Grand Prismatic Spring

The Grand Prismatic Spring — located in Teton County, Wyoming, inside Yellowstone National Park — is the largest hot spring in the United States and the third largest in the world. The spring is approximately 370 feet (110 m) in diameter, 160 feet (50 m) deep, and discharges an estimated 560 gallons (2,100 L) of water per minute. Its vivid colors are caused by layers of microorganisms that live around the edges of its mineral-rich water.

A video circulating this week showed two visitors straying off the boardwalk to reach the spring’s edge, risking serious burns from water that can exceed 160°F (70°C) beneath a thin, deceptive crust — a danger that has proven fatal for other Yellowstone visitors who strayed from the designated walkways.

Source imagery: Vantor