Earthquake’s Offspring

Red Spouter was created in the aftermath of a major earthquake that struck Hebgen Lake, Montana, about 25 miles northwest of this site shortly before midnight on August 17, 1959. The magnitude 7.3 quake, the most powerful to hit the area in recorded history, sent jolts through Yellowstone. Even its seething hot springs support life, and heat-loving microorganisms called thermophiles thrive in Red Spouter by living on gases such as hydrogen sulfide, which causes its rotten-egg odor. Red Spouter also changes with the seasons, splashing muddy water in spring when soaked by snowmelt, spitting thick mud in late summer as the pool dries, and becoming a steam vent by fall when it is nearly dry.

Wyoming · United States