Prismatic MagicMarcus SouthworthAward: Top 100
School: kentucky country day school Grand Prismatic Spring is full of physics. It was formed millions of years ago by the rising of heated water from underground, creating a hot spring with a constant cycle of hot water rising and cooling. It is in Yellowstone National Park and under this park there is a massive volcanic caldera, which is a large depression formed by an old eruption. Beneath the caldera lies a huge magma chamber, a reservoir of molten rock, which heats the groundwater. How does physics affect its color? The vibrant colors are caused by types of bacteria mainly thermophilic bacteria which is a type of extremophile that thrives at high temperatures. These organisms produce pigments like chlorophyll and carotenoids, resulting in lots of colors. These are how the colors are, in cooler areas, where there is more chlorophyll, the bacteria is green. As the temperature rises, carotenoids become more abundant, resulting in yellow and orange color. in the warmest areas, reddish-brown bacteria can be found. The blue in the center of the spring is due to the blue color of water and the lack of life forms in the hottest area. The temperature of the water in Grand prismatic spring is 87 degrees celsius which is 189 degrees fahrenheit. This means that it is below boiling point so how is there steam? It is due to evaporation. Evaporation happens at the surface of liquid, where molecules go into air. In this picture all of those cracks are natural pathways for the hot water. 
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