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Central Yellowstone Part 5
Sulfur-emitting Fumarole
The Reservoir Swimming Hole They used to have a diving board for people to swim in the Reservoir! Cars would drive up on old roads and folks would picnic and frolic back here. No more, thank goodness.
Hygrothermal Explosions The area is dotted with explosion craters caused by depressurization of super-heated water resulting in huge volumetric expansion of the water (circa 1200 times expansion from liquid to vapor) - the resulting gas expansion yields a phreatic eruption and the resulting crater. A bad place to be standing over when it occurs. Creates naturally occurring bison-crisps. This particular crater is certainly less than 10 years old and maybe 7 to 8 years old.
Thermokanes Thermokanes are formed when glaciers moved over hot thermal features. Holes were melted in the ice, water filled in the hole, and dissolved siliceous materials from sand and gravel under glacier (remember we are in areas of rhyolitic lava flows). As the water evaporated, the siliceous bearing water "glued" sand and gravel particles together to form these Thermokanes. The hill we are standing on is in fact an entire hill of thermokane material. These rocks indicate that the hot thermal features were active in this place at least as long ago as the glaciers were present (several thousands of years ago).
Mordor This must be where Sauron lives. A very desolate appearing place although there are substantial life forms present which are unique to this harsh environment.
A Final Hotspring
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