One Of The Oddest Geological Wonders Is Located Right Here In Wyoming
The world is a strange place, and the geological features that make it up are even weirder. Among strange geological features, there’s one that stands head and shoulders above the rest: Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic Spring.
The Grand Prismatic Spring is noted for its beautiful colors, but the actual science behind it is pretty interesting. Even better, it’s one of the most unique geological features in the country.
The Grand Prismatic Spring is a hot spring located in Wyoming’s Yellowstone Park. The spring was discovered sometime in the 1800s by fur trappers.
The reason that the Grand Prismatic Spring has its trademark coloration is due to one small reason: bacteria. The Grand Prismatic Spring has what could be defined as circles of heat, with different bacteria preferring one range. Because of this, the bacteria flock to one area and ignore the zones that aren’t as comfortable to them. And, because of their color, they cause the spring to take on a different appearance.
Because only certain types of bacteria can live in the hottest sections of the spring, the outer ring is home to a large variety of different organisms. Because of this variety, the colors of the various bacteria mix. This produces the darker reddish brown on the edges of the spring.
While the Grand Prismatic Spring is always a hot spot for bacteria (yes that pun was on purpose, no I won’t apologize), the bacteria present changes from summer to winter. As the weather gets cooler, so too does the spring. In the winter, the spring leans more towards the red side, while in the summer it’s generally a greenish color.
For whatever reason, every year you hear about someone trying to take a dip in one of Yellowstone’s hot springs. We wouldn’t advise doing this if you’d like to keep your flesh on your body. See all that steam? Trust me when I say it’s hot.
Even if you don’t intend to swim in the Grand Prismatic Spring, you’re still going to want to stay on the path. Yellowstone’s ecosystem is pretty fragile, so introducing foreign materials into one of our hot springs could actually ruin them.
If you want to go see the Grand Prismatic Spring in person, check out this map. It’ll give you a better idea of how to find the spring.
Have you ever been to the Grand Prismatic Spring? If so, jump on down to the comments section and tell us about it!
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