The Grand Prismatic Spring

The Grand Prismatic Spring is one of the most famous sites in Yellowstone National Park, USA. This place is mentioned by visitors as a masterpiece of nature with eye-catching and overwhelming colorful carpets. So, is The Grand Prismatic Spring really magnificent and worth a visit? Let’s explore with Hoan My Travel
The Grand Prismatic Spring – colorful spring
Located in the Midway Geyser Basin, The Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the United States, part of Yellowstone National Park. At the same time, this is also the third largest hot spring in the world. It is second only to Frying Pan Lake (New Zealand) and Boiling Lake (Dominica).

Spanning 300 ft, the Grand Prismatic hot spring looks like a giant lake. In particular, The Grand Prismatic reminds visitors of eye-catching kaleidoscopes. Surely you will be overwhelmed by the unique fairy scene here.

History of The Grand Prismatic Spring
The first reports of The Grand Prismatic Spring came from European explorers in the early 19th century.

In 1839, a group of fur hunters from the American Fur Company passed through the Midway geyser basin. At the same time, record the existence of a “boiling water”. This is also The Grand hot spring

Impressive scene at The Grand Prismatic Spring

In 1870, the Washburn-Langford-Doane expedition visited this place and recorded a geyser with a height of 50 ft. This place is also known as Excelsior. A year later, in 1871, the survey team of geologist Ferdinand V. Hayden officially recognized and named this stream after its outstanding color.

The Grand Spring with enchanting colors

In spring, The Grand Prismatic Spring comes alive with a carpet of colors that range from green to red. In the summer, this place puts on a prominent “shirt”, overwhelmed with red and orange colors. While in winter, Grand Prismatic becomes softer with fresh dark green.

So, what exactly gives The Grand Prismatic Spring this mesmerizing color change? The Smithsonian magazine explained that the cause is the microbial mat that exists here. It consists of many layers, mainly bacteria and archaea.

Because water from hot springs can flow continuously without interruption. Thus, they continuously go through a cycle of rising, cooling, descending, rising again. From there, they form rings of different water temperatures, and the central area of the stream is where the temperature is hottest.

Because the water in the center of the spring is so hot, most life cannot exist. Therefore, the central area is always blue. However, different types of bacteria can survive in subsequent rounds of the stream with varying degrees of heat. It is from there that each heat zone can sustain different types of bacteria, giving The Grand Prismatic Spring its mesmerizing color.

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