The beauty of this world is hard to describe in words, but it’s even harder to understand why people can’t respect it. One of the most spectacular attractions in Yellowstone National Park's Upper Geyser Basin has been permanently damaged by tourists. This was due to people throwing objects into the water. The problem escalated over the years, and nature eventually gave in.
What is Yellowstone Park known for? Stunning geysers that attracted crowds
In the United States, one of the main attractions in Yellowstone National Park is the Morning Glory Pool hot spring. Everyone who visited this site marveled at the beauty of the pool, which used to be filled with crystal-clear water. Its blue hue was often compared to the Morning Glory flower, which is where the geyser got its name. For some reason, tourists visiting the park treated the pool like a wishing well, tossing coins into it with hopes of having their wishes granted.
There’s something about a pool of water that makes people instinctively want to throw things into it
- said Alicia Murphy, a historian at Yellowstone National Park, in an interview with the Cowboy State Daily. Over time, this instinctive behavior led to the destruction of the pool’s ecosystem. Today, visitors to Upper Geyser Basin can only dream of seeing the once crystal-clear waters. Now, the pool’s water displays entirely different colors.
What caused the change in color? Morning Glory became dominated by coins
The process that changed the color of the Morning Glory Pool’s water has been ongoing since the 19th century. Park workers have long warned tourists not to throw coins into the pool, but their requests went unheeded, and the desire to make wishes proved stronger. As a result, the pool’s blue hue has been replaced by shades of yellow and green, caused by the growth of cyanobacteria.
Hotter pools tend to have a bright blue color, while cooler ones can be more colorful because bacteria can grow in them. In Morning Glory, the temperature dropped because people throwing objects into the pool partially blocked the conduit, lowering the temperature and allowing different types of bacteria to grow
- explained Mike Poland, a scientist leading the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, in an interview with Cowboy State Daily.
The pool’s critical condition has begun to convince people to stop throwing coins, but unfortunately, nature will still need a lot of time and help from specialists to return to its original state.
