A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. The hot spring pools contain microorganisms known as thermophiles , a type of extremophile. They are organisms that exist in the most unlikely, unlivable, and extreme places, hence their name. The color comes from the way that these thermophiles reflect the light of the sun. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth, but many of these wonderful water bodies are concentrated in the Yellowstone National Park, USA.





1. Grand Prismatic Spring, USA

The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world. It is located in the Midway Geyser Basin.

Grand Prismatic Spring was noted by geologists working in the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871, and named by them for its striking coloration. Its colors include blue, green, yellow, orange, gold, red and brown, and recall the rainbow disperson of white light by an optical prism.

map] The vivid colors in the spring are the result of pigmented bacteria in the microbial mats that grow around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The bacteria produce colors ranging from green to red; the amount of color in the microbial mats depends on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids and on the temperature of the water which favors one bacterium over another. [ link



2. Sapphire Pool, USA

link Sapphire Pool is located in Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. The pool, with temperatures over 200 ° F (93 ° C), is named for its crystal-clear water and for its resemblance to an Oriental sapphire.

link map] The pool changed dramatically after the 1959 earthquake and erupted up to 150 feet (45 m), but stopped by 1968. [ link



3. Cistern Spring, USA

link Yellowstone National Park. It used to be a small gray pool, but in 1966 it transformed into a very active, colorful spring, often overflowing creating terraces of minerals that killed nearby trees such as the ones in the background. The pool is often blue in color, but sometimes it is green, just like in the picture. The underground plumbing of Cistern Spring is linked to the nearby Steamboat Geyser, which when it erupts, is the tallest geyser in the world. [ Cistern Spring is located in the. It used to be a small gray pool, but in 1966 it transformed into a very active, colorful spring, often overflowing creating terraces of minerals that killed nearby trees such as the ones in the background. The pool is often blue in color, but sometimes it is green, just like in the picture. The underground plumbing of Cistern Spring is linked to the nearby Steamboat Geyser, which when it erupts, is the tallest geyser in the world. [ link



4. Crested Pool, USA

link Yellowstone National Park. The spring is 42 feet (12.8 m) deep. It is named for the "crest" which surrounds the pool. Although it is considered a spring, Crested Pool sometimes erupts like a geyser. [map] Crested Pool is a hot spring in the Upper Geyser Basin in. The spring is 42 feet (12.8 m) deep. It is named for the "crest" which surrounds the pool. Although it is considered a spring, Crested Pool sometimes erupts like a geyser. [ link



5. Doublet Pool, USA

link Doublet Pool is a hot spring in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. This pool is 8 feet (2.4 m) deep and its temperature is approximately 194.4 °F (90.2 °C).

link Its scalloped edge is made of geyserite. Although geysers rarely occur in Doublet Pool, with only two or three have been seen the pool on the right pulses over the vents about every two hours.

link map] Occasionally there will be vibrations, surface wave motion, and thumping; these effects are caused by collapsing gas and steam bubbles deep underground. [ link



6. Champagne Pool, New Zealand

link Champagne Pool is a prominent geothermal feature within the Waiotapu geothermal area in the North Island of New Zealand. The terrestrial hot spring is located about 30 km (20 mi) southeast of Rotorua and about 50 km (30 mi) northeast of Taupo. The name Champagne Pool is derived from the abundant efflux of carbon dioxide (CO2), similar to a glass of bubbling champagne.

link map] The hot spring was formed 900 years ago by a hydrothermal eruption, which makes it in geological terms a relatively young system. Its crater is around 65 m (213 ft) in diameter with a maximum depth of approximately 62 m (203 ft) and is filled with an estimated volume of 50,000 m3 (1,800,000 cu ft) of geothermal fluid. [ link





7. Blue Star Spring, USA