Grand Prismatic Spring

Grand Prismatic Spring
Aerial view of the Grand Prismatic Spring
Map
LocationMidway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Teton County, Wyoming
Coordinates44°31′30″N 110°50′17″W / 44.52500°N 110.83806°W / 44.52500; -110.83806[1]
Elevation7,270 ft (2,220 m)[2]
TypeHot spring
Discharge560 US gal (2,100 L) per minute
Temperature160 °F (70 °C)
Depth160 ft (50 m)

The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world,[3] 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 match most of those seen in the rainbow dispersion of white light by an optical prism: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.[4]

  1. ^ "Grand Prismatic Spring". Yellowstone Geothermal Features Database. Montana State University.
  2. ^ "Grand Prismatic Spring". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. ^ "Steam Explosions, Earthquakes, and Volcanic Eruptions—What's in Yellowstone's Future?". U.S. Geological Survey. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2005.
  4. ^ Traci Bryan; Leslie Machen; Joyce Heinsz; Peggy McCracken. "Grand Prismatic Spring". Lunar and Planetary Institute. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2015.