Firehole River.
Gwen in front of Grand Prismatic Spring.
Grand Prismatic Spring. I like the way the colors of the spring are reflected in the steam. This is the largest hot
spring in the park. The water is 160 degrees F, and it pumps out 500 gallons per minute.
Another hot spring that I didn't get the name of.
Surprise Pool. I liked this one because it looked like a hot tub. A hot tub of DEATH. Maybe that's what the surprise is - DEATH.
Artesia Geyser.
Steady Geyser.
Celestine Pool. You know how I keep mentioning death, and boiling water, and death, and cooking fish, and death?
A hot spring and fumarole. A fumarole is a hole in the ground that shoots out steam. You can hear the steam hissing in the video.
Another fumarole.
Spasm Geyser.
Churning Cauldron. There were bison wandering around this area. Because who's going to tell the bison not to go there.
Black Dragon's Cauldron. The sign for this one reads:
This mudpot roared into existence in 1948, blowing trees out by roots and forever changing this once quiet forested hillside.
A park interpreter named the new feature for its resemplance to a darkly colored "demon of the backwoods." For several decades,
it erupted in explosive 10-20 foot bursts of black mud. Over the years, it has moved 200 feet to the southeast and become relatively
quiet. However as change is constant in Yellowstone, the black dragon may one day roar back to life.
Mud Volcano. It is unclear if this is the name of this specific feature, or a generic name of this type of feature.
Dragon's Mouth Spring. The sign for this one reads:
An unknown park visitor named this feature around 1912, perhaps due to the water that frequently surged from the cave like
the lashing of a dragon's tongue. Until 1994, this dramatic wave-like action often splashed water as far as the
boardwalk. The rumbling sounds are caused by steam and other gasses exploding through the water, causing it to
crash against the walls of the hidden caverns.
