Norris Geyser Basin is considerably further north than the Upper, Midway, and Lower Geyser Basins found along the Firehole River of Yellowstone National Park in northwestern Wyoming. Instead, Norris Geyser Basin drains into the south-flowing Gibbon River, which eventually joins together with the north-flowing Firehole River in forming the Madison River near the Madison Campground of Yellowstone. Norris Geyser Basin is known for having extremes: it has the most acidic waters of the park, with some features reaching a pH of 3.0 and approaching the acidic strength of vinegar, it is the hottest geyser basin of the park, with most features at or above the boiling temperature of water with the others having water no cooler than just below boiling, and it has the highest subsurface temperature in the world recorded at 459 degrees Fahrenheit! All of this is due to the underground magma chamber being somewhat closer to the surface than other areas. But the result is a landscape that looks like nothing else found on earth. Nowhere is this more noticeable than the Porcelain Basin. Over hundreds of acres sits a landscape that appears more akin to that of the volcanic moon of Jupiter, known as Io. The white sheet stained with yellows and oranges and broken up by deep turquoise pools and white spouting geysers stretches out for large distances over the Porcelain Basin. An overlook on a nearby hilltop allows a nice view from above to take in the entirety of the basin. But it is also possible to enter into the basin. While it is far too dangerous to walk on this unstable ground that has boiling water just under the surface everywhere, the basin may be accessed thanks to a loop trail built on boardwalks. And The Wild Images has done exactly that on countless occasions in search of opportunities to capture photos of the many geysers found here. One of these is Constant Geyser, whose name is misleading. It neither constantly erupts, nor does it erupt on a constant cycle or interval. It will often be dormant for a long period of time. Even when it is active, it is unpredictable but can be regular enough to catch an eruption with adequate patience. What appears as a very colorful, yet calm pool, will suddenly erupt up to about 20 feet. The eruption will only last for about 30 seconds or less, so it requires the need to remain in the area to view it. Here The Wild Images Team took this photo of a typical Constant Geyser eruption. Adding to the scene is a very colorful runoff pan in the foreground, where second later all of the boiling hot eruption water will pour down into. Notice the only vegetation in the region is found on the hills above the basin creating an insulating buffer where ground temperatures are much cooler. 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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