Home » Exhibition: What Lies Beneath
“Fishing Cone.” Fishing cone hot spring, in the West thumb area of Yellowstone Lake, was once a geyser with eruptions as high as 40 feet. As water levels have risen in the lake, the once-active geyser has now fallen silent. What Lies Beneath: Exploring Yellowstone Lake’s Mysterious Vents / Photographs by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Exhibition: What Lies Beneath

Nancy McClure avatar

By Nancy McClure

February 4, 2021

Current exhibition

Open April 24 – August 8, 2021, and again from…
October 1, 2021 – May 1, 2022

What Lies Beneath: Exploring Yellowstone Lake’s Mysterious Vents documents the scientific expedition known as the Hydrothermal Dynamics of Yellowstone LAKE (or HD-YLAKE) project through photos by Chris Linder of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The HD-YLAKE project sought to understand how earthquakes, volcanic processes, and climate affect the hydrothermal system located beneath Yellowstone Lake.

Linder’s photographs explore the present-day landscape as well as the day-to-day operations of the expedition, including that of Yogi, a remotely operated vehicle used to gather samples and readings in and around vents on the lake floor.

What Lies Beneath will be on exhibit in our Draper Natural History Museum’s John Bunker Sands Photography Gallery at the Center of the West from April 24 – August 8, 2021, and again from October 2, 2021 – May 1, 2022.

"Lights on and Ready." Yogi dips into Yellowstone Lake, lights on and ready to collect specimens and record video for the HD-YLAKE science team. Yogi is capable of diving to 1,500 meters (nearly 5,000 feet), which is much deeper than Yellowstone Lake. Using thrusters, the vehicle moves through the water much like a helicopter. What Lies Beneath: Exploring Yellowstone Lake’s Mysterious Vents / Photographs by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
“Lights on and Ready.” Yogi dips into Yellowstone Lake, lights on and ready to collect specimens and record video for the HD-YLAKE science team. Yogi is capable of diving to 1,500 meters (nearly 5,000 feet), which is much deeper than Yellowstone Lake. Using thrusters, the vehicle moves through the water much like a helicopter. What Lies Beneath: Exploring Yellowstone Lake’s Mysterious Vents / Photographs by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
"Morning Fog." Fog burns off from the surface of Yellowstone Lake just as the sun rises over the rim of the Absaroka Range. What Lies Beneath: Exploring Yellowstone Lake’s Mysterious Vents / Photographs by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
“Morning Fog.” Fog burns off from the surface of Yellowstone Lake just as the sun rises over the rim of the Absaroka Range. What Lies Beneath: Exploring Yellowstone Lake’s Mysterious Vents / Photographs by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
"West Thumb." Visitors marvel at the colorful pools and bubbling springs along the shore of Yellowstone Lake at West Thumb geyser basin. The pools they are looking at are just a small part of a larger-scale hydrothermal system that extends across the entire northern half of the lake. Aerial support provided by LightHawk. What Lies Beneath: Exploring Yellowstone Lake's Mysterious Vents / Photographs by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
“West Thumb.” Visitors marvel at the colorful pools and bubbling springs along the shore of Yellowstone Lake at West Thumb geyser basin. The pools they are looking at are just a small part of a larger-scale hydrothermal system that extends across the entire northern half of the lake. Aerial support provided by LightHawk. What Lies Beneath: Exploring Yellowstone Lake’s Mysterious Vents / Photographs by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
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Written By

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Nancy McClure

Nancy now does Grants & Foundations Relations for the Center of the West's Development Department, but was formerly the Content Producer for the Center's Public Relations Department, where her work included writing and updating website content, publicizing events, copy editing, working with images, and producing the e-newsletter Western Wire. Her current job is seeking and applying for funding from government grants and private foundations. In her spare time, Nancy enjoys photography, reading, flower gardening, and playing the flute.

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