Closeup view shows layered and porous nature of the travertine.
In all major thermal areas of the Park, with the exception of Mammoth Hot Springs, most of the material being deposited is sinter (the kind found around geysers is popularly called geyserite). Its chief constituent is silica (the same as in quartz and in ordinary window glass). At Mammoth, the deposit is travertine ([fig. 48]), which consists almost entirely of calcium carbonate. The material deposited at any given place commonly reflects the predominant kind of rock through which the hot water has passed during its underground travels. At Mammoth Hot Springs the water passes through thick beds of limestone (which is calcium carbonate), but in other areas the main rock type through which the water percolates is rhyolite, a rock rich in silica.
Through centuries of intense activity, layers of sinter have built up on the floors of the geyser basins ([fig. 44]); these deposits are generally less than 10 feet thick. In one drill hole at Mammoth, deposits of travertine extend to a depth of 250 feet. Dead trees and other kinds of vegetation whose life processes have been choked off by the heat, water, and precipitated minerals of hot-spring activity are a common sight in many places ([fig. 51]).
Both travertine and sinter are white to gray. Around active hot springs, however, the terraces that are constantly under water may be brightly colored (figs. [43] and [49]) because they are coated by microscopic plants called algae. These organisms, which thrive in hot water at temperatures up to about 170°F, are green, yellow, and brown. Oxides of iron and manganese also contribute to the coloring in some parts of the thermal areas. The delicate blue color of many pools, however, results from the reflection of light off the pool walls and back through the deep clear water ([fig. 43]). Other pools are yellow because they contain sulfur, or are green from the combined influence of yellow sulfur and “blue” water.
ALGAL-COLORED TERRACES lining the west bank of the Firehole River at Midway Geyser Basin. Algae are microscopic plants that grow profusely on rocks covered by hot water at temperatures up to about 170°F. (Fig. 49)
Hot springs and geysers
Hot springs occur where the rising hot waters of a thermal system issue from the ground-level openings of the feeder conduits ([fig. 45]). By far the greatest numbers discharge water and steam in a relatively steady noneruptive manner, although they vary considerably in individual behavior. Depending upon pressure, water temperature, rate of upflow, heat supply, and arrangement and size of underground passages, some hot springs boil violently and emit dense clouds of vapor whereas in others the water quietly wells up with little agitation from escaping steam. In some hot springs, however, the underground channels are too narrow or the upflow of very hot water and steam is too great to permit a steady discharge; periodic eruptions then result. These special kinds of springs are called “geysers” (from the Icelandic word geysir, meaning to “gush” or “rage”). At least 200 geysers, of which about 60 play to a height of 10 feet or more, occur in Yellowstone National Park; this is more than in any other region of the world.
How does a geyser work? We cannot, of course, observe the inner plumbing of a geyser, except for that part which is seen by looking into its uppermost “well.” Deeper levels directly below the “well” can be probed by scientific instruments to some extent, and research drilling in some parts of the geyser basins also provides much useful information. The available information suggests that the plumbing system of a geyser (1) lies close to the ground surface, generally no deeper than a few hundred feet; (2) consists of a tube, commonly nearly vertical, that connects to chambers, side channels, or layers of porous rock, where substantial amounts of water can be stored; and (3) connects downward through the central tube and side channels to narrow conduits that rise from the deepwater source of the main thermal system.