The above pictures are of the White Mountain Hot Spring Terraces at Mammoth in Yellowstone National Park. They are perhaps even more iconic than the famous Old Faithful Geyser. People have visited these terraces via stagecoach since before 1871 when the Hayden Survey was done of Yellowstone. Mammoth is at the very top the park and at the border of Wyoming and Montana. The park offices and park officials are housed in this part of the park.
The terraces in the pictures are actually pools of hot water combined with dissolved calcium and bicarbonate. The carbon dioxide escapes as a gas and the carbonate combines with calcium to precipitate as travertine. (As on my bathroom floor???? Info from google)
Wow! What beautiful pictures you took, Rebecca. That was such a special trip, and we sure enjoyed sharing these experiences with you and Chuck.
ReplyDeleteLinda