Norris Geyser Basin is found in an isolated area considerably more north of the other major geyser basins of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. In this region, conditions are very harsh. Surface temperatures are the highest in the park, and the water is acidic. These combine together to create the most dramatic thermal landscape found on earth, the low lying Porcelain Basin, an image of which is available for sale in our store. There the temperature is so high and the water is so acidic that the region is devoid of any vegetation other than that found in the safety of the surrounding ridges. Even the extreme thermophile bacteria has some trouble establishing a presence there. But Norris Geyser Basin is actually comprised of two different ecosystems. Besides the Porcelain Basin, there is another area known as the Back Basin. This remote area is somewhat higher in elevation, and separated from the more harsh conditions found in the Porcelain Basin. As such, the trees grow more thickly there and surround the pockets of thermal activity. Also, instead of being composed of a thick sheet of white siliceous sinter, there the ground is composed of tan geyserite broken into rocks and pebbles, a look that is more similar to the other geyser basins in Yellowstone. And scattered around the thermal areas of the Back Basin are numerous geysers of varying size and behavior. Arguably the most entertaining in the area, and one of the most observed is Vixen Geyser. It has earned its name through its eruption behavior. In a bit of mischievous action, it will become active with a fierce sputtering eruption one minute, then cease the next minute. And then again a minute later, it will refill and begin sputtering in an eruption again. The quiet modes rarely exceed more than a few minutes in length. Therefore, the likelihood of finding it in an eruption mode at least as much as it is to find it in a quiet mode, and even then a short wait is all that is required for the next eruption. The eruptions themselves vary in length, anywhere from about one minute up to almost a full hour. And the size of the eruptions also vary with the length of the eruptions. Those that are shorter in length are known as minor eruptions, usually reach up to about 15 feet in height, and generally last for a few minutes. They are the most common type of eruption to observe. However, it will occasionally have a major eruption. During a major eruption, which typically lasts much longer, the water will often blast out of the opening to heights of over 30 feet. Since it is a sputtering type of geyser, the water comes out in large, steaming hot globules. It is possible for the globules to rain down on the nearby trail, though they are launched high enough that they usually cool somewhat as they fall through the air so as to not cause burns. However, they do still feel hot to the touch! Regardless of the type of eruption, they begin the same way. The small pool surrounded by geyserite rocks fills very quickly, usually in a matter of seconds, and sputtering bursts begin launching the water up over the terrain of the Norris Geyser Basin. Near the end of the eruption, the burst energy quickly subsides, and then the entire pool drains away in seconds accompanied by a loud sucking noise. The Wild Images Team captured this image of Vixen Geyser during one of its major eruptions. The water globules are easily up to 20 feet high here, and still headed upward from the geyser blast, while in the background can be seen the nearby trees and a beautiful background sky complete with cumulonimbus clouds. We have taken hundreds of photos of Vixen Geyser, and this one is our favorite. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.
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