Rishika Shahi
Yellowstone National Park’s Morning Glory Pool, a beloved tourist attraction known for its striking blue hue, has transformed into a multi-colored wonder over the decades. This change in appearance is the result of a combination of human impact and natural processes. As visitors continue to marvel at the pool’s new vibrant colors, it’s essential to understand the factors that have contributed to this alteration.
The Pool’s Original Appearance
Before the 1960s, Morning Glory Pool was a deep, tropical-looking blue, resembling the flower it was named after. Historic photographs showcase the pool’s intense blue color, which captivated early visitors to Yellowstone. Jeff Henry, a former Yellowstone ranger, stated that the National Park Service had regularly cleaned its pools.
Henry stated, “There was a guy fishing stuff out of the water far down into the pool’s crater while strapped into a climbing harness to prevent him from falling into the pool.”
Hundreds of objects were pulled out of the pool throughout this operation.
“We most likely found thousands of coins, if not tons. I believe we found some hats that had likely blown off people’s heads and fallen into the water, and there were a lot of rocks that didn’t belong there. And they rightly decided not to attempt to get them back,” Henry remarked.
“Cleaning of pools was done on a regular basis. But values change, and they don’t clean the pools anymore, at least with the frequency and at the scale that we did,” he said.
Human Interference and Vandalism
Over the years, visitors have thrown coins, rocks, and other debris into the pool, partially blocking the underground heat source and lowering the water temperature.This vandalism has had a significant impact on the pool’s appearance and ecosystem.
The blue pool was being used by the tourists as a wish well, and they were tossing cash, handkerchiefs, and other objects into it.
“People were unaware of the workings of geysers and plumbing.” Many thoughts crossed Murphy’s mind, including the possibility that “if we throw something into this pool, we might be able to make it erupt.” These objects diminished the pool’s inherent beauty and changed the deep blue water’s hue to a mixture of orange, yellow, green, and blue.
“I believe there was some learning from mistakes and an ignorance of the harm they were causing,” the woman stated. “Wishing wells is a revered custom from long ago. Make a wish after tossing a coin into a wishing well. Humans have an odd inclination to toss objects into a swimming pool “because of something,” she continued.
Mike Poland, the scientist in charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, stated that the thermal pool’s fluctuating temperature is a primary cause of its color shift. “One major factor is temperature. Because bacteria may develop in cooler pools, they can be more colorful than hotter ones. Hotter pools are typically a vivid blue,” he explained.
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