After our exhilarating hike we were ready for something a little easier on ourselves. So we headed for the West Thumb Geyser Basin to experience some of the geology that continues to shape Yellowstone.
This geyser area is located along the shoreline of Yellowstone lake, and even though the boiling water dumps into and bubbles up from underwater geysers the lake around West Thumb is still a cold 45 degrees in summer.
Thumb Paint Pots
The colors in the different pools are created in part by thermophiles (heat and acid loving microorganisms). For the most part Green and brown colors indicate organisms living in cooler water.
Yellow and orange indicate hotter water and clear blue water generally indicates water near the boiling point because it contains fewer microorganisms.
This area is constantly changing and is evident from the obviously abandoned pathways through the area and the small newly formed pots.
Lakeside you can see the different colors from thermal water to cooler lake water as you look from the shoreline out into the lake.
Fishing Cone Geyser has a fun history. Mountain men described a geyser along a lake where you could catch a trout swing the pole around, dip it into the boiling pool and cook the fish without taking it off of the line.
Now that is my kind of fishing….I don’t have to touch the slimy critter to get supper!!!
But alas, and “hook and cook” is no longer allowed from Fishing Cone as anglers often injured themselves straddling the boiling water, and by standing on the geyser cone were causing damage.
Early spring visitors to the park are surprised to see the Lakeshore Geyser under water. As the water in the lake drops, after the spring melt the geysers are again visible.
Black Pool isn’t very black any more. At one time the pool was cool enough that a thick mat of of green and brown thermophiles grew over the surface. In 1991 the temperature rose killing the organisms and erupted several times that same year. Now it is now a hot, quiet pool.
Abyss Pool is my favorite in this area. I love the blue and green colors.
Blue Funnel used to be more blue. I’m beginning to think that they shouldn’t give the features names. They change so often that most of the names don’t match any more.
This pool looks more like a blue funnel. Perhaps they should just move the sign.
