Nugget & The Hot Springs

Geothermal hot springs can be found all over the world, but these are some which hold most of the Travel Nugget's interest.  Although some are lethal, the colours are surreal. 

THE BLUE LAGOON

This shade of blue is so pretty, I can't believe that it's the natural colour of this hot spring. Yes, blue is my favourite colour. The Blue Lagoon is Iceland's most popular feature and I just want to jump into it. Its spectacular shade of blue water comes from a composition of silica, algae and minerals which reflects in the sunlight.

The blue lagoon drink was actually named after here. However, the water itself is actually milky white. The lagoon contains 9 million litres of water, renewing itself every 40 hours from beneath the floor. The deepest area in the spring is 1.6 meters with a temperature of 37 to 40 degrees Celsius; both perfect for Travel Nugget bathing.

GRAND PRISMATIC SPRING, USA

I've seen pictures of this spring before, but I didn't realise the vibrant colours were real and unedited. The Grand Prismatic Spring is located in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, USA and is the third largest in the world. It was named for its brilliant shades of red, orange, yellow, green and blue which matches the colour of the dispersion of white light. The spring is 370 feet in diameter and 160 feet deep. With a temperature of 60 - 90 degrees Celsius, it is obviously not meant for bathing...

UNESCO World Heritage Site - Yellowstone National Park

CHAMPAGNE POOL, WAIOTAPU

Although not as pretty as the Prismatic Spring, Champagne Pool is another attractive hot spring. It is situated in Waiotapu, New Zealand. The spring is constantly effluxing bubbles, similar to a glass of champagne, hence it's name. Formed approximately 900 years ago, this effervescent pool is approximately 213 feet in diameter and 203 feet deep. This pool is also not intended for bathing as its temperature reaches 60 degrees Celsius.

BLOOD POND, BEPPU

Before we begin, a little disturbing history - the first "users" of this pond was just as sinister as its appearance as it was used for torture and eventually death by boiling...

Beppu, Japan is home to 8 hot springs or "hells" which vary in appearance and content, including mud, acidic water and alligators. Yes, one of the hell is home to over 80 alligators. This ominous spring, Blood Pond Hell, gets its name from its red water and steam due to the rich iron content. Although it is the coolest of the hells, at 78 degrees Celsius, the spring is not intended for bathing. Note to readers, researching this pond in the night isn't a good idea for the easily-scared (like the Travel Nugget) because the images that may come up has nothing to do with a pond and doesn't exactly say "sweet dreams".

FRYING PAN LAKE, NEW ZEALAND

Born of a catastrophic volcanic eruption in 1886, Frying Pan Lake is one of the world's largest natural hot springs. Located in Waimangu, New Zealand it has a width of 200 meters and a maximum depth of 20 meters. The spring is lethal as the water is acidic in nature and has a temperature of 50 to 60 degrees Celsius. Although Frying Pan lake is a natural phenomena, pictures will suffice as I don't consider it to be a very attractive site, especially compared to the other springs.

Bathing in the Blue Lagoon and seeing the colours of the Prismatic Spring in real are definitely things I'm looking forward too. Will I go to Blood Pond? No, not going there, that thing just looks like a thing of nightmares. Comment below and share some of your favourite/unusual hot springs!

P.S. There'll be an entire post dedicated to hot spring terraces at a later date. I'm drafting it and falling in love with them.