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Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of
hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal (geology), geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...
s on a hill of
travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a pro ...
in
Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowsto ...
adjacent to
Fort Yellowstone Fort Yellowstone was a U.S. Army fort, established in 1891 at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone was designated in 1872 but the Interior Department was unable to effectively manage the park. Administration was transfe ...
and the Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District. It was created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate (over two tons flow into Mammoth each day in a solution). Because of the huge amount of geothermal vents, travertine flourishes. Although these springs lie outside the
caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber i ...
boundary, their energy has been attributed to the same magmatic system that fuels other Yellowstone geothermal areas. The hot water that feeds Mammoth comes from Norris Geyser Basin after traveling underground via a fault line that runs through
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms when ...
and roughly parallel to the Norris-to-Mammoth road. The limestone from rock formations along the fault is the source of the calcium carbonate. Shallow circulation along this corridor allows Norris's superheated water to slightly cool before surfacing at Mammoth, generally at about .
Algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from u ...
living in the warm pools have tinted the travertine shades of brown, orange, red, and green. Thermal activity here is extensive both over time and distance. The thermal flows show much variability with some variations taking place over periods ranging from decades to days. Terrace Mountain at Mammoth Hot Springs is the largest known carbonate-depositing spring in the world. The most famous feature at the springs is the Minerva Terrace, a series of travertine terraces. The terraces have been deposited by the spring over many years but, due to recent minor
earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
activity, the spring vent has shifted, rendering the terraces dry. The Mammoth Terraces extend all the way from the hillside, across the Parade Ground, and down to Boiling River. The Mammoth Hotel, as well as all of
Fort Yellowstone Fort Yellowstone was a U.S. Army fort, established in 1891 at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone was designated in 1872 but the Interior Department was unable to effectively manage the park. Administration was transfe ...
, is built upon an old terrace formation known as Hotel Terrace. There was some concern when construction began in 1891 on the fort site that the hollow ground would not support the weight of the buildings. Several large sink holes (fenced off) can be seen out on the Parade Ground. This area has been thermally active for several thousand years. The Mammoth area exhibits much evidence of
glacial A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betwe ...
activity from the Pinedale Glaciation. The summit of Terrace Mountain is covered with
glacial till image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...
, thereby dating the travertine formation there to earlier than the end of the Pinedale Glaciation. Several thermal
kame A kame, or ''knob'', is a glacial landform, an irregularly shaped hill or mound composed of sand, gravel and till that accumulates in a depression on a retreating glacier, and is then deposited on the land surface with further melting of the g ...
s, including Capitol Hill and Dude Hill, are major features of the Mammoth Village area. Ice-marginal stream beds are in evidence in the small, narrow valleys where Floating Island Lake and Phantom Lake are found. In Gardner Canyon one can see the old, sorted gravel bed of the Gardner River covered by unsorted glacial till.


Individually named thermal features

* Angel Spring 1 * Angel Spring 2 * Angel Spring 3 * Aphrodite Terrace * Baby Terrace * Bath Lake * Blue Springs * Canary Spring * Cavern Terrace * Cedar Tree Spring * Cheops Mound * Cleopatra Terrace * Cupid Spring * Dedolph Spring-a * Dedolph Spring-b * Dedolph Spring-c * Devil's Kitchen Springs (The Sodas) * Devils Thumb (Hot Spring), Devils Thumb * Fan Spring * Fissure Ridge * Glen Springs * Highland Terrace * Hymen Terrace * Ladies' Lake * Liberty Cap * Little Burper * Little Joker * Little Lucifer * Main Springs and Terrace * Marble Terrace * Minerva Terrace * Mound Terrace * Naid Spring * Narrow Gauge Terrace * New Blue Spring * New Highland Terrace * New Pallette Springs * Opal Terrace (across the road from Liberty Cap) * Orange Mound Spring * Painted Pool * Palette Spring * Paperpicker Spring * Poison Cave * Poison Spring (Gaseous Hot Spring) * Prospect Springs and Terrace * Pulpit Terrace * Rath Spring and Terrace * Reservoir Springs * River Styx-a * River Styx-b * Sidewalk Spring * Soda Spring (Bargar-Allen & Day) * Squirrel Springs and Squirrel Ridge * Sulphur Pits * Sulphur Spring * Tangerine Spring * The Buttress * The Esplanade (Hot Spring), The Esplanade * The Grottos * Trail Springs * White Elephant Back Terrace


See also

*
Geothermal areas of Yellowstone The geothermal areas of Yellowstone include several geyser basins in Yellowstone National Park as well as other geothermal features such as hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles. The number of thermal features in Yellowstone is estimated at 10, ...


References

{{Authority control Geothermal features of Yellowstone National Park Geothermal features of Park County, Wyoming Hot springs of Wyoming