Geyser

A geyser is a type of hot spring that erupts periodically, ejecting a column of hot water and steam into the air. The name geyser comes from Geysir, the name of an erupting spring at Haukadalur, Iceland; that name, in turn, comes from the verb gjósa, "to gush".

Numbers and distribution

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Geysers are quite rare, requiring a combination of water, heat, and fortuitous plumbing. The combination exists in few places on Earth. The five largest geyser fields in the world are (Glennon, J.A. and Pfaff R.M. 2003; Bryan 1995):

Related Topics:
Water - Heat - Plumbing

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• 1. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States
• 2. Dolina Geiserov, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia
• 3. El Tatio, Chile, South America
• 4. Taupo Volcanic Zone, North Island, New Zealand
• 5. Iceland, Europe

There used to be two large geysers fields in Nevada---Beowawe and Steamboat Springs---but they were destroyed by the installation of nearby geothermal power plants. At the plants, geothermal drilling reduced the available heat and lowered the local water table to the point that geyser activity could no longer be sustained. There are more individual geysers around the world, in California, Peru, Bolivia, Mexico, Dominica, Azores, Kenya and Japan, but no other large clusters.

Related Topics:
Nevada - Beowawe - Steamboat Springs - Water table - California - Peru - Bolivia - Mexico - Dominica - Azores - Kenya - Japan

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Yellowstone is the largest geyser locale, containing thousands of hot springs, and between three and five hundred geysers. Yellowstone includes the tallest, active geyser (Steamboat Geyser in Norris Geyser Basin) and the renowned (Old Faithful Geyser in Upper Geyser Basin).

Related Topics:
Steamboat Geyser - Norris Geyser Basin - Old Faithful Geyser - Upper Geyser Basin

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Many of New Zealand’s geysers have been destroyed by humans in the last century. Several New Zealand geysers have also become dormant or extinct by natural means. The main remaining field is Whakarewarewa at Rotorua. Two thirds of the geysers at Orakei Korako were flooded by the Ohakuri hydroelectric dam in 1961. The Wairakei field was lost to a geothermal power plant in 1958. The Taupo Spa field was lost when the Waikato River level was deliberately altered in the 1950s. The Rotomahana field was destroyed by the Mount Tarawera eruption in 1886. The Waimangu Geyser which existed from 1900 to 1904 was the largest geyser ever known. It ceased to erupt after a landslide covered its crater. Small numbers of geysers still exist at other places within the Taupo Volcanic Zone including Ketetahi, Tokaanu and Waiotapu.

Related Topics:
Whakarewarewa - Rotorua - Orakei Korako - Wairakei - Waikato River - Rotomahana - Mount Tarawera - Waimangu Geyser - Ketetahi - Tokaanu - Waiotapu

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