The Grand Prismatic hot spring is among the national parks myriad
hydrothermal features created by the Yellowstone supervolcano.
Visually stunning and very steamy, Yellowstone's Grand Prismatic Spring is one of many
hydrothermal features the park owes to the massive supervolcano beneath it.
Seismic waves extracted from
another hydrothermal feature in the north slowed down and scattered significantly in nearly the same area suggesting somewhere west of Old Faithful was an underground feature that affects the seismic waves in an anomalous way.
Not exact matches
One site at Columbia Hills in Gusev crater, was visited previously by the Spirit rover and
features silica deposits interpreted by some as analogous to
hydrothermal springs known to be inhabited on Earth.
With a dense network of seismometers, the team could determine the shape, size, and location of the
feature, which they believe is Old Faithful's
hydrothermal reservoir.
«To explain these
features, we suggest that abyssal hill
hydrothermal venting occurs in frequent bursts, possibly triggered by earthquakes,» said Haymon.
The
Hydrothermal Journey has been renovated with many new
features for guests.