Talk:Grand Prismatic Spring

New Zealand

The article mentions New Zealand springs, but there is no link to a wikipedia article of those. What's our source, and does anyone know enough to start an article on these NZ springs? Michaël 22:22, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

How Deep?

Anybody know how deep the spring is? Halcatalyst 20:01, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

Circa 160 feet. Added. --RyanTee82 (talk) 03:38, 10 September 2009 (UTC)

Native American people

It should be "many Native American people"or "many of the Native American peoples"; the way it is now doesn't make much sense. Preferably, we should mention which people or peoples precisely would have known about it, unless most did. FireWorks 20:52, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

OH Stretch

The color of the azure water in the center of the pool results from the light-absorbing overtone of the OH stretch which is shifted to 698 nm by hydrogen bonding [1]

This highly specific, scientific information probably belongs in a different article. I think we can assume that most people reading about a spring aren't going to know what an OH stretch is, or that its overtone is shifted 698 nm by hydrogen bonding. We can have some reference to the scientific reason for its blue colour, but this won't do... FireWorks 21:06, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

Lifeforms

Do any lifeforms live in the spring? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Landon is the shiz (talk • contribs) 15:56, 28 March 2007 (UTC).

Blue color of water?

The article states that there is an intrinsic color of water, which is not correct. The color of large bodies of water is due to reflection of Raleigh scattered light from the sky, not selective absorption of red light by water. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.174.191.108 (talk) 21:11, 23 February 2012 (UTC)

This is entirely wrong. The color at the observation angle seen in the image is entirely due to the intrinsic color of water, which is blue. http://www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/5.html — Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.151.32.169 (talk) 02:24, 11 October 2017 (UTC)

First and second?

The article says this is the third largest such pool in the world. What the first and second largest? They ought to be mentioned in the article.. Just a thought. --RyanTee82 (talk) 03:38, 10 September 2009 (UTC)

How Old?

I came looking for the geological age of the spring and couldn't find it. Surely there have been scientific observations which have determined this. 12.154.108.145 (talk) 21:52, 7 August 2014 (UTC)

Featured picture scheduled for POTD

Hello! This is to let editors know that File:Aerial image of Grand Prismatic Spring (view from the south).jpg, a featured picture used in this article, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for September 13, 2024. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2024-09-13. For the greater benefit of readers, any potential improvements or maintenance that could benefit the quality of this article should be done before its scheduled appearance on the Main Page. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you! :Jay8g [V•T•E] 01:46, 11 September 2024 (UTC)

Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world. It is located in the Midway Geyser Basin. Grand Prismatic Spring was noted by geologists working in the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871, and named by them for its striking coloration. Its colors match most of those seen in the rainbow dispersion of white light by an optical prism: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue. The bright, vivid colors in the spring are the result of microbial mats around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The mats produce colors ranging from green to red; the amount of color in the microbial mats depends on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids and on the temperature gradient in the runoff. In the summer, the mats tend to be orange and red, whereas in the winter the mats are usually dark green. The deep blue color of the water in the center of the pool results from the intrinsic blue color of water. The effect is strongest in the center of the spring, because of its sterility and depth. This aerial photo shows Grand Prismatic Spring from the south in August 2022.

Photograph credit: Carsten Steger

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