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Washburn Hot Springs Overlook

Viewpoint of Caldera Rim

Observation Point in Yellowstone NP, Rocky Mountains near Canyon Village, WY

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This overlook is highlights the extent of the Yellowstone Caldera the location of Washburn Hot Springs.

The eastern ridgeline is the rim of a huge crater. Here a volcanic eruption blew cubic meters of glassy material into the atmosphere - remnants carried as far as Texas and California - then the crush collapsed, forming a caldera or basin. Though a catastrophe 600,000 years ago seems unimaginably remote, subsurface activity has been ongoing. Bare patches in the forest reveal Washburn Hot Springs, where superheated water boils up along caldera fracture lines.

— "Heart of the Caldera" sign at the overlook

View of Washburn Hot Springs in winter from the Washburn Hot Springs Overlook, A. Falgoust (NPS) photograph above.

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