Grand Prismatic Spring

The largest thermal hot spring in the United States and third largest in the world. Nearly two acres in area and with water temperatures at 160 degrees Fahrenheit the water in the pool of the spring is sterile! As it spills out at over 800,000 gallons per day the temperature cools allowing life to take hold in the form of bacteria and thermopiles, which gives the mats their intense colors. The colors themselves give indication as to the temperatures of the water with the blues and green being hotter and the reds and browns indicating cooler water. However standing there gazing upon this spring with the smell of sulfur and waves of hot steam washing over you a sense of awe enters the heart and none of the science means a thing.