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Steamboat Geyser:
Learning to Love the Unpredictable:
When Steamboat Geyser erupts, it can rocket a column of scalding water 90-120 meters into the air -- two to three times the average height of Old Faithful. Steam roars for twenty-four hours after. Odds are against your witnessing this drama, however, since Steamboat's major eruptions occur 4 days to 50 years apart.
In Yellowstone's geyser basins, unpredictability is the pattern. Old Faithful's relatively predictable intervals are the exception. An earthquake could disrupt Old Faithful's timetable, or a shift in subterranean plumbing could allow Steamboat more frequent eruptions. |