Category: Park/Wilderness/Nature
City: Yellowstone National Park
Minerva Terrace
These terraces inside Yellowstone National Park are made of variously colored travertine, a form of calcium carbonate, which has been dissolved from the limestone beneath the ground and carried to the surface by rising springs of hot water. Although some springs and terraces die, the total flow of water at this point inside Yellowstone is surprisingly constant as new, surprisingly active flows spring to the surface. About 500 gallons of water flow from the side of the mountain each minute and an estimated two tons of limestone are brought to the surface each day. Over the millenia, the uncanny likeless of an ornately carved staircase continues to rise upward as the formation is added to by the mineral-rich waters.