UPPER TERRACE OR MAMMOTH HOT SPRING- YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine ( limestone deposit)
at Yellow Stone National Park . It is one of the world's best examples of travertine-depositing hot 

springs. Limestone is the dominant underlying rock here instead of rhyolite (silica rich rock), which
 is dominant in park's other major  hydrothermal areas. This hotspring is located adjacent to Fort
Yellowstone and  Mammoth Hot springs Historic district. Fort Yellowstone was established for
military purpose while Yellowstone park was under the control of military during 1886-1918. 

Mammoth Hot Spring also known as White Mountain hot spring lies outside the caldera boundary.
 This natural sculpture  was created over thousands of years as  hot water from the  spring cooled
and  deposited  calcium carbonate on the surface. When hot water rises through limestone, large
quantities of rock get dissolved and a white chalky mineral is deposited on the surface. Mammoth hot
 spring gets its energy from the same magmatic system that fuels other Yellowstone geothermal areas.

The entrance to the Upper Terrace Drive is two miles (3.2 km) south of  the Albright Visitor Center
on the Grand Loop Road.  This road  provide access to Mammoth Hot spring, Upper, Midway and
Lower geysers basin,  Tower fall, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and  lake Yellowstone. Grand
Loop road Historic district encompasses the primary road  system in Yellowstone national park.
This    scenic drive winds for 230 km among hot springs and travertine formations.

There are  two terraces here. Lower Terrace can be reached from boardwalks at their base or from
the Upper Terrace Drive. Lower terrace area is comprised of  Opal terrace, Liberty Cap, Palette
Spring, Minerva Terrace, Cleopatra Terrace, Jupiter Terrace, Main terrace and Canary Spring.
 Upper loop  area has more incredible areas which include  Prospect Terrace, New highland terrace,
 Orange  Spring  mound, Bath lake, White Elephant Back Terrace and Angel Terrace. 

 Liberty cap is an unusual inactive hot spring at Yellowstone National Park. This 37-foot (11-m)

 cone marks the northern portion of Mammoth Hot Springs.  It received its name from the  1871 

expedition  team  by the Hayden Survey party because of its marked resemblance to the peaked caps
 worn by colonial patriots during the French Revolution. This unusual formation was created by a hot
 spring  whose plumbing remained open  in one location for a long time. Its internal pressure was 

sufficient to raise the water to a great height, allowing mineral deposits to build continuously for

 perhaps hundreds of years.

Opal Terrace of Lower terrace area received its name when it was a small spring with opal colors.
 The terrace was created by mineral laden hot water flowing through steep landscape and depositing
 minerals as step-like platforms. It was dormant until 1926  when it began to flow again and began
depositing up to one  foot (0.3m) of travertine per year. Opal Terrace, mainly composed of calcium
 rich travertine, constantly change its activity, shape and color 

The  Palette Spring is another attraction at Lower terrace, where water flows from a flat area and then
 down a steep  ridge, creating a colorful hillside palette of brown, green, and orange (the colors are
due to the presence of different heat-tolerant bacteria). This effect is much the same as an artist would
 achieve by allowing wet paint to run down a vertical surface.

With its wide range of bright colors and ornate travertine formation, Minerva Terrace and spring is
considered as the most  favorite attraction  at Mammoth hot spring. For several years in the
 early  1900's, it was completely dry. But by 1951 reports state that Minerva was again active.During
 some  cycles of activity, water discharge and mineral deposition have been so great that boardwalks
 have  been buried beneath mounds of newly deposited travertine. Consequently, an elevated and
movable boardwalk now spans the hill in the vicinity of Minerva of Lower Terrace.

This  dynamic hydro thermal area constantly changes its  features. Due to confusion related to the
intermittent nature of many of the springs in the Mammoth Area, the name Cleopatra Spring/Terrace
 has been given to at least three different springs over the years. As  the confusion developed the
original Cleopatra Spring came to be called Minerva Spring

There are approximately 50 hot springs in the Mammoth Hot Springs area. Jupiter Terrace of Lower
 terrace area  displays cycles of activity. In the 1980s Jupiter Terrace flowed so heavily that it
 overtook boardwalks several times.  It has been dry since 1992, but when active, its color and 

intricate terraces make Jupiter an appealing spring.

Main terrace  is constantly changing as new springs show up and others become inactive. Bunsen
 Peak,Terrace Mountain and Clagette Butte are the main peaks adjacent to Mammoth Hot spring
terrace. Some sections of boardwalk are wheelchair-accessible; the rest of the area has stairs or steep
 grades due to  the terrain .

 Canary spring at the lower terrace loop is named for its bright yellow color, Canary owes its

brilliance to sulfur dependent filamentous bacteria. The colors blend here in delicate tints on the
creamy rock face.

Bacteria and algae create the streaks of color seen at Mammoth hot spring terraces. Blue-green algae
 and cyano bacteria, in colors of green, yellow, orange and red, line the terrace run-off channels.
Cyno bacteria, flow of water, temperature and minerals decide the color and shape of terraces here.

There are many  unnamed springs and pools exist at Upper terrace area. Many trees seen here  on the
 hillside was engulfed by travertine and now stand as skeletons.  Many of the thermal features at
 Mammoth hot spring  changes from season to season depending on water flow  and temperature.

One can also find many other infamous terraces and springs like Angel springs, Aphrodite terrace,
 Baby terrace, Bath lake, Blue spring, Cavern terrace, Cedar tree spring, Cheops Mound, Dedolph
 springs, Devil's kitchen  spring and thumbs, Fan spring, Fissure ridge, Gelen spring at Mammoth Hot
 Springs. These individually named and unnamed features enriches the Mammoth hot spring area.

Due to the soft nature of limestone, travertine formations  grow much more rapidly  than the more
common sinter formations in the park. Due to the rapid deposition, these features constantly and
quickly change. Years of observation of the hot spring activity at Mammoth indicate that while
change is ongoing  and sometimes takes place literally overnight, the overall level of activity and
 water discharge has remained relatively constant throughout the decades. 

The Mammoth Terraces extend all the way from the hillside, across the Parade Ground, and down to

 Boiling River. Terrace Mountain at Mammoth Hot Springs is the largest known carbonate-depositing

 spring in the world. Maximum water temperature measured here is 163°F/73°C. For hundreds of
years, Shoshone and Bannock people collected minerals from Mammoth Hot Springs for white paint.

The volcanic heat source for Mammoth Hot Springs remains somewhat of a mystery. Scientists have

 proposed a number of sources, including the large magma chamber underlying the Yellowstone 

Caldera, or perhaps a smaller heat source closer to Mammoth. At Mammoth, a network of fractures 

and fissures form the plumbing system that allows hot water from underground to reach the surface. 

The water sources are  rain and snow falling on the surrounding mountains and seeping deep into the

 earth where it is heated. Small earthquakes may keep the plumbing open.

As the name suggest, Mammoth hot spring is very huge and gigantic with formations resembling
frozen waterfall .The minerals and bacteria contribute to  the beautiful terrace structures, along with
heat, natural plumbing system, water, and limestone. The Mammoth village area also contain several
thermal kames including Capitol Hill and Dude Hill.

Limestone was deposited here millions of years ago when a vast sea covered this area. Hot water with

 dissolved carbon dioxide makes a solution of weak carbonic acid. As the  solution rises through rock,

 it dissolves calcium carbonate, the primary compound in limestone. At the surface, the calcium

 carbonate is deposited in the form of travertine (rock) that  forms the terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs.

The Mammoth area exhibits much evidence of glacial activity from the  Pinedale glaciation . The
Pinedale (central Rocky Mountains) or Fraser (Cordilleran ice sheet) glaciation was the last of the
 major glaciations to appear in the Rocky Mountian in the United States. The Pinedale lasted from
 approximately 30,000 to 10,000 years ago .The summit of Terrace Mountain is covered with glacial
 till , thereby dating the travertine formation there  to earlier than the end of the Pinedale Glaciation.

The 2,990 feet Mt. Everts, seen at a distance borders the Mammoth hot spring. This mountain is
made up of distinctly layered sandstones and shales-sedimentary rocks which were deposited when
 this area was covered by a shallow inland sea around 70 to 140 million years ago.The majority of
Mt.Everts is  made of Cretaceous era sediments. Nearby is situated  the Washburn range made of
volcanic mud flow. The Washburn Range is  one of two mountains ranges completely within the
boundaries of Yellowstone.One of three  active  fire lookout towers in Yellowstone is located on the
  summit of Wash burn range while the  remaining two are placed on Mt. Holmes, and Mt. Sheridan.

Camera : Canon T5   

NORRIS GEYSER BASIN AND ARTIST PAINT POT- YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

A geyser  is a vent on Earth's surface that periodically ejects a column of hot water and steam. 

Geysers  have eruptions that blast thousands of gallons of boiling hot water up to a few hundred feet

 in the air. Norris Geyser Basin is  one of the most extreme environment on earth. It is located near

 the northwest edge of Yellowstone Caldera near the  Norris Junction and on the intersection of three

 major faults . ( A fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock, across which there

has been significant displacement as a result of rock mass movement ).

Norris  Basin is one of the most dynamic places in Yellowstone National Park.  It comprises of three

main areas: Porcelain Basin, Back Basin, and One Hundred Springs  Plain. Norris Geyser is named 
after an Yellow Stone Superintendent and is the hottest geyser basin  in Yellow Stone.  It is difficult
for plants and animals to survive in such acidic environment. The basin is really colorful due to the
 presence of many mineral oxides and bacteria known as thermophile .  Many acidic pools seen here
are  considered as the world's most oldest and hottest  pools.

Built  in 1929 - 1930, the Norris Museum is situated on a hill between the Porcelain Basin and the
Back Basin of Norris Geyser Basin. The 94-foot (29 m) by 20-foot (6.1 m) museum consists of two 

rectangular sections divided by the breezeway, which is roofed by a prominent jerkin head gable,

 framed in massive logs. The pavilions to either side are of shingle-covered frame construction on a 

massive stone base. A stone and concrete terrace surrounds the building.The museum exhibits focus

 on geothermal geology, features of Norris Geyser and plant and animal life in thermal areas.

Norris Geyser Basin provides two easy ways to explore: the Porcelain Basin Trail and the 
Steamboat/Echinus Geyser Trail.  It  provide a safe route for viewing the Porcelain Basin and Back
Basin. Porcelain Basin is open terrain with hundreds of densely packed geothermal features 
while Back Basin is forested and its features are more scattered and isolated .

Porcelain Basin presents a beautiful but desolate visage which is unlike any of the other geyser

basins in Yellowstone . The name Porcelain basin  was inspired by the  milky color of the mineral

deposited here. The mineral, siliceous sinter also known as geyserite is brought to the surface by

hot water and forms a "sheet" over this flat area.

The landscape of Porcelain basin is stark and barren which is the result of acidic  environment.

The  basin is characterized by  lack of vegetation. No plants can live in this hot, acidic, water

 emitted from the numerous thermal features in the basin. 

Porcelain Basin consist of Black Growler steam vent, Ledge Geyser, Congress Pool, Hot Springs,

 Blue Geysers, Whirligig geyser, Colorful water, Whale's mouth and Crackling lake . The water in 

Norris area is really acidic .The difference in pH allows for a different class of bacterial thermophiles

(bacteria) to live at Norris, creating different color patterns in and around the Norris Basin waters .

The Porcelain basin trail takes you to an incredible world of  clear blue springs and  passes through
  a thin strand of  trees and loops around . The blue pools are saturated with silica, which is the
 primary component of glass. Norris's thermal waters contain the highest concentration of silica in Yellowstone. 

Back basin is full of surprising sites, sounds and smells. It is alive with heats and gases from Yellow

 Stone volcano beneath. With full of geysers and hot springs tucked among trees,  Yellowstone

 volcano is very much alive  here. Back Basin is the lengthier trail at Norris Geyser Basin.  It includes

 Emerald Spring, Steamboat Geyser, Cistern Spring, Echinus Geyser, Green Dragon Spring,

Porkchop Geyser and Minute Geyser .

One of the notable attraction at Back Basin is Emerald Spring which is a clear blue pool. The water

here  absorbs all other colors of sunlight except blue which is clear case of refraction. The 27-foot

 (8 meter) deep pool is lined with yellow sulfur deposits. The yellow color from the sulfur combines

with the reflected blue light, making the hot spring appear a magnificent emerald green.

The largest geyser in the world steam boat geyser is also located at Back basin. When it erupts the
 water jet reaches a height of  380 ft in a spectacular display. Steamboat has an erratic and lengthy 
timetable  between major eruptions.Steamboat erupts over 300 feet (90 m) into the air. It  does not lie
 dormant between eruptions, instead display minor eruptions of approximately 40 feet (12 m).

Cistern Spring and Steamboat Geyser are linked underground. During a major eruption of Steamboat,

 the water in Cistern Spring's pool drains. Normally, Cistern is a beautiful blue pool from which water

 continually overflows. Cisterns spring's brown, green and orange color represents species of visible  algae and bacteria.

The Ragged Hills that lie between Back Basin and One Hundred Springs Plain are thermally altered
 glacial kames.The hottest of Yellowstone's geothermal features are steam vents (fumaroles). Sulfuric
 acid, steam and gases escape through vents in ground which create a barren and unsafe ground called
Solfatara. Here  scalding mud and steam are barely covered by hot crumbling decomposing rock.

One hundred spring Plain is an  off-trail section of Norris Geyser Basin. It  is flat,

 sandy, and extremely dangerous.Much of the underlying ground is hollow and many of the thermal

features are acidic. Most of the hot springs in this area have never been named. Cinder Pool, once

called Verma Spring, is a remote and isolated feature on the  One hundred Spring Plain.

Nuphar Lake is situated along the trail between Porcelain Basin and Norris Campground. There is
another lake called Crackling lake can be found at Norris Basin.The name of this thermal feature was
 proposed by Ed Leigh in 1967 because of popping sounds from nearby springs on its southern shore.

North of Norris is Roaring Mountain. It  is a large, acidic hydro thermal area (solfatara) with many

fumaroles. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the number, size, and power of the fumaroles

were much greater than today. The fumaroles are most easily seen in the cooler, low-light conditions

 of morning and evening.

Artist Paint Pot is  located at Madison at a distance of 4.4 miles south of  Norris Basin.  It  is on  the
midway between  Old Faithful and the Norris Geyser basin.  This small hydro thermal area offers an
array of thermal features including colorful hot  springs and two large mud pots.

A one-mile round trip trail through Artist's Paint Pot took visitors through a section of forest burned
 in 1988. The Artist's Paint Pots trail is so full of vibrant colors, comparable only to an artist's palette.
 Adjacent to this area are three other off-trail, back country thermal areas: Sylvan Springs, Gibbon
 Hill Geyser Basin, and Geyser Creek.

Rainbow colors, hissing steam, and pungent odors  greet your senses at  Norris Basin. These thermal 
areas pulsates from steam and boiling water beneath the surface a feature which appear and
 disappear often . Many of the remote  areas at Norris Basin are fragile, dangerous,and difficult.
 Traveling to remote areas in thermal areas without the aid of knowledgeable  personnel is discouraged.

Location: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Managed by National Park Service,

Phone: (307) 344-7381

Camera Used: Canon EOS rebel

Warning about GPS Systems! Vehicle Navigation Systems and GPS units may provide inaccurate information—sending drivers the wrong way on one-way roads, leading them to dead ends in remote areas, or sending them on roads which are closed at certain times of year. Make sure to use park road maps available at entrance stations.
Trailhead address: Grand Loop Road & Norris Canyon Road, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190

.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK: AN OVERVIEW

Sitting atop a Super Volcano,Yellowstone National Park can be called as a wonderland on earth .
This unique and natural living museum cannot be compared to any other places in the world.
Extending between three states of United States, this natural splendor gives a glimpse of another
side of our planet . 96% of Yellowstone national park is situated in the north west corner of
 Wyoming,  three percent lies in  Montana and the remaining one percent spread to Idaho. 

Yellowstone National Park is widely held  to be the first national park  and one of the first biosphere
reserves in the world. Yellowstone was dedicated as the nations first national park by  President U.S.
 Grant on March 1st 1872. It was formed  20 years before Montana, Idaho and Wyoming were
granted statehood. This is also a UNESCO world heritage site, extending in an area of 3500 sq- miles
 of wilderness. The average elevation of the park is 8000 ft

Little is known about the early inhabitants of Yellowstone area. But evidence suggest that Native 
Indians resided here after the end of the last glaciation  (about 13,000 to 14,000 years ago). The
oldest artifacts (obsidian projectile point ) found here dates backs to  to more than 11,000 years ago.
 The early occupants of Yellowstone were called as Sheepeaters,( a group of Shoshone/Bannock Indians) .

Prior to 1869, Yellowstone was an unexplored territory.  John Colter , a member of Lewis Clark
 expedition team (1804-1806) was the first person to discover Yellowstone park other than native
 Indians.Three major  expeditions brought out the  wonders of Yellowstone to the outside world.
They are Cook-Folsom  expedition (1869-1871),Washburn-Langford-Dane Expedition (1870) and
 Hayden Geological Survey(1871). These  expeditions  brought out its historic and scientific
importance, which made  Federal Government to adopt much stronger laws to protect the park and its
 resources, culminating in  the passing of Lacey Act of 1894 . 

Yellowstone park rest on Yellowstone plateau bordered by Rocky mountains. The nearby mountain

 ranges include the Gallatin range on Northeast, Beartooth mountans on north, Absaroke range on

east, Teton range on southwest and Madison on west. Mount Washburn  with a height of 10, 243 ft

 is the most prominent summit here. The Bunsen Peak near to Mammoth hot spring is an  extinct 

volcano formed approximately fifty million years ago.

Yellowstone park sits on a  super volcano. A super  volcano  is formed when magma rises through a 

vent into earths crust but unable to break through  the crust. The magma get stuck and melts the 

surrounding rocks. Over thousands of years the pressure builds up resulting in an eruption which

 drains  the magma lake . This lead to collapsing of the  land above, resulting in a caldera or a 

depression on earth . A Caldera can extends to several miles.

A supervolcano is the most dangerous type of volcano in earth. It will erupt at a magnitude 8 on the
 Volcano  Explosivity Index (VEI), meaning the measured deposits for that eruption is greater than 
1,000 cubic kilometers (240 cubic miles). An eruption of that magnitude would fill the atmosphere 
with ash, sulfuric acid, and sulfur dioxide, and could potentially cause (and actually has, in the 
ancient past) a new Ice Age.The more  sulfur emissions the  more cooling.

Yellowstone is the biggest super volcano on earth. The other famous super volcano's are Long 

Valley Caldera ( California USA), Valles Caldera ( New Mexico), Lake Toba ( Indonesia), Taupo

 Caldera ( Newzealand) and Aira Caldera ( Japan). The most recent supervolcanic eruption on Earth
 occurred 27,000 years ago at Taupo, located at the center of New Zealand's north island.

Yellowstone’s main travel thoroughfares are the five entrance roads . North, North east and East
 entrances are situated in the state of Montana while West and South entrances are in Wyoming .

 North Entrance is the only park entrance open to wheeled vehicles all year. Prior to the establishment
 of the National Park Service, the U.S. Army protected Yellowstone between 1886  and 1918.
US army was also responsible for the construction of Fort Yellowstone at  Mammoth Hot Springs .

Most of the attractions at Yellowstone National park are located along the Grand loop road, which
 stretches in the shape of number eight. The grand loop road was  planned by Captain Hiram M
 Chittenden of the US Army Corps of Engineers when it was under military control . This primary
road system at  Yellowstone  is approximately 142 miles long with an average speed limit of 45 mph.

 On the Grand Loop road ,there are many visitor centers, museums, boardwalks, and scenic side
 roads. The park also has 466 miles of roads, 950 miles of back country trails, 97 trail heads, and 287
back country campsites. The major attractions that can be accessed through Grand Loop Road
include Norris Geyser basin, Upper, Midway and Lower geyser basin, Mammoth hot spring,
Tower  fall, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Lake Yellowstone. The major museums are
Norris, Madison and Fishing Bridge Museum

The number of thermal features in Yellowstone is estimated to be 10,000. It includes geyser, 
fumaroles, hot springs and mud pots. Fumaroles  or steam vents, are the hottest hydro thermal 
feature in the  park. In 1880's at places like  Roaring Mountain the escaping gas and steam hissed and
 rumbled resulting in loud hissing of steam and gases. Steam vents are  usually found on hill side or
 higher  ground above the basin water supply. Fumaroles rapidly boil away the little water they 
contain  releasing steam and other gases forcefully from the underground.

Geysers  at the park are distributed among nine geyser basin . The number of geysers in each geyser
 basin is provided in brackets. The basins are  Upper Geyser Basin (410), Midway Geyser Basin (59),
Lower Geyser Basin (283), Norris Geyser Basin (193), West Thumb Geyser Basin (84), Gibbon
Geyser Basin (24), Lone Star Geyser Basin (21), Shoshone Geyser Basin (107), Heart Lake Geyser
Basin (69), other areas (33). The most famous geyser at Yellowstone is  the Old Faithful. The tallest
 geyser in the world,  known as steam boat geyser, is also located at Yellowstone park.

Beautiful hotsprings with bright and vivid colors are  are the most common hydrothermal features in
 the park. Their plumbing has no constrictions. Superheated water cools as it reaches the surface, 
sinks, and is replaced by hotter water from below. This circulation, called convection, prevents water
 from reaching the temperature needed to set off an eruption. Many hot springs give rise to streams of heated water.

Mudpots such as Fountain Paint pots are acidic  hot springs with a limited water supply. Some  micro
 organisms use hydrogen sulfide  (rotten egg smell), which rises from deep within the earth, as an 
energy source. They convert the gas into  sulfuric acid  which breaks down the rock into clay.

Another thermal feature, Travertine Terraces formed of limestone can be seen at Mammoth hot 
spring. Thermal waters rise through the limestone here, carrying high amounts of dissolved 
carbonate. Carbondioxide  is released at  the surface and calcium carbonate is deposited as travertine,
 the chalky  white rock of the terraces.These features constantly and quickly change due to the rapid rate of deposition.

There exist nearly 45 named waterfalls and more than 100's of unnamed and undiscovered waterfalls 
in the park. The most famous ones are Tower falls, Lower falls, Upper falls, Fairy Falls and  Gibbon
Falls. Yellowstone is also famous for its amazing canyons. The famous among them are Lewis 
Canyon, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and  Black canyon .Yellowstone carries approximately
 one-half of the world’s hydro thermal features.

The national park derived its name from the Yellowstone river flowing through it. The other  major
rivers flowing through the park are Gallatin River,Gibbon River, Firehole River, Madison river,
Snake River, Bechler River and  Lamar River. The amazing fact is that due to the continental divide,
 Yellowstone river joins Atlantic ocean while Snake river join Pacific ocean though both run parallel
   at Yellowstone National park. The major lakes at the park are Yellowstone Lake, Shoshone Lake,
 Lewis Lake, Heart lake,Grebe Lake,Isa Lake,and Trout Lake .
Yellowstone is home to more than 1,350 species of vascular plants, 330 bird species, 18 fish species,
6 reptile species, 4 amphibian species, and 5 endangered or threatened species. There are almost 60
species of mammals in the park, including the grey wolf, threatened Lynx, grizzly bears, bison, black
 bear, brown bear, elk, moose, mule deer, white tailed deer, mountian goat, pronghorn, bighorn sheep
 and mountain lion.

Yellowstone has the largest free roaming bison herd in the world. Bison have a unique place in
United States history. This largest mammal in North America once thundered across the continent for
 thousand of years. The elements of the the  Yellowstone emblem with  the shape of an  Arrowhead
 symbolize the major facets of the national park system. The Sequoia tree and bison represent
 vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and water represent scenic and recreational values, and the
 arrowhead represents historical and archaeological values.

Yellowstone National Park  is really a magical world comprised of   lakes, mountains, geysers,
and waterfalls. It is a land of extremes with full of wild life. Here forest covers  80% of the
land area while lodgepole pine comprise 80% of the forest area. Lodgepole pine create a typical
landscape  in Yellowstone.Other than enjoying the natural wonders, visitors can also indulge in
 activities like   Boating, Camping, Canoeing, Kayaking, Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding,
Mountain Biking and Wildlife Viewing.

Yellowstone super volcano is believed to erupt every 600,000 to 900,000 years with the last event 
occurring 640,000 years ago. Its eruptions are among the largest known to have ever occurred on 
Earth, producing drastic climate change in the aftermath. Yellowstone faces nearly 1000 to 3000
earthquake annually.

Toxic gases exist in Yellowstone. Dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide have 
been measured in some hydrothermal areas. It is illegal to collect any natural or cultural objects or to
 remove, deface, or destroy any plant, animal, or mineral in Yellowstone's hydrothermal areas. While
 viewing or photographing the area, protect your camera, glasses, and lenses from  hydrothermal heat.
Always use boardwalk as the ground here is fragile and unstable which can cause danger. Bring
drinking water. If you feel sick, leave the location immediately.

Yellowstone host four million visitors each year. This National Park is America's pride and greatest 

heritage to share with the  world . It is one of the few remaining intact large ecosystems in the 

northern  temperate zone of earth. The park  has abundant fossils and is  world's foremost sites for the

 study and appreciation  of the evolutionary history of the earth. This outstanding natural and cultural

 site deserve the attraction, admiration  and protection of all people worldwide. 

Management: National Park Service
Phone:(307) 344-7381
Camera: Canon T5