Pretty pictures of hot springs

Norris Geyser Basin - acidic hot springs and a wonderful view. The Sulfolobus isolates I work with comes from this area.

Octopus hot spring. A wonderful microbial mat that follows the heat gradient down the slope.

Me taking samples in hot springs just like all the cool archaea reseachers.

Stromatolites in Octopus. They are not necessarily biogenic.

Old Faithful, the probably most famous geyser in the park (which, as a side note, finally explained an old Terry Pratchett joke for me). Note the bison.

Sperm pool. Too hot in the puddle itself for mat forming life.

The mud volcano by Obsidian pool. Note the bison.

Mammoth Hot Springs deposit carbonates, building magnificent structures and swamping the local flora.

Note the bison.

Grand Prismatic's beautiful microbial mats.

The time in Yellowstone was quite an experience. Scenery, wildlife, smell and sound of nature and four days of breathtaking hot spring experiences.

Wildlife spotting: The first day, just driving into the park to our lodgings, we saw Bald Eagle, Deer, Grizzly Bear, Bison and Elk. Later we saw Sheep, Coyote, a greyish Fox, and lots and lots of more Bison. We didn't see Moose until we actually had left the park.
Wow factor: Very, very High
Suck factor: Low

Note: Published 24 June 2008