Yellowstone "Supervolcano"

Wyoming, June 2012

Yellowstone caldera is an ancient "supervolcano" that has a catastrophic eruption about every 650,000 years or so. The volcano could erupt again in our lifetime, but in the meanwhile, it is a spectacular places filled with geysers, steam vents hot springs and boiling mud pools. The volcanic activity come from a hot spot deep below the surface that channels heat up in a plume of magma that collects in a chamber below the volcano. Other than the thermal features, you'd never know by looking around that Yellowstone is a volcano. The sides of the caldera are so far apart that it's a long drive to get from one side to the other. It is a huge volcano, and a spectacular national park.

The amazing colors of Yellowstone.	Opal Pool

Pre-Dawn, surrounded by steam from the hot springs.	Cliff Geyser erupting.

A coyote pounces on its prey.	Emerald Pool.

It looks like there are plenty of bears around!!	Yep, plenty of bears around!!

Uprooted tree & steam vent.	Morning light working its way down the hillside.

Sunrise steam.	Geyser erupting.

Old Faithful Geyser in mid-eruption. About every 90 minutes or so.	Old Faithful Geyser erupting with a hint of a rainbow.

Flowers & Old Faithful Geyser.	Old Faithful geyser erupting, right on cue.

A herd of bison with calves walking amongst the steam vents & fumaroles.	Bison & Steam vent. These guys get a bit cantankerous. It's best to leave a respectful distance.

The Terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs.	The Terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs.

The Grand Prismatic Pool. Certainly one of the most amazing places on Earth. The orange colors are not mineral deposits, they are mats of extremophile bacteria that thrive in the hot, sulphurous environment.	The Tetons, Panoramic.Teton National Park.

Spasm Geyser.	Red Spouter, bubbling away, full of hot mud.

A panoramic shot of one of the very colorful hot springs at Yellowstone National Park.	A rare "volcanic steam bow" - The low sun behind me caused a pale rainbow to form in the steam rising up out of Excelsior Geyser In Yellowstone National Park. The small ring of color around my shadow's head is another optical effect called a glory. These perfect conditions only lasted for a few seconds as the steam billowed up in just the right place at just the right time.

Sunset at Yellowstone Volcano.	Another, colorful thermal pool.

 

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