evohr.org > trips > Lassen > Bumpass Hell

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Blowing bubbles the hard, messy way. The process works roughly as follows:

  1. Ground water seeps through cracks in the ground.
  2. 5-10 miles down, it comes in contact with magma (molten rock and volcanic gasses).
  3. The resulting high-pressure steam is forced back to the surface.
  4. In some places, the steam vents directly to the open air, releasing that characteristic sulfuric rotten-egg smell.
  5. Here you can see the steam bubbling up through standing pools of water, spilling over into shallow rivers of hot mud.
 
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