Yellowstone National Park A Brief Introduction to Geyserland
by
Alissa Cherry
acherry@interchange.ubc.ca
LIBR 500 Foundations of Information Technology
Yellowstone National Park A Brief Introduction to Geyserland
by
Alissa Cherry
acherry@interchange.ubc.ca
LIBR 500 Foundations of Information Technology
Yellowstone National Park is home to the world’s largest concentration of hot springs and geysers
Steamboat Geyser – The World’s Largest!
Hot Springs
Punchbowl Spring NPS Photo
Boiling River
The Boiling River, conveniently located on my way to work, is a great place to soak. As a confirmed thermophile, I have spent a significant portion of the last six years at this magical place and others like it. Scalding hot water emerges from an underground channel and cascades into the Gardner River resulting in a delightful mix of hot and cold. Source to my “Private Shower Soaker” near Boiling River
Geysers Geysers are hot springs that erupt. Eruptions result from super-heated water underground becoming trapped in channels leading to the surface. The hottest temperatures are at the bottom of these channels but the deep water is unable to vaporize because the weight of the water above is too great. Steam bubbles rise, collecting in the channel's tight spots until they become clogged, leading to a critical point when the confined bubbles lift the water above causing the geyser to overflow. This sudden decrease in pressure at the surface causes violent boiling to occur throughout the length of the column, producing a tremendous volume of steam which forces the water out of the vent.
Old Faithful
See Old Faithful Live - CLICK HERE!!
http://www.nps.gov/yell/oldfaithfulcam.htm NPS Photo
Good Times at Old Faithful Old Faithful Inn, a National Historic Landmark, will celebrate its 100th birthday next year.
Almost too good a time at the Inn
Fumaroles
Fumaroles are steam vents from springs that are very hot. Either there isn't enough water or the underground rock is so hot that it boils off all of the water so a pool is unable to form. The small amount of water that does exist is converted to steam and rises from the vent into the air. These features often produce a loud hissing or roaring noise.
Mudpots
Historical Background
1871 Photograph of Thomas Moran taken by William Henry Jackson on the Terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs.
Life at High Temperatures
Many specialized life forms thrive in Yellowstone’s geothermal environments. Bacteria, cyanobacteria and algae can live in the hottest of waters while insects and even some fish live in cooler thermal waters. The organisms are adapted to live only within a specific temperature range. Any given spring can have a wide range of temperatures: hottest near the sources and cooler at the edges resulting in an array of different of organisms living within one single spring. The brilliant colors in many of the pools are due to these life forms that have found their niche. NPS Photo Grand Prismatic Spring
Bioprospecting
Scientists have studied in these organisms for a long time but, only in recent years have they been studied for commercial gain. This “bioprospecting” has raised issues with regard to harvesting resources from national parks (even if they are microscopic) and this particular topic resulted a number of law suits. The issue has been settled in court, for now, and researchers can apply for a permit to harvest microbes and a percentage of any profits from commercial applications developed will be returned to the park. Thermus aquaticus is the most well known Yellowstone microbe. It has been used in a wide range of products and techniques from laundry detergent to Polymearse Chain Reaction DNA fingerprinting made famous in the OJ Simpson trial.
Credits Images and information came from the following sources:
Yellowstone National Park: http://www.nps.gov/yell/
Geyser Observation and Study Association: http://www.geyserstudy.org/
Yellowstone Association: http://yellowstoneassociation.org
Thanks to the above for permission to reproduce images.
Special Thanks to:
Tara Cross in the Yellowstone Research Library for fact checking.
Yellowstone Curator’s Office for the historical image.
The image of OJ’s head was lifted from an already altered photo in the form of a bad joke that was e-mailed to me. I could not locate a source to ask for permission to use it.
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