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How Geysers Work |
| For geyser to occur there must be heat, water, and a plumbing
system. A magma chamber provides the heat, which radiates into
surrounding rock. Water from rain and snow works its way underground
through fractures in the rock. As the water reaches hot rock it
begins to rise back to the surface, passing through rhyolite, which
is former volcanic ash or lava rich in silica. The hot water
dissolves the silica and carries it upward to line rock crevices.
This forms a constriction that holds in the mounting pressure,
creating a geyser's plumbing system. As superheated water nears the
surface, its pressure drops, and the water flashes into steam as a
geyser. Hot springs have unconstricted plumbing systems. A Cone Geyser Geysers are hot springs that erupt periodically. In Yellowstone National Park, all of the ingredients needed for geyser activity are present: heat, water, and underground rock hard enough to withstand intense pressures. Beehive is an example of a cone geyser. It was so named because its four-foot high cone resembles an old fashioned beehive. Though its cone is modest compared to others in the Upper Geyser Basin, Beehive is one of the most powerful and impressive geysers in the park. Typically, Beehive's activity is not predictable, but when eruption cycles start, intervals between eruptions can range from 10 hours to five days. An average eruption lasts about five minutes. |
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