Mineralized Pine Needles in Mammoth Hot Springs

October 15, 2010 by 6 Comments

Mineralized Pine Branches © 2010 Bo Mackison

These pine needles were washed into the Mammoth Hot Springs and are lying in several inches of heated spring water. They will eventually be coated with mineral deposits. When the water stops flowing, they will turn into white travertine rock.

I love these close-ups of the hot springs. I took quite a few working on different compositions. Some have twigs, some branches, some a mixture of both. A few have white tips showing where they are exposed to air.

Scalloped Edges in Minreal Hot Springs © 2010 Bo Mackison

These were photographed at Canary Spring on the Main Terrace of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park in early October.

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Canary Spring at Mammoth Hot Springs

October 14, 2010 by 8 Comments
Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park

Canary Spring © 2010 Bo Mackison

Not all of the terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs are chalky white and dry. Canary Spring at the top of the Lower Terrace flows with heated water that has been moving underground for many years. The vibrant colors – oranges, yellows, dark reds – are caused by cyanobacteria and algae mats. They depend on a stable flow of hot water to stay alive. When the water flow decreases or stops, the micro-organisms die and the colors turn into stark white travertine which covers much of the terraced landscape.

Canary Spring is near the top of the Main Terraces, reached by walking a series of boardwalks and stairways through the Mammoth Hot Springs or by driving the Lower Terrace Overlook Road just south of Mammoth.

Just one more thermal feature photographed in Yellowstone National Park.

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