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HYDROTHERMAL HAZARDS

Animals of all sizes sometimes break through the thin crust in hydrothermal areas or simply step in the wrong place.

Over the years, at least two bison have fallen into Scalloped Spring in the Upper Geyser Basin. Both times the unexpected intrusions caused Scalloped Spring to erupt as a geyser. The eruptions lasted for a couple of days, throwing water as high as 10 feet (3 m) into the air.

photo courtesy of Charles Johnson

The eruptions, coupled with human vandalism in the 1950s, have altered Scalloped Spring’s appearance. Once it looked very similar to its neighbor, South Scalloped Spring; water overflowed from its basin, and it was rimmed with delicate, crinkly edges. Now its water level is well below the surface, and the lovely scallops have been destroyed.

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