Mammoth in Yellowstone National Park in Park County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)
Grizzly Fumarole
Changing with the Seasons
All hydrothermal features change, but Grizzly Fumarole changes from day to day, and season to season, reflecting recent weather conditions.
What is Hydrothermal?
Hydro = Water Thermal = Heat
During dry weather, steam rises from Grizzly Fumarole’s mostly dry vents
Rain or snow transforms the fumarole into mudpots. A single, large mudpot often appears in Spring.
Mudpot or Fumarole?
A fumarole or steam vent’s underground system is nearly dry. Heated deep below the surface, the water turns to steam, the rises with other gasses.
Mudpots are muddy springs. Microorganisms live in mudpots and convert hydrogen sulfide gas from Yellowstone’s magma chamber into sulfuric acid. This acid breaks rock and soil into mud.
< Sidebar: >
Yellowstone’s Hydrothermal Features
Underground water is heated by Yellowstone’s magma chamber. Extreme water pressure forces the super-heated water to rise.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Features.
Location. 44° 37.391′ N, 110° 26.138′ W. Marker is in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, in Park County. It is in Mammoth. Marker can be reached from Grand Loop Road, on the left when traveling north. Marker is on a walking trail in the Mud Volcano area. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Yellowstone National Park WY 82190, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Cooking Hillside (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Dragon's Mouth Spring (about 700 feet away); Mud Volcano (about 700 feet away); Mud Geyser (about 700 feet away); Churning Caldron (approx. 0.2 miles away); Black Dragon’s Caldron (approx. 0.2 miles away); Volcanic Landscape (approx. 0.3 miles away); Sulphur Caldron (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Yellowstone National Park.
More about this marker. Photographs of Grizzly Fumarole during a dry spell and as a bubbling mudpot appear at the bottom left of the marker. The sidebar includes a diagram of thermal features like Mudpots, Hot Springs, Cone Geyser, Fountain Geyser, and Fumarole.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 16, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 566 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 16, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.