Wander Words

Painted Pot, boiling mud pit Photos © 2005 Leaf McGowan

Saturday, 28 May 2005 - Part 3 of 3 Yellowstone National Park Fountain Paint Pots & Pools Fountain Paint Pot Trails by Leaf Mcgowan Lured in by the smell of sulphuric bubbling mud, enveloped by clouds of molten mist, and intrigued by gushing geysers … I took the wooden walkway trails through volcanic flats filled with bubbling mud pits, steaming pools, boiling water bowls, and spraying geysers. Keeping my distance from the dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide - I gazed at these geological wonders from a distance. In the heart of the Lower Geyser Basin, the Fountain Paint Pot trail displays all four types of hydrothermal features: geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and fumaroles.

An easy trail length of .5 miles (.8 km) wooded boardwalk that will keep you a safe distance from sinkage, toxic fumes, and scalding burns. Thermophiles (heat-loving microorganisms such as bacteria) form ribbons of various colors of green, brown, and orange mats. Fountain Paint Pot - the most famous of bubbling mud pools in Yellowstone can range in target strength from a light boiling water to thick bursting bubbles that can lob mud up and over the guard rails. Mud here is composed of clay minerals and fine particles of silica, quartz, feldspar, and kaolinite. Hissing and roaring of fumaroles project steam, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide rushing up through these vents. The amazing beauties of Leather Pool, Red spouter, Volcanic Tableland, Twig Geyser, Jet geyser, Fountain Geyser, Morning Geyser, Spasm Geyser, Clepsydra Geyser all erupting and firing steam and/or water into the air. Dead lodgepole pin trees are fossilizing before our eyes as they extend dead from the pool edges. The beauty of Celestine Spring will finalize the trail with spectacular glory.

leafworks wrote this on May 31st, 2005 and filed it under Travel |