You're watching Inside Yellowstone.
Members of the 1870 Washburn Expedition named
Mud Volcano for the cone-shaped mud that
covered the feature when they first saw it.
By 1872, a thermal explosion had blown that
mud away to reveal what we see today.
While Mud Volcano is a single feature, the entire
region is known as the Mud Volcano Area.
The acidity of this area is the driving factor
in the formation of mudpots, as well as the
rotten egg smell. The hydrogen sulfide gas that
is abundant here supplies energy for microorganisms.
These microbes help convert that gas into sulfuric
acid that breaks down rock into mud.
The bubbling action is the release of gases.
Hydrogen sulfide, steam, carbon dioxide and
other gases explode through layers of mud as
they make their way to the surface.
Dragon's Mouth Spring,
which has had at least 17 different names, is a
feature you won't want to miss. In 1913, a tourist
tacked a note to a tree changing the name from
Green Gable Spring to Dragon's Mouth Spring.
Just across the street from the parking lot,
you find Sulphur Caldron. With a ph of between
1 and 2, Sulphur Caldron is one of the most
acidic springs in Yellowstone. It is about as
acidic as battery acid. While the acidity and
heat of these features pose a threat, they are
not the only dangers here. Bison and grizzly
bears frequent this area. Automobile traffic
also poses a threat here. Use extreme caution
when crossing the road, especially with young ones.
The Mud Volcano area sits atop one of Yellowstone's
resurgent domes. Researchers monitor this area for
clues to future volcanic activity. The beautiful,
yet strange Mud Volcano area may someday give us
the clues that we need to understand past
volcanism and predict the future.