Mammoth Hot springs is a photograph by Jeff Swan which was uploaded on July 26th, 2015.
Title
Mammoth Hot springs
Artist
Jeff Swan
Medium
Photograph
Description
Mammoth Hot Springs
Dead trees at Mammoth Hot Springs.jpg
Dead Trees at Mammoth Hot Springs
Location
Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Park County, Wyoming
Coordinates
445801N 1104244WCoordinates: 445801N 1104244W[1]
Elevation
6,735 feet (2,053 m)[2]
Type
Hot spring complex
MammothHotSprings.JPG
Map of area
Not to be confused with the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, South Dakota
Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine in Yellowstone National Park adjacent to Fort Yellowstone and the Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District.[3] It was created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate (over two tons flow into Mammoth each day in a solution). Because of the huge amount of geothermal vents, travertine flourishes.[4] Although these springs lie outside the caldera boundary, their energy has been attributed to the same magmatic system that fuels other Yellowstone geothermal areas.
View of the terraces made of crystallized calcium carbonate
The hot water that feeds Mammoth comes from Norris Geyser Basin after traveling underground via a fault line[5] that runs through limestone and roughly parallel to the Norris-to-Mammoth road. The limestone from rock formations along the fault is the source of the calcium carbonate.[6] Shallow circulation along this corridor allows Norris' superheated water to slightly cool before surfacing at Mammoth, generally at about 170 F (80 C). Algae living in the warm pools have tinted the travertine shades of brown, orange, red, and green.[7]
Elk on travertine terraces, Mammoth Hot Springs
Thermal activity here is extensive both over time and distance. The thermal flows show much variability with some variations taking place over periods ranging from decades to days.[6] Terrace Mountain at Mammoth Hot Springs is the largest known carbonate-depositing spring in the world. The most famous feature at the springs is the Minerva Terrace, a series of travertine terraces. The terraces have been deposited by the spring over many years but, due to recent minor earthquake activity,[when?] the spring vent has shifted, rendering the terraces dry.
Uploaded
July 26th, 2015