Although there are around 500 geysers in Yellowstone National Park, Old Faithful is the one that most people know. It’s existed for tens of thousands of years and was discovered by the Washburn Expedition over a century ago, but it’s only been recently that scientists have started figuring out how it works.
Sure, geologists have been able to make educated guesses about how geysers work in general, but because of an internal temperature that remains over 200 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s previously been impossible to study the exact mechanics that force steam and super-heated water out of the earth on a predictable schedule. A recent study using current technology, however, has resulted in surprising new information that shines a light on how Old Faithful operates.
Crowds gather around Old Faithful starting about 30 minutes after an eruption. Since its discovery in the 1870s - and long before - it’s been going off about every 35 to 90 minutes, but no one knows why or how it all happens.
skua47/Flickr
In the 1990s, scientists rigged up a camera system using a stainless steel thermos…
YellowstoneNPS/YouTube
…and a video camera that they snaked down into the famous geyser to see what they could see.
YellowstoneNPS/YouTube
They got pretty good footage of boiling water and rock formations inside Old Faithful, but the information didn’t explain how it worked.
YellowstoneNPS/YouTube Have you ever wanted to dive down into a geyser without getting scalded? Here’s a good idea of what you might see:
It did give researchers an idea of what might be happening behind the scenes, though.
Morgens Hallas/YouTube Most geysers work the same way in that the “plumbing systems” are basically the same. There’s usually a hot spring connected to an underground reservoir below the geyser or “cone,” and it’s heated by a magma chamber underneath it all.
Not satisfied with the limited information the camera expedition provided, 21st Century scientists decided to apply different technology to the puzzle.
Kevin Baird/Flickr Previous studies had suggested that Old Faithful might have a cavity beneath it where steam and water would build until the pressure forced an eruption, but that none of the research had actually proven that.
They wanted to see if seismic wave sensors could help them locate a cavity or even show that there was something else going on under the geyser.
Z22 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikipedia The team used over 130 of the sensors, setting them up in the area near and around Old Faithful. The equipment successfully measured vibrations whenever the geyser went off.
By studying the data, the scientists could see how quickly the vibrations traveled through the area while distinguishing between glacial gravel and lava flow underground. Plus, instead of a cavity under Old Faithful, they discovered a huge fluid-filled reservoir about 100 meters away, partially under the Old Faithful Inn.
Tinkurlab/Flickr The scientists estimate that the reservoir is holding about 300,000 cubic meters of steaming-hot hydrothermal fluid.
All of this has led the researchers to believe that such a big reservoir could be feeding super-heated fluid into Old Faithful’s plumbing system almost constantly, which could explain the frequent and predictable eruptions.
Yellowstone Park/Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons
The mechanics of nature are fascinating. What Wyoming geothermal features intrigue you?
skua47/Flickr
YellowstoneNPS/YouTube
Have you ever wanted to dive down into a geyser without getting scalded? Here’s a good idea of what you might see:
Morgens Hallas/YouTube
Most geysers work the same way in that the “plumbing systems” are basically the same. There’s usually a hot spring connected to an underground reservoir below the geyser or “cone,” and it’s heated by a magma chamber underneath it all.
Kevin Baird/Flickr
Previous studies had suggested that Old Faithful might have a cavity beneath it where steam and water would build until the pressure forced an eruption, but that none of the research had actually proven that.
Z22 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikipedia
The team used over 130 of the sensors, setting them up in the area near and around Old Faithful. The equipment successfully measured vibrations whenever the geyser went off.
Tinkurlab/Flickr
The scientists estimate that the reservoir is holding about 300,000 cubic meters of steaming-hot hydrothermal fluid.
Yellowstone Park/Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons
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