Black Pool

Black Pool
Black Pool prior to the 1991 thermophile die-off
Location	West Thumb Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Teton County, Wyoming
Coordinates	44°25′05″N 110°34′19″W / 44.4179953°N 110.5718734°W / 44.4179953; -110.5718734Coordinates: 44°25′05″N 110°34′19″W / 44.4179953°N 110.5718734°W / 44.4179953; -110.5718734[1]
Elevation	7,756 feet (2,364 m) [2]
Type	Hot Spring
Temperature	72.9 °C (163.2 °F) [1]
West Thumb Geyser Basin

Black Pool is a hot spring in the West Thumb Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in the United States.

The pool was cool enough up until 1991 for dark orange-brown cyanobacteria to grow throughout the pool. When combined with the blue of the water, the pool appeared to be an exceptionally dark green to almost black, hence the name^[3]

An exchange of function took place in 1991, shifting thermal energy to Black Pool and nearby Abyss Pool, causing them to heat up. Black Pool's temperature became hot enough to kill all the cyanobacteria in the pool, turning the pool a rich teal blue color. The pool also had frequent boiling eruptions on August 15, 1991, doming the water to 3 feet and causing heavy runoff. Black Pool remains extremely hot, and is now one of Yellowstone's most beautiful and intensely blue pools. The name of the pool remains "Black Pool."^[4]

Images of Black Pool
Black Pool, 2006  Black Pool, 2003

References

v t e Yellowstone National Park - Lake and Environs Historic structures and other attractions in the Yellowstone Lake, West Thumb, South and East Entrance areas Structures and History Fishing Bridge Museum Grand Loop Road Historic District Grant Village Lake Hotel Lake Fish Hatchery Historic District Norris, Madison, and Fishing Bridge Museums West Thumb Geyser Basin Abyss Pool Big Cone Black Pool Fishing Cone Geography and Geology Barlow Peak Buffalo Bill Cody Scenic Byway Cody, Wyoming Colter Peak Eagle Peak (Wyoming) Factory Hill Hayden Valley Heart Lake Heart River (Wyoming) Jackson, Wyoming Lewis Falls Lewis Lake Lewis River Mount Chittenden Mount Doane Mount Hancock Mount Schurz Mount Sheridan Mount Stevenson Shoshone Lake Snake River Sulphur Spring Sylvan Pass Yellowstone Lake Yellowstone River List of Yellowstone National Park related articles Media related to West Thumb Geyser Basin at Wikimedia Commons

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