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Making America's Best Idea Even Better
Yellowstone National ParkA Grizzly Bear sow keeps careful watch over her two cubs.
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Yellowstone National Park
Anatomy of a Hot Spring
Illustration of a hot spring.
A Hot Spring
 
At times, fierce, boiling waters within a hot spring (such as Crested Pool) can explode, shooting water into the air, acting much like a geyser. It is believed, however, that in the case of Crested Pool, no constrictions block the flow of water to the surface. The spring's wide mouth and 42-foot depth provide a natural conduit for superheated water to circulate continuously to the surface.
Fire in Yellowstone Pineland in 1988  

Did You Know?
The 1988 fires affected 793,880 acres or 36 percent of the park. Five fires burned into the park that year from adjacent public lands. The largest, the North Fork Fire, started from a discarded cigarette. It burned more than 410,000 acres.

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Last Updated: July 20, 2006 at 18:27 EST