The most obvious sign of the volcanic activity in the park are the thousands of "thermal features" within and surrounding the caldera. These take many different forms: geysers, thermal pools, mud pots, mud volcanoes, fumaroles . . . These features are awe-inspiring for anyone, but for a microbiologist this is one of the coolest places on Earth.
The first thing that you notice about many of these features is the bright-coloration that makes each unique. The source of this coloration is microbes (bacteria, archaea, algae, etc.). These organisms known as extremophiles can tolerate the very high temperature and extreme pH (acid/alkaline) conditions of these springs and thrive. Sara and I had a great time explaining the various features to her family as we toured through several different geyser basins.
For me it was even more exciting since I actually do research on the microbes and viruses that call these pools home. In fact the week before I left for this trip we submitted a grant proposal to study the microbiology in several of the hot springs at Yellowstone. One of the hot springs we visited at West Thumb Basin (called Black Pool) was previously sampled by our collaborators and I recently analyzed viral DNA sequences from it. It was very cool to be able to stand there and actually put a face on part of my research. The sulfur-laden smell of many of these springs also took me back to my past trip sampling deep sea hydrothermal vents, which are essentially the same thing (but under the sea).
All in all it was a great experience and despite seeing dozens and dozens of thermal features over the past few days, I still wish I had time to see more. My only caveat about this experience is that while we stood there and waited for Old Faithful to erupt, this was probably the least interesting part to me. It was crowded and a lot of waiting around. In the end I found many of the other features we visited, like West Thumb Basin, Sand Pit Basin, Grand Prismatic Hot Spring, Norris Geyser Basin, Mammoth Hot Springs, and the Dragon's Mouth to be much more interesting. Anyone who goes to Old Faithful spends a few minutes wandering around the nearby Upper Geyser basin then assumes all the rest are the same are really missing out on some of the best parts of Yellowstone.
I know this post is getting long, but I have one more thermal feature that I'd like to mention. This feature is well-known, but most people would be surprised to learn that the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, carved by the spectacular Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls are actually a thermal feature. Scientists have determined that the falls have managed to carve this deep canyon in a geologic instant within the last 14,000 years. The accelerated rate that this canyon has formed is due to the thermal features which heated the rock, making it extremely susceptible to erosion and linking this seemingly independent marvel of Yellowstone, to the volcanic activity which drives life in the park.
- Posted by Shawn from my iPad
Location:Yellowstone NP
