Grand Prismatic Spring

Another photo taken at Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, on 13 September 2012. The colours were just so spectacular.

"The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, after Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand and Boiling Lake in Dominica. It is located in the Midway Geyser Basin.

Grand Prismatic Spring was noted by geologists working in the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871, and named by them for its striking coloration. Its colors include blue, green, yellow, orange, red and brown, and recall the rainbow disperson of white light by an optical prism.

The vivid colors in the spring are the result of pigmented bacteria in the microbial mats that grow around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The bacteria produce colors ranging from green to red; the amount of color in the microbial mats depends on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids and on the temperature of the water which favors one bacterium over another. In the summer, the mats tend to be orange and red, whereas in the winter the mats are usually dark green. The center of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat.... The spring is approximately 250 by 300 feet (80 by 90 m) in size and is 160 feet (50 m) deep. The spring discharges an estimated 560 US gallons (2,100 L) of 160 °F (70 °C) water per minute." From Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Prismatic_Spring

Why Nature's beauty gets destroyed and why people get seriously injured or killed. I just don't understand the mentality of some people!! This YouTube video, of a young Oriental woman who had climbed over the railing and was walking all over the delicate and dangerous deposits just so she could get closer photos, was taken at Mammoth Hot Springs, and was accompanied by the following words:

"In Yellowstone park it's dangerous AND illegal to leave the boardwalk near geothermal features. Not only is there risk of serious injury or death from acid burns, but this destroys the fragile mineral deposits, ruining the experience for future visitors.... Update: The Park Ranger I reported this to contacted me to let me know the girl was cited and fined $125."

youtu.be/oVKqXsIs2mw