The Norris Geyser Basin was named for Philetus W. Norris who served as Yellowstone’s second superintendent from 1877 until 1882. Although he did not discover it, his explorations and reports were largely responsible for calling attention to that area. Norris is considered to be the hottest and most active geyser basin in Yellowstone. Here geysers and hot springs exhibit greater change in activity over a short span of time than elsewhere in the park. It is not unusual for a new hot spring to come

VALENTINE GEYSER —Located at the base of a large pear-shaped alcove, Valentine is a typical cone type geyser that first erupted on Valentine’s Day, 1907. Its activity has varied considerably—being dormant some seasons, erratic during others, yet showing a high degree of regularity at times. During the past several seasons, it has erupted from a minimum of once every two days to a maximum of once a day. An eruption lasts 5-7 minutes and reaches a height of 20-50 feet (6-15 m.) above the seven foo

EMERALD SPRING —The colors in and around thermal features are often created by several kinds of algae that grow in hot water. However, the deep green color of this spring is a result of a combination of the yellow color from the sulphur lining the edge of the pool with the blue that is refracted (“scattered”) from the clear water in the pool. The bowl of this feature is about 27 feet (8 m.) deep and the temperature normally varies between 194 and 200 degrees F. (90-93° C.) STEAMBOAT GEYSER —The