Yellowstone Northern Tier Winter Travels

This is a winter of limited snowpack for Yellowstone Park’s northern tier landscapes. We will certainly come to rue this lack of usual winter weather next summer, but it’s made travel from the park’s north entrance near Gardiner, Montana, to Cooke City, Montana, easy to do. Consequently, I’ve been able to readily explore Mammoth’s hot spring systems and to watch park animals in their winter habitats. The following photos of both hot springs and animals are from my various park visits this winter.

Northern Tier Thermal Features

The Mammoth Hot Springs complex has been active for several thousand years. Fouke and Murphy (2016) note that travertine deposition began about 7,700 years ago (based on a radioisotopic age derived from travertine underlying Mammoth and sitting atop 2 million year-old Huckleberry Ridge volcanic rocks) and continues to the current time. And – there are older, fossil travertine deposits in and near the town of Gardiner (about 6 miles northeast of the Mammoth Hot Springs area) that have radioisotopic ages of circa 19,500-38,700 years (see Geopostings.com: https://geopostings.com/greater-yellowstone-area-eocene-to-recent-hydrothermal-springs/).

Mammoth Lower Terraces –

Below is a photo gallery of Mammoth Lower Terraces thermal features (cursor over the photos for associated text):

Canary Springs is the largest thermal springs complex in Mammoth.

Palette Springs - Spring terracettes are engulfing lodgepole pines and an older domal travertine feature known as the Devil's Thumb.

Closer view of Palette Springs terracettes engulfing a lodgepole pine. Orange and green colors are derived from thermophilic microbes.

Stair-step terracettes of Palette Springs.

Abandoned and active pools of Palette Springs.

Close view of Palette Springs terracettes with white color denoting active fluid channel flow.

Active and abandoned pools at lower Palette Springs.

Calcified spherules formed around microbial clusters and plant fragments coated by travertine on pool floor (Palette Springs).

Palette Springs - microterracettes and streamers formed on their edges.

Palette Springs - microterracettes and aragonite needles that have coalesced to form shrubs on pool floor.

Palette Springs - high water flow created stalactite-like features at terracette edge.

Liberty Cap, a remnant of a thermal spring, is an iconic landmark in the Lower Mammoth Terraces. Palette Springs is in the background.

Soda Butte Cone

Soda Butte is a largely dormant thermal spring mound, located about 2.5 miles above the confluence of Soda Butte Creek with the Lamar River and approximately 12 miles from the Park’s northeastern gate. A. Bart Henderson, in 1866, misidentified the cone as composed of soda ash, rather than travertine (calcium carbonate), but the name has stuck. Some hydrothermal water and hydrogen sulfide gas still emanate from the cone. In fact – some days a strong sulfur smell lingers around the cone area.

Winter YNP Area Animals (cursor over the photos for associated text)

Lamar Valley coyote

Red fox found near Silver Gate (YNP northeast entrance).

Bighorn ram tending flock of ewes near Corwin Springs (north of YNP north entrance).

Red fox seen in Round Prairie (northeast part of YNP).

River otters at the edge of the Lamar River.

River otter at the edge of the Lamar River.

Bison at east edge of Blacktail Ponds area.

Bison taking a cool drink near the Blacktail Ponds.

One of this year's bighorn lambs near Corwin Springs (north of YNP north entrance).

Whitetail deer swimming the Lamar River.

River otters at the edge of the Lamar River.

Reference Cited:

Fouke, B. W., & Murphy, T. (2016). The Art of Yellowstone Science: Mammoth Hot Springs as a Window on the Universe. Livingston, MT: Crystal Creek Press.