Clocking in at 200 feet across, Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in Yellowstone National Park and is one of the most brilliantly colored hot springs, but you can't see that from the ground. A brilliant blue center surrounded by yellows, oranges, and browns, this massive spring roils at temperatures near 160 F, resulting in a near-constant cloak of steam. The clear blue color of the spring is caused by sunlight scattering through the fine particles suspended in the boiling water, much like the vivid blues of glacial tarns (though with quite a bit of temperature difference). Extremeophile mats contribute to the yellows, oranges, and browns that surround the spring in its runoff channels. Extremeophiles, microorganisms that survive in extreme conditions, thrive near the hot springs of Yellowstone, creating a special, easily accessible area to study these microorganisms in the type of harsh environments that are found throughout the solar system. In our search for extra terrestrial life we are likely going to be searching for something like the tiny organisms that live near hot springs, or in glacial ice, and where better to study these fascinating creatures than Yellowstone? Musings about ET aside, Grand Prismatic Spring was an amazing setting to catch the sunset, the low light reflecting off shallow runoff and catching on the twisting steam columns. What better way to spend an evening than on a boardwalk surrounded by light and heat.
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