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Sapphire Pool

Sapphire Pool is one of my favorite pools within the Yellowstone National Park. The colors are amazing and it has nice mountains in the background.

The pool measures approximately 18 feet by 30 feet and the temperature of the water is between 200-202°F.  The pool, named for its blue, crystal-clear water and for its resemblance to an Oriental sapphire, was once a placid hot pool. It was not until after the 1959 earthquake that major eruptions occurred. For several years following the earthquake powerful eruptions at two hour intervals reached 150 feet. The force of the eruptions caused the crater to double in size, destroying the biscuit-like formations around its edge, and the crystal-clear water became murky. By 1968 Sapphire ceased to function as a true geyser. Today Sapphire still retains its crystal-clear, blue water, and still violently boils and surges occasionally.

Sapphire Pool
Sapphire Pool

This image was taken with my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV using my Canon EF 16-35mm f/4 Lens set on 16 mm. The camera was set on Manual mode with the aperture set at f/8, shutter speed at 1/250th of a second and the ISO set at 100. I used a tripod for stability and my polarizer filter to eliminate the refleciton on the surface. This is a series of five photographs combined into a single image using Lightroom and completed in Photoshop using Nik Color Efex Pro.

You can see my gallery for the Yellowstone area by clicking here. Please use the section below to post your comments, questions or suggestions.

T. Kahler Photography
© 2020 T. Kahler Photography, All Rights Reserved

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