A man who had wanted to ‘hot pot’ completely dissolved after falling into a volcanic spring in Yellowstone.
Colin Scott had gone to the national park, which is famous for its volcanic activity, and had wanted to ‘hot pot’ – where you jump into a hot spring for a few seconds before quickly getting out.
Yellowstone has a huge amount of hot springs because it sits directly on top of a super-volcano.
The massive chamber of magma underneath the national park heats up water, which can bubble up close to the surface, and is also imbued with minerals from the volcano beneath.
But while volcanic minerals are often touted for their health benefits, swimming in one of these pools is highly dangerous, even for a second, as Colin tragically found.
The massive chamber of magma underneath the national park heats up water, which can bubble up close to the surface, and is also imbued with minerals from the volcano beneath.
But while volcanic minerals are often touted for their health benefits, swimming in one of these pools is highly dangerous, even for a second, as Colin tragically found.
Horrifying simulation shows what happened to man who fell into Yellowstone hot spring and was completely dissolved within a day
A YouTube video has broken down what may’ve happened to Colin Scott when he ‘slipped’ into a hot spring in Yellowstone National Park
Warning: This article contains graphic images and video which some readers may find distressing.
A simulation of what may’ve occurred when an Oregon man fell into a hot spring at Yellowstone National Park acts as a stark warning.
On June 7, 2016, 23-year-old Colin Scott was walking in Yellowstone National Park with his sister when he ‘slipped’ into one of the hot springs.
Colin Scott ‘slipped’ into a hot spring at Yellowstone National Park. (Jonathan Newton/Getty Images)
The pair were reportedly walking off Norris Geyser Basin’s boardwalk when Colin fell into one of the park’s hot springs and ‘did not get out,’ according to the National Park’s Service report, as per The Guardian.
Colin’s sister, Sable, had no cellphone service and so was forced to leave her brother and go for help at a nearby museum.
Alas, by the time she returned and park officials arrived at the scene, Colin was only visible from the chest upwards, his hands also sticking out of the spring.
Officials returned the next day but Colin’s body had disappeared completely. A 9 June report by US park ranger Phil Strehle detailed: “Due to the report of the individual not previously visible, a lack of movement, suspected extreme temperatures, and indications of several thermal burns, the subject was determined to be deceased.”
The report resolved the ‘consensus among the rescue/recovery team […] was that the extreme heat of the hot spring, coupled with its acidic nature, dissolved the remains’ and a YouTube account has since shared a simulation of what this could’ve looked like.
A simulation has revealed what may’ve happened to Colin (Jonathan Newton/Getty Images)
YouTuber Zack D Films shared the simulation on August 20 earlier this year showing a representation of what may’ve happened when Colin fell in the hot spring.
A stark warning to those who venture too close to hot springs in the national park, the video explains: “The hot water caused severe burns as soon as he fell in but the water also contains acid which immediately began to eat away at his skin.
“After five minutes the heat would have caused him to go into shock.”
The video claims the water was ‘too hot’ to reach Colin’s body, however, the official report stated the area was too ‘volatile’ and there was an incoming lightening storm, which is why his body couldn’t be recovered right away.
When he was then found, the video resolves: “The acid and heat had completely caused his body to dissolve leaving nothing but his wallet and his shoes.”
Yellowstone’s website notes: “Hot springs have injured or killed more people in Yellowstone than any other natural feature.”
Park Superintendent Dan Wenk said in the statement at the time: “We extend our sympathy to the Scott family. This tragic event must remind all of us to follow the regulations and stay on boardwalks when visiting Yellowstone’s geyser basins.”
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Featured Image Credit: Youtube/Zack D. Films
A man from Oregon passed away after falling into a hot spring in Yellowstone National Park and a report detailed his final moments.
On June 7, 2016, Colin and his sister Sable Scott were hiking through Yellowstone national park in the US when the 23-year-old ‘slipped’ into one of the hot springs.
Despite ‘swimming or soaking in hot springs’ being ‘prohibited’ as stated by Yellowstone National Park’s website, it’s reported Colin and Sable ‘intentionally’ walked off one of the boardwalks visitors are instructed to stick to.
The National Park Service’s report on the incident states the pair walked off Norris Geyser Basin’s boardwalk and that’s when Colin then fell into one of the park’s hot springs and ‘did not get out’, as quoted by The Guardian.
Sable is said to have been recording the pair on her smartphone at the time of the incident and the camera captured the moment Colin ‘slipped and fell’ into the pool alongside the sister’s ‘efforts to rescue him’.
However, with no cellphone service in that area of the park, she was forced to leave her brother and go to a nearby museum for help.
Colin Scott fell in one of Yellowstone National Park’s hot springs. (Jonathan Newton/Getty Images)
Unfortunately, by the time park officials arrived, Colin was only visible from the chest upwards, his hands also sticking out of the hot spring.
US park ranger Phil Strehle reported that Colin’s t-shirt was visible and ‘what appeared to be a cross […] resting on the subject’s face’ but ‘due to the report of the individual not previously visible, a lack of movement, suspected extreme temperatures, and indications of several thermal burns, the subject was determined to be deceased’.
As a result of the ‘volatile’ nature of the area, Colin’s body was deemed unrecoverable by rescuers.
When officials returned the next day, his body couldn’t be seen and the report resolved the ‘consensus among the rescue/recovery team […] was that the extreme heat of the hot spring, coupled with its acidic nature, dissolved the remains’.
Yellowstone’s website notes: “Hot springs have injured or killed more people in Yellowstone than any other natural feature.”
Park Superintendent Dan Wenk said in the statement at the time: “We extend our sympathy to the Scott family. This tragic event must remind all of us to follow the regulations and stay on boardwalks when visiting Yellowstone’s geyser basins.”
The recording of Colin’s final moments on his sister’s phone was secured by authorities and has never been released out of respect for his family.
