• Visitors enjoy an eruption of Old Faithful from the Inn.

    Yellowstone

    National Park ID,MT,WY

  • Temporary Road Closures Possible!

    Snow is forecast for the Memorial Day holiday weekend. This could result in some temporary road closures. Updated Yellowstone road information is available by calling 307-344-2117.

Porcelain Basin Hot Springs

Milky blue pools of hot spring water lie at the edge of Porcelain Basin in Norris Geyser Basin.
 

The milky color of the mineral deposited here inspired the naming of Porcelain Basin. The mineral, siliceous sinter, is brought to the surface by hot water and forms a "sheet" over this flat area as the water flows across the ground and the mineral settles out. This is the fastest changing area in Norris Geyser Basin, and siliceous sinter is one of the agents of change. If the mineral seals off a hot spring or geyser by accumulating in its vent, the hot, pressurized water may flow underground to another weak area and blow through it.

Siliceous sinter is also called geyserite. Deposits usually accumulate very slowly, less than one inch (2.5cm) per century, and form the geyser cones and mounds seen in most geyser basins.

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Did You Know?

Fire in Yellowstone Pineland in 1988

The 1988 fires affected 793,880 acres or 36 percent of the park. Five fires burned into the park that year from adjacent public lands. The largest, the North Fork Fire, started from a discarded cigarette. It burned more than 410,000 acres.