Cacilte Springs. A true gift from Mother Nature. Easy to access for all. Take the steps or the short path. A MUST SEE while visiting Yellowstone. It must be noted that this cache is not off trail at Calcite Springs Overlook and that off trail travel in this location is both extremely dangerous and prohibited. Please stay on the wooden path.
Calcite Springs Overlook surveys the north end of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, where the Yellowstone River leaves steep canyon walls for rolling prairie grasses and evergreen trees. Calcite Springs is a hot spring in the State of Wyoming, and it has an elevation of 6,112 feet.
A butte just north of the overlook is draped by hydrothermally stained rhyolite that is bleach white and is quite dramatic.Rhyolite is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks that is generally glassy or fine-grained in texture.
Along the river at the bottom of these cliffs you’ll spot Calcite Springs, where steam rises from hydrothermal vents just a few feet from the edge of the water. You might even catch a whiff of sulfur, a popular outdoor scent in Yellowstone.
In the cooler weather, steam rise from Calcite Springs—the pale colored slope near river level. There the Yellowstone River flows above a volcanic fracture zone that allows geothermal discharge to reach the surface. Chemicals from Calcite Springs’ hot water vents are slowly turning the cliff to whitish, yellowish pulp.
Another interesting feature runs along the opposite wall of the canyon, a line of very uniform volcanic pillars.almost as if carved out by human hands, but this is not the case. The basalt columns testify to a more active volcanic period in Yellowstone’s past, when a very thick layer of lava flowed across the land. A sign at the overlook offers this description of the "flood of fire": “River canyons expose the landscape’s hidden excesses, it’s violent past. The orderly columns across the canyon are volcanic. From vents in the Yellowstone Plateau, lava welled up and flowed—a vast flood of fire 25 feet deep. As the lava cooled and contracted about 1.3 million years ago, it formed some contraction cracks, producing hexagonal columns of basalt. Basalt is a common igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron as it is exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet. More than 90% of all volcanic rock on our Earth is basalt in nature.
The mineral Calcite has many uses and is made up as a main component in limestone, which is in many products we use and are around on a daily basis. Everything from roadways and buildings to toothpaste, makeup, paint, and lawn fertilizer. Although, there won't be any mining of it ever, at this beautiful site. Just like the area of this earthcache location, the mineral can also alleviate emotional stress and replaces it with serenity. Calcite Springs overlooks true serenity on earth, as I was absolutely in awe stepping out onto the viewing platform. This has to be one of my favorite places on Earth.
The heat of underground fractures sometimes releases deposits of oil from rocks deep below the surface to slowly and sporadically seep to the surface at Calcite Springs. The springs are hot enough at a depth to liquefy large quantities of sulfur that are found here. Occasionally, the molten sulfur oozes the surface where it flows like molasses. Which is another reason why it's important not meander off the trail to touch the springs surface Contact with air causes the liquid sulfur to turn to black, it is impossible to tell by looking if the dark areas are oil or sulfur.
Calcite Springs was named for the milky-white colored calcite crystals that cover the areas hills. Mixed in with the calcite are translucent, honey-colored barite crystals. Dating the barite crystals with a process called Radiometric dating, scientists can determine the age of the hydrothermic pools found throughout Yellowstone. Deep inside the conduits of a hot spring are beautiful, yet smelly yellow sulfur crystals.
Hot springs are the most common hydrothermal features in Yellowstone. Super heated water cools as it reaches the surface, sinks, and is replaced by hotter water from below. This water circulation prevents water from reaching the temperature needed to set off an eruption. Some say the entirety of Yellowstone is one giant volcano. Boy, that would be a sight!
Calcite Springs Overlook sits atop the narrowest section of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The notches along the deep canyon wall are a great nesting site for osprey. Also this area has been known for spotting bighorn sheep, and black bear have also been known to explore the area. As with all wildlife found in the park, please keep your distance.
Please message me with your answers to the following questions before receiving credit for this cache.
1: How many feet deep was the "flood of fire" lava flow that violently carved the area?
2: What side of the Calcite Springs overlook can you spot the actual Calcite Spring, and was it venting much steam at that time ?
3: What is the most silica-rich volcanic rock?
Added bonus ( but not required) post a photo of this gift from Mother Nature in your cache log.
Enjoy your visit to the park!