Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming USA
https://goo.gl/maps/y1AwoA5ctev
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Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the third largest hot spring in the world. It has a diameter of about 100m (think size of a football pitch).
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The amazing colours are caused by of pigmented bacteria that grow around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The colours can range from green to red, depending on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids (I had to look that one up!) and on the temperature of the water. In the summer, they tend to be orange and red, whereas in the winter they are usually dark green. The centre of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat.
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The deep blue colour of the water in the centre of the pool results from the scattering of blue light by particles suspended in the water. This effect is particularly visible in the middle of the spring due to the lack of bacteria that live in the centre and the depth of the water.
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The first records of the spring are from early European explorers and surveyors. In 1839, a group of fur trappers from the American Fur Company crossed the Midway Geyser Basin and made note of a “boiling lake”.
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