Yellowstone Visions
By Kate Bauer beesong
Category: Arts & Photography
Tags: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Grand Prismatic Hot Spring, Mammoth Hot Springs, National Parks, boiling mud, coyote pups, hot springs, waterfalls. pelican, Yellowstone, bison, geysers, pronghorn, thermal, thermophiles, travertine, wildflowers
From the bookcover flaps:
Grand Prismatic Hot Spring:
Named for the prism of reflected colors in the steam it produces, Grand Prismatic Hot Spring is one of the most spectacular sights in North America.
Grand Prismatic is ringed by a stunning variety of colors, which are actually created by a number of species of thermophiles (heat-loving bacteria) that flourish in the various narrow temperature ranges. The blue water in the center is too hot to support any bacterial life, while the outer orange rings represent the coolest water.
Thermophilic bacteria populations range in color from green to red, depending upon the temperatures in which each species thrives.
The colors seen in these photographs are a function of each bacteria species and of the changing light and cloud cover; they have not been artificially created.
Mammoth Hot Springs:
The terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs are formed when heated water ascends through the ancient limestone deposits of the region. This hot water carries dissolved calcium and bicarbonate to the surface of the terraces, where the carbonate combines with calcium to precipitate as travertine.
Freshly-deposited travertine limestone is bright white in color and can easily be mistaken for snow and ice in these photographs. While initially formed as snow-white rock, the presence of microorganisms living on the surfaces of the travertine gradually creates beautiful shades of oranges, pinks, yellows, greens, and browns.
Standard Landscape 10x8 inches (25x20 cm) 80 pages
Published: September 5, 2007
