In fact, Yellowstone's abundant thermal activity is due to its location atop one of the world's largest active volcanos. Chambers of magma beneath the earth's surface create the park's hydrothermal features. As rain and snow seep into the ground, heat from the magma forces the water back to the surface in the form of geysers, hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles. Signs throughout the park remind visitors to stay on marked trails. Thermal ground is thin ground. One misstep could leave you waist-deep in a boiling hot spring.
However, the local wildlife navigate easily through treacherous areas. We saw evidence of buffalo beside many hot springs and mud pots. This was dad's favorite. Apparently, buffalo have a sense of irony.
The variety of thermal activity in the park is impressive. Our first stop was at Fountain Paint Pots, which is a collection of steam vents, blue pools, pink mud pots, and teacup geysers. During our visit, the outside temperature was in the 30's, and the wind was stiff. These conditions contrasted harshly to the 75 degree weather we enjoyed north of the arctic circle (where we found Al Gore sobbing while spooning a beached whale). However, the wintery bluster fit the lunar landscape.
The mud pots were especially viscous, and the bubbles grew to the size of baseballs before belching a putrid odor.
The mini-geysers at Fountain Paint Pots were not as grand Old Faithful. But because of the recent snowmelt, they were continuous in their fervent eruptions.
In the afternoon, we drove to the canyon region on the western side of the park and stopped at Mud Volcano and Sulphur Caldron. The latter is a large vat of seething mud that stinks to high heaven. Mud Volcano is an elevated trail that winds between several thermal features. Throughout our trip I have tried to make videos that add to the blog experience. I try to make the commentary either useful or amusing, but at Mud Volcano I was at a loss for words. Afraid that I wouldn't recover because of the debilitating stench, Dad, Josh and I took turns reading the explanatory trail markers. When we arrived at Sulphur Caldron, I felt well enough to try again. See what you think. Remember, I was not working from a script.
This is my first and only attempt explaining Mud Volcano:
Josh offers commentary on Black Dragon's Caldron:
I explain how vast and violent changes can occur without notice:
Dad talks about a hellish spike in temperature that killed a dense forest:
My recovery video about Sulphur Caldron:
Non-sequitur:
If you still have the attention span to watch one more video, I suggest this one. This occurred when Josh a I drove the Richardson Highway from Fairbanks to Delta Junction. We stopped by the roadside to photograph a mountain vista. When we looked behind us, we spotted two local yokels wearing slacks and suspenders climbing the steep hillside. My first thought was "how did the Mennonites get here".
A note to the viewer: In this clip I refer to the locals as "jággovs". This may not be appropriate for a younger audience.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Yellowstone National Park
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