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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK SITES & ATTRACTIONS
Canyon Area
Lake Junction Area
Madison Junction Area
Mammoth Area
Norris Junction Area
Old Faithful Area
Tower Junction Area
West Thumb Area

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OLD FAITHFUL AREA
Beehive Geyser
Beehive Geyser
Beehive Geyser
Its narrow cone orifice acts as a nozzle that shoots water 180 to 200 feet for 4 to 5 minutes. However, eruptions are irregular and unpredictable - and relatively infrequent.

Emerald Pool
This is a splendid sight with its deep green center bordered by orange and yellow. The coloration is a result of yellow algae growing in the depths of the blue water (the blue and yellow colors combining to produce green) and orange and brown algae growing in the cooler, shallower water.

Gem Pool
The deep blue of this pool (and all of the blue pools) indicates the water is too hot for algae to grow. The blue color comes from daylight reflecting from the water, which receives all colors of sunlight, but reflects only the blue portion of the color spectrum.

Giantess Geyser
Its infrequent eruptions are in several bursts that may rise 100 to 200 feet. Their violence shakes the area with underground explosions. However, the geyser has an active phase only a few times a year, usually lasting 12 to 36 hours.

Grotto Geyser
The cone of Grotto is actually more interesting than its eruption. Its weird shape resulted from geyserite (the deposit of the hot water erupted by geysers) forming over the trunks of trees that formerly grew around the geyser. It is in a splashy, steaming eruptive phase about half the time, but rarely sprays more than 10 to 12 feet high.

Lone Star Geyser
This geyser erupts to a height of 20 to 30 feet out of a 12-foot cone. Eruptions last about 25 minutes and occur approximately every three hours.

Morning Glory Pool
One of the most beautiful pools in the park is Morning Glory Pool. It is losing some of its wonderful color because visitors have thrown so much refuse into it that the cone is becoming plugged. The flow of hot water is being reduced and the pool is cooling. The lower temperatures have allowed yellow algae to grow, modifying the original deep pure blue to a bluegreen.

Old Faithful
Undoubtedly the world's most publicized geyser (although it is neither the largest, highest nor most regular one in Yellowstone), Old Faithful is aptly named. Old Faithful has been remarkably consistent. Unlike most thermal features in the park, its heights, intervals and length of play have changed very little in 100 years. Old Faithful does not erupt every hour on the hour; however, it does erupt 18 to 21 times every day. The column normally reaches maximum height, averaging 130 feet but as high as 184, in 15 to 20 seconds. After about 20 more seconds, the water column lowers rapidly. The eruption ends with a few puffs of steam for an always appreciative crowd of visitors from across the globe. On the average, about 5,000 to 8,000 gallons of water are discharged.

Plume Geyser
One of the park's most regular geysers, Plume erupts every 25 to 27 minutes, rising 25 to 30 feet. Since the walkway is near this geyser, an eruption can be viewed at close range.

Riverside Geyser
Situated on the east bank of the Firehole River, this geyser erupts with a 75 foot column of water arching gracefully over the stream. Riverside is more regular than Old Faithful, erupting at approximately six and one-half hour intervals for about 20 minutes. It is one of the few geysers in the park which erupts at a slant instead of straight up.


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