Black Pool | |
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Location | West Thumb Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Teton County, Wyoming |
Coordinates | 44°25′05″N110°34′19″W / 44.4179953°N 110.5718734°W Coordinates: 44°25′05″N110°34′19″W / 44.4179953°N 110.5718734°W [1] |
Elevation | 7,756 feet (2,364 m) [2] |
Type | Hot Spring |
Temperature | 72.9 °C (163.2 °F) [1] |
West Thumb Geyser Basin |
Black Pool is a hot spring in the West Thumb Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in the United States.
The pool was cool enough up until 1991 for dark orange-brown cyanobacteria to grow throughout the pool. When combined with the blue of the water, the pool appeared to be an exceptionally dark green to almost black, hence the name. [3]
An exchange of function took place in 1991, shifting thermal energy to Black Pool and nearby Abyss Pool, causing them to heat up. Black Pool's temperature became hot enough to kill all the cyanobacteria in the pool, turning the pool a rich teal blue color. The pool also had frequent boiling eruptions on August 15, 1991, doming the water to 3 feet and causing heavy runoff. Black Pool remains extremely hot, and is now one of Yellowstone's most beautiful and intensely blue pools. The name of the pool remains "Black Pool." [4]
The geothermal areas of Yellowstone include several geyser basins in Yellowstone National Park as well as other geothermal features such as hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles. The number of thermal features in Yellowstone is estimated at 10,000. A study that was completed in 2011 found that a total of 1,283 geysers have erupted in Yellowstone, 465 of which are active during an average year. These are distributed among nine geyser basins, with a few geysers found in smaller thermal areas throughout the Park. The number of geysers in each geyser basin are as follows: Upper Geyser Basin (410), Midway Geyser Basin (59), Lower Geyser Basin (283), Norris Geyser Basin (193), West Thumb Geyser Basin (84), Gibbon Geyser Basin (24), Lone Star Geyser Basin (21), Shoshone Geyser Basin (107), Heart Lake Geyser Basin (69), other areas (33). Although famous large geysers like Old Faithful are part of the total, most of Yellowstone's geysers are small, erupting to only a foot or two. The hydrothermal system that supplies the geysers with hot water sits within an ancient active caldera. Many of the thermal features in Yellowstone build up sinter, geyserite, or travertine deposits around and within them.
A mudpot, or mud pool, is a sort of acidic hot spring, or fumarole, with limited water. It usually takes the form of a pool of bubbling mud. The acid and microorganisms decompose surrounding rock into clay and mud.
The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, after Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand and Boiling Lake in Dominica. It is located in the Midway Geyser Basin.
Brilliant Pool is a hot spring in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Brilliant Pool is part of the Daisy Group and is interconnected with the Daisy and Splendid Geysers. Prior to an eruption by Daisy or Splendid, the pool is filled.
Botryoidal Spring is a fountain-type geyser in the Lower Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in the United States.
Excelsior Geyser Crater, formerly known as Excelsior Geyser, is a dormant fountain-type geyser in the Midway Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Excelsior was named by the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871.
Emerald Spring is a hot spring located in Norris Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park.
Fishing Cone, also known as Fishing Pot Hot Springs is a geyser in the West Thumb Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in the United States.
Solitary Geyser is a fountain-type geyser in Yellowstone National Park, located above the Upper Geyser Basin. Eruptions last about a minute and are four to eight minutes apart; most eruptions are less than six feet in height. It is very distinctive with clear blue water underneath and a base that is tinted orange. Solitary Geyser is accessible via the Observation Point loop trail behind Old Faithful.
Abyss Pool is a hot spring in the West Thumb Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in the United States.
Beryl Spring is a hot spring in the Gibbon Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in the United States. It is a large superheated pool, and boils up to a height of 4 feet.
Big Cone is a geyser in the West Thumb Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in the United States.
Economic Geyser is a geyser in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in the United States.
Crested Pool is a hot spring in the Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park. The spring is 42 feet deep. It is named for the "crest" which surrounds the pool. Although it is considered a spring, Crested Pool sometimes erupts like a geyser.
Morning Glory Pool is a hot spring in the Yellowstone Upper Geyser Basin of the United States. The spring is also known by the name Morning Glory Spring.
The following articles relate to the history, geography, geology, flora, fauna, structures and recreation in Yellowstone National Park.
Doublet Pool is a hot spring in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.
Jewel Geyser is a fountain geyser in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in the United States. It is in the Biscuit Basin complex that includes Black Diamond Pool, Black Opal Spring, Wall Pool, Sapphire Pool, Shell Spring, Silver Globe Spring, Avoca Spring, West Geyser, the Mustard Springs, Coral Geyser, and Black Pearl Geyser.
Belgian Pool is a hot spring in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Originally named Oyster Spring, it was renamed after a visitor from Belgium fell into it in 1929 with fatal results. The spring is less hot than other features in the area, at about 180 °F (82 °C), but still sufficiently hot for severe thermal burns. References to a "Belgian Geyser" in the 1930s may refer to this feature.
Black Sand Basin is one of a grouping of geothermal hot springs and geysers located in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. The spring is too hot to use as a mineral bath as its scalding 200 °F (93 °C) or hotter water has proven to be fatal. In the winter, a marked ski trail runs from the Old Faithful Visitor Center to Black Sand Basin