Grand Prismatic Spring facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Grand Prismatic Spring
Aerial view of the Grand Prismatic Spring
Location	Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Teton County, Wyoming
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Elevation	7,270 ft (2,220 m)
Type	Hot spring
Discharge	560 US gal (2,100 L) per minute
Temperature	160 °F (70 °C)
Depth	160 ft (50 m)

The Grand Prismatic Spring is a huge and colorful hot spring found in Yellowstone National Park. It is the biggest hot spring in the United States. Around the world, it is the third largest. Only Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand and Boiling Lake in Dominica are bigger. You can find it in an area called the Midway Geyser Basin.

Scientists first saw this amazing spring during the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871. They named it "Grand Prismatic" because of its incredible colors. These colors are like those you see when light passes through a prism to create a rainbow. You can spot red, orange, yellow, green, and blue!

Grand Prismatic Spring: A Natural Wonder

Grand Prismatic Spring

An aerial view of the spring in July 2001.

Discovering This Amazing Spring

The first people to write about the Grand Prismatic Spring were early European explorers. In 1839, a group of four trappers from the American Fur Company traveled through the Midway Geyser Basin. They wrote about a "boiling lake" that was about 300 feet (90 m) across. This was probably the Grand Prismatic Spring.

Later, in 1870, the Washburn–Langford–Doane Expedition visited the spring. They also saw a geyser nearby that shot water 50-foot (15 m) high. This geyser was later named Excelsior.

The Science Behind Its Dazzling Colors

The amazing, bright colors you see in the Grand Prismatic Spring come from tiny living things. These are called microbial mats. They are made of special bacteria that love hot water. These bacteria live around the edges of the spring where the water is full of minerals.

These mats create colors from green to red. The exact color depends on how much chlorophyll and carotenoids the bacteria have. It also depends on how hot the water is around them. In summer, the mats often look orange and red. But in winter, they usually turn a darker green.

The middle of the spring is a deep, beautiful blue. This blue color comes from the water itself! Water naturally looks blue when it is very deep and clear. This effect is strongest in the center of the spring. This is because the water there is very deep and clean.

How Big and Deep is the Grand Prismatic Spring?

The Grand Prismatic Spring is very large! It is about 370 feet (110 m) wide. That's longer than a football field! It is also very deep, about 160 feet (50 m) down.

Every minute, the spring releases about 560 US gallons (2,100 L) of hot water. This water is around 160 °F (70 °C). That's very hot, so it's important to stay on the boardwalks!

See also

In Spanish: Gran Fuente Prismática para niños