Yellowstone's Hot Spring & Geyser "Wonderland"

Yellowstone's geothermal systems are in constant ebb and flow and the underground dynamics are not always comprehended, but the features are always appreciated. About 5 million people every year come to Yellowstone to see the magical or wondrous hot springs and geysers. Each feature is very unique and often, or at least the most popular features, have a unique story about their plumbing. We offer tours that celebrate and explore these hydrothermal wonders such as our Half Day Hot Springs & Geysers Tour and Full Day Hot Springs & Geysers Tour.

Old Faithful erupts against a backdrop of stormy skies, showcasing nature's dramatic display in a geothermal landscape.

The underground plumbing is abstract, and for the most part, can be misunderstood due to the geochemistry, or chemical interactions between the rhyolite volanic rock and the hot groundwater. To complicate these systems even more, Yellowstone has on average a range of 1500 to 2500 earthquakes each year, which through the minor shaking and quaking can fracture and change the underground pluming as well. So with the geochemistry and the earthquakes, geologists at USGS are employing devices to try and understand the underground plumbing system, thermodynamics, and changes over time. As it turns out, this interest in the geochemistry and thermal plumbing systems began in the 1870s.

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has about 50 siesmic devices placed to track earthquake strength, duration, and location. Around the main features such as Old Faithful and Steamboat Geyser (my favorite), there are acoustic devices to determine from which direction the groundwater enters the main chambers prior to eruption. With this technology, the plumbing is still not completely comprehended and still considered a giant black box with some general descriptions.

Generally speaking, there are three types of hot springs chemistry systems in Yellowstone, calcium carbonate, alkaline-chloride, and acid-sulfate systems. The calcium carbonate systems (CaCO3) or travertine hot springs occur at Mammoth Hot Springs, which are located outside of the volcanic complex and is known to have chemistry contributed by the Madison Limestone. Alkaline-Chloride (pH>7) hot spring systems, such as Old Faithful, and acid-sulfate (pH<7) systems such as Mud Volcano (Mud Volcano Geyser Area). All three systems have an intertwined and complex relationship with depresurizing gasses such as carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S); the underlying rock chemistry and minerals that dissolve in the hot water; and water temperatures that dicatate when the dissolved minerals precipitate (or become solids) around the hot spring.. Then add a dash of cascading communities of thermophilic bacteria that add more color for a prism of color in all shapes and sizes..

We offer guided Yellowstone Tours of the hot springs and geyser basins that will knock your socks off! We will tell the story of many iconic features and how they got their current name and with some, their changing names over time. Please go to our tours page to book a day tour in Yellowstone National Park and see the geysers, hot springs and wildlife that make this place so special.

Castle Geyser with layers of sinter near Old faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park