"Deceptive Crystal"

One of the most popular destinations in Yellowstone National Park is the Mammoth Hot Springs area, near the northern entrance to the Park. The Springs feature an amazing staircase of hot spring pools, known as "terraces". Heat, water, and limestone have combined to form these terraces, which are constantly changing. Water from rain and snowmelt seeps deep into the earth where it is heated by magma, then water pours and steams out onto the terraces, where it deposits the limestone that forms the rims of the many pools. As formations grow, water flows in different directions, creating changing sculptures or rock. The water in this shot looks clear and inviting, but it is only a few degrees below boiling and dangerously mineral-laden.

Order No. 5106.