[Geysers] Thermal burn--Artist Paintpots area (Stephens)

[Lynn Stephens]

YELLOWSTONE S ARTISTS PAINTPOTS AREA TEMPORARILY CLOSED

The Artists Paintpots area in Yellowstone National Park has been
temporarily closed due to visitor safety concerns.

The area of colorful, hot mud springs is located along a one mile loop
trail east of the park s Grand Loop road, about two and a half miles south
of Norris Junction.

A visitor was injured Thursday afternoon when she was hiking on the
established dirt trail with family members. Utah resident Jeanette Hogan
says she stepped in a surface puddle of rainwater along the edge of the
trail when the crust beneath gave way. She broke through to a previously
undiscovered pool of hot water, and received burns to her ankle and lower
leg.

Members of the park s trail crew were working on another section of the
Artists Paintpots trail at the time of the accident. Crew members were
able to provide immediate first aid and summon park emergency personnel,
who took the patient by ambulance to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center
in Idaho Falls. The extent of Hogan s injuries and current condition are
unavailable.

Park geologists are currently evaluating the area. The water in the pool
is 171 degrees Fahrenheit. Water boils at about 197 degrees Fahrenheit at
that altitude. The water at the surface of the hot pool was found to be
slightly acidic, with a pH similar to vinegar.

The parking lot and trail will remain temporarily closed until the area can
be safely reopened to visitors.

While boardwalks and designated trails help protect park visitors and
prevent damage to delicate formations, Yellowstone National Park is a
dynamic, geologically active place. Scalding water can lie underneath
thin, breakable crusts. Many geyser eruptions are unpredictable, and
thermal features are near or above boiling temperatures. Four people
treated for thermal burns in the park in 2007. 
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