Investigation Underway as Human Foot Discovered Floating in Hotspring in Yellowstone

In a hot spring in Yellowstone Park, a foot (and shoe) was discovered floating. Authorities from the national park are looking into the find, which was made in the southern region's Abyss Pool.

Sulfuri Bacteria in Yellowstone 002 (IMAGE)

(Photo : Photo by Tom Murphy)

Discovering the Foot

A Yellowstone National Park staffer discovered a portion of a foot floating with a shoe in a hot spring and immediately began an inquiry. The West Thumb Geyser Basin and its parking lot were temporarily closed due to the finding, which was found on Tuesday near Abyss Pool in the southern region of Yellowstone. Since then, the area has reopened.

Park spokesman Morgan Warthin said on Thursday that authorities are now looking into the find but have no further information. According to park officials, the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake's Abyss Pool is 53 feet (16 meters) deep and is roughly 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius). It is located on the southern side of the park's southern loop.

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Extremely Hot Hot Springs

(Photo : MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)

In these hot springs, superheated water lowers and is replenished by more scalding water from below as it cools as it approaches the surface. According to the park's website, the circulation keeps the water from heating up to the temperature required to produce a geyser.

Even though they are one of Yellowstone's most well-known attractions, hot springs may be fatally threatening. The park claims more people have been hurt or killed by hot springs in Yellowstone than by any other natural feature.

Hot Spring Casualties

In 2016, a guy from Oregon went into a hot, acidic spring, where he was murdered and his corpse "dissolved."

According to a report made public by the National Park Service on Thursday, Colin Scott, 23, was trekking through a restricted area of the park on June 7 with his sister, Sable, when Scott slipped into a hot spring "and did not come out." The two were looking for a location to "hot pot" or swim in one of the park's thermal features, according to deputy head ranger Lorant Veress, who spoke to KULR-TV.

Extremely Rare Incident

According to a source, "the consensus among the rescue/recovery crew... was that the hot spring's intense heat and acidic nature disintegrated the remains." Scott's flip-flops and wallet were found to be in the vehicle.

The report stated that as Scott's corpse was being retrieved, rescuers recorded a temperature of 212F, the boiling point at which water starts to boil. Water temperatures in the basin regularly exceed 199F (93C). Visitors are advised to stay on the boardwalk by signage around the area.

Geysers are like highly pressurized hot springs. They set off eruptions that shoot hundreds of feet of steam and water into the air. A full-thickness burn would cause damage to all three layers of your skin, leaving you in excruciating pain. Your blood vessels would then break as your top layer of skin started to burn.