Colourful Hot Springs

Colourful hot springs Colourful hot springs

Some of the colour is probably due to scattering off suspended particles but much is due to high temperature bacteria. You could feel the heat just standing next to it and some of the rippling is due to the convection currents of hot water

The blue water is much deeper here so the caustic patterns only show up on the grey area which is shallow enough for the water 'lenses' to focus the patterns.

Colourful hot springs Colourful hot springs

Steam from this hot pool partially obscures the view but networks are visible in the shallower areas. It is quite remarkable how plants can survive in such a harsh environment at the edge of this pool.

A perfectly calm pool showing the range of bacterial colours with the bluer ones in the deeper hotter water. (Apparently this pool used to be be much hotter and bluer but blockages caused by vandals throwing things in has reduced the flow and temperature.)


Canon EOS 20D   2nd July 2007
Yellowstone National Park

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