 |
Home | g
| Parks | |
| About the Site | |
| News |
|
Yellowstone National Park (5)
|
Mammoth Hot Springs
Mammoth Area One of the most well known of Yellowstone's hydrothermal feature is Mammoth Hot Springs. This area is located in a valley in the northwest section of the park. The area has served as the administrative headquarters of the park since its early days.
The Mammoth Hot Springs area is shown below, looking northwest from the main terrace area across the Mammoth cluster of buildings.
The North Entrance to the park is located about 5 miles north of Mammoth Hot Springs. In the early days of the park this was the main entrance for those who traveled to the park via train, and transferred to coach or horse in the town of Gardiner, Montana.
The northern portion of the park is drier than the southern section. This section averages about 18 inches of rain versus 30 inches of rain further south. This might be seen in the relatively barren appearing mountains shown in the photos above. Below, the Minerva Terrace area and the Hot Springs village can be seen after an early snow in the fall.
Another photo of the valley is shown below, with Liberty Cap shown in the right middle section of the photograph.
Minerva Terrace and Mammoth Hot Springs Mammoth Hot Springs contains some of the most unusual and beautiful hydrothermal features in the park. Here, dozens of steaming terraces of multicovered travertine covered by flowing water can be seen, as in the picture below of Minerva Terrace. The terraces and hot springs rise several hundred feet up the side of the hill, formed over the underlying bedrock of limestone.
These terraces are built through the deposit of travertine, which is created by the dissolution of subterranean limestone beds by hot water. Carbon dioxide is released when it reaches the surface and calcium carbonate is precipitated out, resulting in travertine. The travertine is deposited in small crystals on the rocks over which it flows, or on any object which is allowed to soak in the water. In early days of the park tourists would often place objects in the pools to have them coated with travertine. Travertine also supports colorful bacteria when it is bathed in hot water, which adds to the beauty of the terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs.
Two tons of calcium carbonate are deposited every day via 750,000 to 1.4 million gallons of hot water which flows during that time. In fact, anywhere from 8 inches to 2 feet of travertine may be added to the terraces each year.
Mammoth is unique in the park in that it has underground limestone deposits, while other basins in the park sit atop igneous (formerly molten) rocks. The water which reaches the surface at Mammoth Hot Springs actually originates in Norris Geyser Basin from which it travels 20 miles. The water in Mammoth Hot Springs reaches a temperature of 163 degrees Farenheight.
Mammoth Hot Springs was once known as "White Mountain." This is easy to understand given the multiplicity of travertine-covered terraces, but this description is enhanced when the area is covered by snow.
A visit to the terraces is made easy by the network of paved paths and boardwalks which lead up the hill and provide close access to many of the most beautiful features. This view looks northeast across the terraces.
The terraces provide beautiful colors in many places. These are largely due to cyanobacteria and algae mats.
Minerva Terrace was name for the Roman goddess of wisdom and the arts. The terraces were first described by the 1871 Hayden Survey.
The fresh travertine-covered terraces are bright white in color. However, as the travertine weathers it becomes more gray. The terraces can be quite striking when covered with snow.
One of the most striking formations in the Mammoth area is Liberty Cap, a former hot spring. It is named after the hats which were commonly worn during the French Revolution. This formation, composed of calcium carbonate, is 37 feet high and 20 feet in diameter. The formation is the remnant of a hot spring which became too high for the water to rise from it. It is approximately 2500 years old
Hot Springs Village The area next to Mammoth Hot Springs originally served as the site of the Army's Camp Sheridan, built in 1886 when the army took over supervision of the park. In 1891 the Army built Ft. Yellowstone to replace Camp Sheridan, and it became the Army's headquarters. Many of the present buildings date to Ft. Yellowstone. The Army was responsible for the supervision and care of Yellowstone in its early days as a national park. The US Army administered the park from 1886-1916.
The row of stone buildings found in Mammoth Hot Springs, including the visitor's center, is part of the old officer's quarters. The visitor center in Mammoth Hot Springs is the largest of six visitor's centers in Yellowstone National Park. The Albright Visitor Center includes a ranger desk, bookstore and theater display area. This area also serves as the park's headquarters and the center of administration and maintenance or park.
Other buildings found in the village also date to the days when Ft. Yellowstone housed the troops administering the park.
One of the major lodges in the park is the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, located in the valley. The present hotel is actually the third hotel built on this particular site, as the first hotel was built in 1883. At the time the hot springs here were the first stop on the grand tour of the park taken by many tourists entering the park from the north.
In 1936 Robert Reamer was hired to design a new building, finished in 1937. This is a 4-story hotel with 215 rooms and 115 cabin units. It overlooks the large grassy field which was originally the old military parade ground and sits near the many historic buildings in the Mammoth Hot Springs area. The lodge is not in the beautiful, classic "national park rustic" style represented by Old Faithful Inn. Rather, it represents a perhaps less desirable transition to what can be called "motel modern" architecture (Old Lodges and Hotels of the National Parks). This work apparently represents Reamer's "Art Deco" period.
The centerpiece of the Mammoth Village area is the large grassy area, which formerly served as the parade ground when the Army occupied the area and supervised the park. This is the only large grass-covered area anywhere in the park. A herd of elk is often found here year round, and in the fall bugling bulls, who may guard 30 females, can be heard in the area, especially in the fall. In the picture below the area is covered by an early season snow.
The Mammoth Hot Springs area serves as a wintering ground for a variety of wildlife in the area.
| - Next Page for Yellowstone National Park - |
|