A recent video seemed to show a disturbing yet sadly common occurrence at one of America's most popular national parks. A tourist apparently walked out onto the dangerous, fragile geyser fields, risking their life for a photo op.
It happens frequently enough that there is a Facebook page devoted to calling out the bad behavior of tourists in Yellowstone National Park. The park's stunning natural features drew in 4.7 million visitors last year alone, many of whom traveled to see the famous geyser "Old Faithful" and the largest hot spring in the United States, the Grand Prismatic Spring.
Geyser basins are present at Yellowstone because magma is close to the Earth's surface there. This provides the intense heat needed to warm the groundwater, which forms the geyser.
These fiery fields create the perfect habitat for thermophiles, heat-loving microorganisms that thrive in extreme temperatures and chemical conditions. Due to both the intense heat and the fragile ecosystem, it's for the protection of humans and wildlife that visitors remain on the boardwalks constructed over the fields.
The violation of this rule is more than frustrating. It's also incredibly dangerous -- and can even be deadly.
Tragically, a bison died just this summer after apparently falling into a hot spring at Yellowstone, seeming to have been severely burned. Michael Poland, a scientist at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, told CBS News at the time, "There are thin crusts that form on the edges of these [hot springs] and so it's difficult to tell if there is boiling water directly beneath you."
Yellowstone's geothermal features are not only fragile but also unpredictable, and stepping off the boardwalk puts both the visitor and the ecosystem at risk. When tourists choose to disregard park rules, they're not just endangering themselves -- they're disrupting very rare and delicate environments that have been forming over centuries.
Commenters were shocked by this behavior. "I probably would have yelled 'get the h*** out!" one wrote.
Another replied, "l would have and have ... Tourons!"
One commenter remarked that the visitor "does not realize nor know how dangerous" walking out on the field could be. "The really sad part is when they do realize it, it'll be too late," the commenter continued.