Home » Science & Nature » Science Websites » Geysers

Geysers

© Zany

A geyser (pronounced gy-zuhr) is a geothermal feature of the Earth where there is an opening in the surface that contains superheated water that periodically erupts in a shower of water and steam. They are generally found in places where there are heated rocks quite close to the surface. The word geyser is the only Icelandic word in the English language. It stems from the name of a particular geyser in southwest Iceland, the great Geysir(an Icelandic word meaning to gush or rush forth).

Geysers are rare. According to About Geysers there are only about 700 geysers in the world, with about 500 of them being in Yellowstone National Park. In order for a geyser to form, three conditions must be met:

1. an abundant supply of water

2. a heat source

3. special plumbing

The problem is the special plumbing. Most geysers are found in the volcanic rock rhyolite, a high silica rock. Fields of rhyolite are rare hence geysers are rare. The site goes on to give a readable explanation of what happens before and during an eruption. Geysers and the Earth's Plumbing System also explains what factors are needed for a geyser to exist and how a geyser erupts. Some of the links on this page did not work but it is well worth a visit. The cross-sectional diagram shows in picture form the three conditions that must be met to get geyser activity-heat, water and a reservoir. There are pictures of six basic type of plumbing systems that a geyser might have. The discussion after that gets more scientific in nature, so we will move on.

I have seen WyoJones' Geyser Site referred to as the best geyser site on the web. But it seems to be a work in progress. You can see where the author has planned to add to the pages but so far hasn't. The site was last updated a year ago. Again, some of the links don't work. Nonetheless, there is a lot of useful information about geysers, most notably a section on the continuing survival of geysers. Geysers are temporary geological features. Many factors (either natural or man made) can alter or destroy them. Find out what geysers have faced in the way of danger and what the greatest threat to their existence is right now. Look through the list of geyser that have been damaged or destroyed. It is really a shame.