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  • Mammoth_Terrace_Layers.jpg
  • Travertine_Stairsteps.jpg
  • Soaring_Above_Mount_Everts.jpg
  • Minerva_Terrace.jpg
  • Main_Terrace_Pastels.jpg
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  • Late_Day_Sun_on_Palette_Spring.jpg
  • Mammoth_Springs_Sentinels.jpg
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Mammoth Terrace Layers

After entering Yellowstone National Park, the first of the many interesting geothermal areas you reach is Mammoth Hot Springs, which is a truly remarkable place. Boiling water percolates up from a number of hot springs and cascades down hillsides, forming terraces that are shaded a variety of colors. These have built up over many thousands of years.

This image, taken late in the afternoon, shows three "visual layers": in the foreground, water runoff from one of the major geothermal springs; in the middle ground, some of the terraces that are found all over the Mammoth area; and in the background, some of the mountains that surround the area.
Mammoth Terrace Layers