Mammoth Terraces in Winter Blanket
by Sharon Elliott
Title
Mammoth Terraces in Winter Blanket
Artist
Sharon Elliott
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
At the Northwest enterance of Yellowstone National Park, one of the first areas you come to is the Mammoth Hot Springs/Norris Area. These beautiful terraces are formed by the snow that seeps into the earth and is warmed by heat radiating from the large chamber of magma, or molten rock, lying just 5 to 6 miles beneath the earth. At this depth, the water comes into contact with carbon dioxide, and as the carbon dioxide dissolves in the hot water it makes carbonic acid, which dissolves the limestone formations. The colors seen in these thermal features are not caused by travertine, but by primitve microorganisms living in the water. The shades of these geothermal features are more colorful when the feature is active. These travertine layers are growing at a rate of 3 feet per year in some parts of the Mammoth Terraces.
On this day I encountered many weather patterns and loved the divercity of the day. At this moment a good snow storm had just passed through, some of my images of Mammoth Ice show that storm. This was my first trip to Yellowstone in the middle of winter, and as I have said over and over, this season needs to be experienced at this park. In the summer when it is very warm outdoors, one cannot see all of the small steam vents. Layer up and go...this is a beautiful place in the winter.
Information presented above is from: Yellowstone Guidebook. Yellowstone Association.
Uploaded
January 19th, 2013
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Viewed 351 Times - Last Visitor from Ottawa, ON - Canada on 03/06/2024 at 5:42 PM
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