Photo of the Day

A vividly colored hot spring in Africa’s Afar Depression
March 9, 2012

Hot Springs, East Africa

This Month in Photo of the Day: National Geographic Magazine Features

Sulfur and algae turn hot springs into pools of living color. The water is condensation from hot gases rising from magma chambers. As the water evaporates, salts and minerals form a vivid crust.

See more pictures from the January 2012 feature story "The Salt and the Earth."


See more pictures of water patterns »

Photograph by George Steinmetz, National Geographic

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