Mammoth in Yellowstone National Park in Park County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)
A Changing Landscape
Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, July 29, 2015
1. A Changing Landscape Marker
Scattered across this unusual landscape are hot springs – hot springs that are reshaping the mountain. Water, heated deep underground, rises to the surface. As it rises, the water percolates through buried limestone, dissolving calcium carbonate. Above ground, the hot water deposits the calcium carbonate, building travertine terraces.
If you were here in the past, you may notice changes. The terrain you see today will likely look different in the future. In this rapidly changing landscape, you can glimpse a moment in time.
Changing Course
Underground channels sometimes shift or clog, causing the water to change course on its journey to the surface. Above ground, springs may slow down or stop. New springs may bubble up or dormant springs may flow again.
At any time, boardwalks or trails may be rerouted or closed due to changes in the hot springs.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Features.
Location. 44° 58.106′ N, 110° 42.453′ W. Marker is in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, in Park County. It is in Mammoth. Marker is on Upper Terrace Loop Drive, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map.
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Fort Yellowstone (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Orange Spring Mound (approx. 0.4 miles away); A Sense of Community (approx. half a mile away); Yellowstone National Park Chapel (approx. 0.6 miles away); Guard Duty (approx. 0.6 miles away); Crime in Wonderland (approx. 0.6 miles away); Life in the Fort (approx. 0.6 miles away); A Soldier’s Life (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Yellowstone National Park.
More about this marker. The background of the marker contains a picture of the Mammoth Hot Springs area.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, July 29, 2015
2. A Changing Landscape Marker
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, July 29, 2015
3. Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, July 29, 2015
4. Hot Springs Main Terrace
Postcard by the Detroit Photographic Company, circa 1905
5. A New-born Spring and Terrace, Mammoth Hot Springs
Photographed By Carleton E. Watkins, circa 1880
6. Minerva Terraces, Mammoth Hot Springs, National Park
"Minerva Spring is a favorite not only because of its wide range of bright colors but also for its ornate travertine formations. Since the 1890s, when records were first kept on the activity of Mammoth Hot Springs, Minerva has gone through both active and inactive periods. For several years in the early 1900s, it was completely dry, but by 1951 reports state that Minerva was again active...." - National Park Service, Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces Tour
Photochrom Postcard by the Detroit Photographic Company, circa 1902
7. Hymen Terrace, Yellowstone National Park
Fort Yellowstone is visible in the background, with Liberty Cap on the right.
"Hymen Terrace is a small inactive terrace at the southwest edge of Hotel Terrace. An extinct hot-spring cone, about 14 m high and 6 m in diameter at the base, dominates the setting of Hymen Terrace. Indeed, this long-dead hot-spring orifice, named Liberty Cap by the 1871 Hayden expedition, reigns supreme over the entire Mammoth Hot Springs Landscape. Hymen Springs, inactive since about 1936 was evidently a major attraction on Hymen Terrace from the time of the earliest recorded observation in 1870 until the 1930's...." -- US Geological Survey,Geology and Thermal History of Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming , 1978
Image courtesy of the Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
"Hymen Terrace is a small inactive terrace at the southwest edge of Hotel Terrace. An extinct hot-spring cone, about 14 m high and 6 m in diameter at the base, dominates the setting of Hymen Terrace. Indeed, this long-dead hot-spring orifice, named Liberty Cap by the 1871 Hayden expedition, reigns supreme over the entire Mammoth Hot Springs Landscape. Hymen Springs, inactive since about 1936 was evidently a major attraction on Hymen Terrace from the time of the earliest recorded observation in 1870 until the 1930's...." -- US Geological Survey,Geology and Thermal History of Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming , 1978
Image courtesy of the Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 10, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 368 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 10, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 5, 6, 7. submitted on September 10, 2015.
