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| Beauty Pool |
Wednesday took us to perhaps the most famous attraction in Yellowstone, Old Faithful. Upper Geyser Basin occupied our morning. While watching Old Faithful erruptwe could see two other geysers errupting at the same time.
Geysers are hot springs that have constrictions in their plumbing which causes them to periodically erupt to release built up pressure. Old Faithful is one of 6 geysers that they post predicted erruption times. They aren't exact, but are based on previous eruption intervals. We watched Old Faithful erupt twice and I think it was within 2 minutes of the predicted time both times. Eruption times of all geysers change over time. Old Faithful erupts more frequently than any of the other big geysers but it isn't as "faithful" as it once was, erupting between 50-175 minutes. It's eruptionsions last 1.5 to 5 minutes, it expels 3,700-8,400 gallons of boiling water and it reaches a height of 106-184 feet.
Yellowstone experiences between 1,500 to 2,500 earthquakes per year. Most are too small to be felt by people, but they can affect the hydrothermal features by changing geyser intervals, pool levels, etc.
Very proud of our Junior Rangers, Cyrus and Samira!
Thermophiles are heat loving microorganisms that are responsible in part for the colors you see in the thermal pools. Pictures do not do the pools justice.
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| Grotto Geyser |
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| Giant Geyser last erupted in March, 2019. It is active for a period and then goes dormant. Between 2017 and 2019 it erupted 39 times. |
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| Chromatic Pool |
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| Depression Geyser |
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| Just checking out the geysers. |
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| Osprey in it's nest |
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| Artists Paintpots |
Fumarole--listen
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| More dish jenga |
FLASHBACK: 1992
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In 1992 we took the boys out west and one of out stops was Yellowstone. No reservations then. You showed up early to get a camping spot. We spent the night in the Shoshone National Forest and got up early to wait in line for a coveted spot. We were successful!
Where are the Piepers now? Montrose, CO |
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