Grand Prismatic Spring - wikipedia Grand Prismatic Spring Grand Prismatic Spring Grand Prismatic Spring from an overlook Location Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Teton County, Wyoming 44 ° 31 ′ 30 '' N 110 ° 50 ′ 17 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 44.5250489 ° N 110.83819 ° W ﻿ / 44.5250489 ; - 110.83819 Elevation 7,270 feet ( 2,220 m ) Type Hot spring Discharge 560 US gallons ( 2,100 L ) per minute Temperature 160 ° F ( 70 ° C ) Depth 160 feet ( 50 m ) The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, after Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand and Boiling Lake in Dominica. 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 the rainbow dispersion of white light by an optical prism : red, orange, yellow, green, and blue. Contents 1 History 2 Color 3 Physical structure 4 References 5 External links History Aerial view of spring The first records of the spring are from early European explorers and surveyors. In 1839, a group of fur trappers from the American Fur Company crossed the Midway Geyser Basin and made note of a `` boiling lake '', most likely the Grand Prismatic Spring, with a diameter of 300 feet ( 90 m ). In 1870 the Washburn -- Langford -- Doane Expedition visited the spring, noting a 50 - foot ( 15 m ) geyser nearby ( later named Excelsior ). Color Microbial mat The 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 center of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat. 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. Physical structure The spring is approximately 370 feet ( 110 m ) in diameter and is 160 feet ( 50 m ) deep. The spring discharges an estimated 560 US gallons ( 2,100 L ) of 160 ° F ( 70 ° C ) water per minute. References Jump up ^ `` Grand Prismatic Spring ''. Yellowstone Geothermal Features Database. Montana State University. Jump up ^ `` Grand Prismatic Spring ''. Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Jump up ^ `` Steam Explosions, Earthquakes, and Volcanic Eruptions -- What 's in Yellowstone 's Future ? ''. U.S. Geological Survey. Jump up ^ Traci Bryan ; Leslie Machen ; Joyce Heinsz ; Peggy McCracken. `` Grand Prismatic Spring ''. Lunar and Planetary Institute. Retrieved December 4, 2015. Jump up ^ `` '' The Fire Hole `` : Era of the American Fur Company, 1833 - 1840 ''. Colter 's Hell & Jackson 's Hole. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2005 - 03 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Notes ''. Yellowstone National Park : Its Exploration and Establishment. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2006 - 02 - 08. Jump up ^ `` Part II : Definitive Knowledge - The Washburn Party ( 1870 ) ''. Yellowstone National Park : Its Exploration and Establishment. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2004 - 12 - 13. Jump up ^ Thomas D. Brock. `` Colorful Yellowstone ''. Life at High Temperatures. Archived from the original on 2005 - 11 - 25. ^ Jump up to : Geiling, Natasha. `` The Science Behind Yellowstone 's Rainbow Hot Spring ''. Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 17 August 2015. Jump up ^ `` Grand Prismatic Spring ''. Geyser Observation and Study Association. External links Media related to Grand Prismatic Spring at Wikimedia Commons Yellowstone National Park - Lower and Midway Geyser Basins Geothermal features, geography, historic structures and other attractions in the Lower and Midway Geyser Basins Lower Geyser Basin A-0 Geyser Artesia Geyser Azure Spring Bead Geyser Botryoidal Spring Box Spring Clepsydra Geyser Dilemma Geyser Fountain Geyser Fountain Paint Pot Great Fountain Geyser Jet Geyser Labial Geyser Morning Geyser Narcissus Geyser Ojo Caliente Spring Pink Cone Geyser Pink Geyser Spindle Geyser Surprise Pool White Dome Geyser Young Hopeful Geyser Midway Geyser Basin Excelsior Geyser Grand Prismatic Spring Opal Pool Turquoise Pool Structures and History Firehole Village Grand Loop Road Historic District Marshall 's Hotel Nez Perce National Historic Trail Nez Perce Flight Queen 's Laundry Bath House Geography and Geology Firehole Falls Firehole River Yellowstone National Park - related articles Commons State of Wyoming Cheyenne ( capital ) Topics Bibliography Governors Delegations History People State symbols Radio stations Seal of Wyoming Society Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics Regions Black Hills Grand Teton Great Basin Powder River Country Red Desert Yellowstone Cities Buffalo Casper Cheyenne Cody Douglas Evanston Gillette Green River Jackson Lander Laramie Powell Rawlins Riverton Rock Springs Sheridan Torrington Worland Counties Albany Big Horn Campbell Carbon Converse Crook Fremont Goshen Hot Springs Johnson Laramie Lincoln Natrona Niobrara Park Platte Sheridan Sublette Sweetwater Teton Uinta Washakie Weston Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grand_Prismatic_Spring&oldid=828975369 '' Categories : Geothermal features of Yellowstone National Park Hot springs of Wyoming Geothermal features of Teton County, Wyoming Hot springs of Teton County, Wyoming Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Cebuano Dansk Deutsch Español Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Lëtzebuergesch Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Русский Svenska தமிழ் Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 11 more Edit links This page was last edited on 5 March 2018, at 22 : 02. 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Question: where is the grand prismatic spring located in yellowstone
Answer: the Midway Geyser Basin