It was a glittering hot spring until 1985 when it suddenly turned into a geyser. Porkchop Geyser: This geyer packs more of a punch than you’d think. You can still see the wreckage around the geyser’s vent. Don’t vandalize them and if you see it happening, report it. A perfect example of what NOT to do to a geyser. Now when it erupts, it’s only 1-2 feet in the air. People tossed so much junk into it (coins, trash, etc.) that it has clogged the vent. This geyser used to frequently shoot water 60 feet into the air. Minute Geyser: Our first stop is Minute Geyser. Once we’ve done the loop through Porcelain Basin, we head South past the musuem into Back Basin where the thermal features don’t get any less tame. This geyser is a great addition to the party – it has rhythm! When it erupts, the water pulsates like a drumbeat. “Rivers” of reds and orange pours from the center of the geyser while emerald green algae has made thick mats a little further away. Whirligig Geyser: This geyser is a spectacular rainbow of colors where extremophiles have set up their homes. Imagine having him for a next door neighbor. It sounds like a jet engine or a howling dragon. This steam vent vaporizes water and jets the steam out of its opening. It is one of the hottest thermal features in Yellowstone at a whopping 284 degrees Fahrenheit.

Black Growler is a noisy little steam vent – you can hear it halfway across the Porcelain Basin! Photo Credit: Volcano Hopperīlack Growler: This little guy is one of my favorite, and perhaps one of the most memorable, features of Porcelain Basin. Since this place is so stinkin’ hot, make sure you keep your boots on the boardwalk! Geyserite is fragile and if you step in the wrong spot and break through, you are toast. The drastic changes in color show the diversity of temperatures and pH levels in the water here.

Reds, oranges, yellows, greens… they’re all here. Amid the shimmery gray landscape are vibrant pops of color: bright blue pools of boiling water and rainbows of color where algae and bacteria have set up shop. Everything in the basin below us is an ashy gray, made so by the layers of geyserite and acid-bleached rhylolite lava. It felt akin to stepping out onto the Moon. Coming out from the thick pine trees, we emerged into the Porcelain Basin. Once we’ve parked the car and explored the museum (which is a great place to learn more about Norris), we headed north along the trail. Porcelain Basin: Porcelain Basin looks like a moonscape with splotches of bright color. With all the extra heat that is allowed up from the magma chamber and the frequent earthquakes that make things shake, rattle, and roll, I could see how dramatic changes might occur here. If I had to make a logical guess, I’d suspect it has something to do with item #2 above. These wild parties that the basin throws last from days to a week and then everything reverts to normal behavior. Clear blue pools will turn a mucky brown and boil vigorously while others explode as geysers. One organism in particular thrives on arsenic! Organisms like this, who thrive in extreme conditions and on compounds that would knock you and I over, are called “extremophiles.” Since their discovery, these organisms have been attracting a lot of study from the scientific community.Ĥ) Disturbances! Norris Geyser Basin is the only place in the park where normal thermal features will undergo dramatic changes overnight. Yet, despite these toxic metals, life thrives here. Remember that Coca Cola will dissolve a penny if it’s left in the liquid for long enough. Echinus Geyser (which we will visit in a few minutes) has the pH of a can of Coke. Dig around a little and you’ll find that arsenic, mercury, and other toxic metals are prevalent in the soil and water. The cracks also allow more heat from the volcanic hot spot to rise to the surface, fueling the geyser basin’s thermal features.ģ) Generally, we think of most places on Earth as having characteristics that are friendly to supporting human life. All these cracks in the ground cause earthquakes, which shake up the plumbing systems that cause geyser eruptions. That’ll toast your marshmallows!Ģ) Norris sits at the junction of 2 major fault lines and a slew of fractures and fissures. How hot? Scientists drilled a hole 265 feet into the rock a few years back and measured a temperature of 401 degrees Fahrenheit. Norris is unlike the other geyser basins in a few aspects:ġ) It’s freaking hot. Now we’re off to the oldest, hottest, and most active geyser basin in the park: Norris Geyser Basin. Having a blast with Yellowstone’s geyser eruptions and thermal features? So am I! But we’re just getting started. Northwestern Wyoming/Southeastern Idaho Norris Geyser Basin Photo Credit: Volcano Hopper Location: Black Sand Basin, Biscuit Basin, Midway Geyser Basin, and Lower Geyser Basin

Last Eruption: Approximately 640,000 years ago

Black geyser lower basin yellowstone