The Fountain Paint Pots at Yellowstone, along with the Hverir mudpots in Iceland, are two of the most consistently outstanding formations of their kind in the world. Magma a short distance underground heats water to beyond the boiling point, but it stays liquid due to pressure. In both cases, nearby geysers vent much of that water through outburst fountains, but some of the water travels through underground piping that allows it to strip off and suspend a great deal of surrounding minerals along the way, forming pools of boiling mud at the surface. Ever-changing liquid sculptures, these pots continually gurgle, with enchanting sound and sight, no two freeze-frames ever the same, as assorted bubbles and strands of mud pop, slosh and splatter randomly. The column of mud at the top resembles a long-necked waterbird reaching skyward to scan the view for mates or predators, while the burst bubble at bottom splashes a semicircular amphitheater of thick fluid in three directions. Bubbles soon to pop resemble geodesic dome homes or igloos. All are only fleeting shapes on an inhospitable surface reminiscent of a primordial hot world far away—or perhaps, even a large swath of the Earth itself long, long ago.
Yellowstone National Park WY (20 Sep 13) Looking SW
44.5507, -110.8061Yellowstone Mudpot Freeze-Frame
The Fountain Paint Pots at Yellowstone, along with the Hverir mudpots in Iceland, are two of the most consistently outstanding formations of their kind in the world. Magma a short distance underground heats water to beyond the boiling point, but it stays liquid due to pressure. In both cases, nearby geysers vent much of that water through outburst fountains, but some of the water travels through underground piping that allows it to strip off and suspend a great deal of surrounding minerals along the way, forming pools of boiling mud at the surface. Ever-changing liquid sculptures, these pots continually gurgle, with enchanting sound and sight, no two freeze-frames ever the same, as assorted bubbles and strands of mud pop, slosh and splatter randomly. The column of mud at the top resembles a long-necked waterbird reaching skyward to scan the view for mates or predators, while the burst bubble at bottom splashes a semicircular amphitheater of thick fluid in three directions. Bubbles soon to pop resemble geodesic dome homes or igloos. All are only fleeting shapes on an inhospitable surface reminiscent of a primordial hot world far away—or perhaps, even a large swath of the Earth itself long, long ago.
Yellowstone National Park WY (20 Sep 13) Looking SW
44.5507, -110.8061