Physics explains geology
Nigel Goldenfeld's group has worked out the theory for the formation of terraced landscapes near geothermal hot springs. The landscapes shown are from the group's research site at Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, and are made up of travertine (calcium carbonate), deposited when
carbon dioxide charged water leaves a geothermal spring, flows downhill, and degasses.
Theoretical and computational work will enable the group to understand and predict the landscape features in detail, under different conditions of flow, geochemistry, and mineralogy.
The photographs were taken by Roy Johnson (UIUC Geology) and Goldenfeld's group. (Click on the image for a higher-resolution version.) The simulated landscapes were rendered by Nicholas Guttenberg and John Veysey from John Veysey's cellular automata simulations of the governing equations. The theoretical description brings together fluid dynamics, turbulence theory, the dynamics of surfaces, and modeling techniques from pattern formation in condensed matter.
This work is part of a project funded under the National Science Foundation's program Biocomplexity in the Environment with Principal Investigators Bruce Fouke (UIUC Geology) and Nigel Goldenfeld. The goal of the project is to determine the detailed role that microbial metabolic activity may play in the formation of travertine terraces.
Funding for this work was provided by the National Science Foundation, grant number NSF-EAR-0221743. The conclusions presented are those of the researchers and not necessarily those of the National Science Foundation.