GEYSERS - Some of the most famous geysers on Earth are Old Faithful in Wyoming in the United States and the Strokkur Geyser in Iceland, and in Africa, in the Danakil Depression. Geyser eruptions happen in volcanically active areas where superheated magma sits fairly close to the surface. Water trickles (or rushes) down through cracks and fractures in the surface rocks. These conduits" or "pipes" can reach a depth of more than 2,000 meters. Once the water contacts rocks that have been heated by volcanic activity, it starts to boil. Eventually, the pressure rises and that sets a series of actions in motion. When the pressure gets too high, the water rushes back up the pipe, carrying minerals along with it. Eventually, it blows out, sending a rush of hot water and steam into the air. Think of geysers as natural plumbing systems that deliver water heated deep within the planet out to the surface. They come and go depending on the underground activity that feeds them.

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Geysers

How Geysers Work

by Carolyn Collins Petersen

Right now, in a few rare places on Earth, people are enjoying the sight and sound of superheated water rushing from deep below ground and into the air.

These unusual geological formations, called geysers, exist on Earth and throughout the solar system.

Some of the most famous ones on Earth are Old Faithful in Wyoming in the United States and the Strokkur Geyser in Iceland, and in Africa, in the Danakil Depression.

Geyser eruptions happen in volcanically active areas where superheated magma sits fairly close to the surface.

Water trickles (or rushes) down through cracks and fractures in the surface rocks. These "conduits" or "pipes" can reach a depth of more than 2,000 meters.

Once the water contacts rocks that have been heated by volcanic activity, it starts to boil.

Eventually, the pressure rises and that sets a series of actions in motion. When the pressure gets too high, the water rushes back up the pipe, carrying minerals along with it.

Eventually, it blows out, sending a rush of hot water and steam into the air. These are also called "hydrothermal explosions." (The word "hydro" means "water" and "thermal" means "heat.")

How Geysers Work

Think of geysers as natural plumbing systems that deliver water heated deep within the planet out to the surface. They come and go depending on the underground activity that feeds them.

While active geysers can be easily studied today, there's also ample evidence around the planet of dead and dormant ones.

Sometimes they die out when the rock "pipes" get clogged with minerals. Other times mining activities turn them off, or hydrothermal heating systems used by people to warm their homes can drain them.

Geologists study the rocks and minerals in geyser fields to understand the underlying geology of the structures that stretch below the surface.

Biologists are interested in geysers because they support organisms that thrive in hot, mineral-rich water.

These "extremophiles" (sometimes called "thermophiles" due to their love of heat) give clues to how life can exist in such hostile conditions.

Planetary biologists study geysers to better understand the life that exists around them. And other planetary scientists use them as ways to understand similar systems on other worlds.

The Yellowstone Park Collection of Geysers

One of the most active geyser basins in the world is at Yellowstone Park. It sits atop the Yellowstone supervolcano caldera in northwestern Wyoming and southeastern Montana.

There are around 460 geysers rumbling at any given time, and they come and go as earthquakes and other processes make changes in the region.

Old Faithful is the most famous, attracting thousands of tourists throughout the year.

Geysers in Russia

Another geyser system exists in Russia, in a region called the Valley of the Geysers.

It has the second-largest collection of vents on the planet and is in a valley about six kilometers long.

Scientists are studying this and the Yellowstone region to understand the types of life forms that exist in these systems.

Iceland's Famous Geysers

The volcanically active island nation of Iceland is home to some of the most famous geysers in the world.

The word "geyser" comes from their word "geysir", that describes these active hot springs.

The Icelandic geysers are associated with the mid-Atlantic Ridge. This is a place where two tectonic plates — the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate — are slowly moving apart at a rate of about three millimeters a year.

As they move away from each other, magma from below rises up as the crust thins. This superheats the snow, ice, and water that exist on the island during the year, and creates geysers.

Alien Geysers

Earth isn't the only world with geyser systems. Anywhere that interior heat on a moon or a planet can warm up water or ices, geysers can exist.

On worlds such as Saturn's moon Enceladus, so-called "cryo-geysers" spout from beneath the frozen surface.

They deliver water vapor, ice particles, and other frozen materials such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen, ammonia, and hydrocarbons to the crust and beyond.

Europa and ocean

Europa may have a hidden ocean beneath its icy crust. We see a cutaway here, against a backdrop of Jupiter and the tiny volcanic moon Io.

Geysers may well be erupting from deep beneath the surface. NASA

Decades of planetary exploration have revealed geysers and geyser-like processes on Jupiter's moon Europa, Neptune's moon Triton, and possibly even distant Pluto.

Planetary scientists studying activity on Mars suspect that geysers can erupt at the south pole during spring heating.

Using Geysers and Geothermal Heat

Geysers are extremely useful sources of heat and electricity generation. Their water power can be captured and used.

Iceland, in particular, uses its geyser fields for hot water and heat. Depleted geyser fields are sources of minerals that can be used in various applications.

Other regions around the world are starting to emulate Iceland's example of hydrothermal capture as a free and fairly unlimited source of power.

Beyond Earth, the geysers of other worlds might actually be sources of water or other resources for future explorers.

At the very least, studies of those distant vents will help planetary scientists understand the processes at work deep inside those places.

Carolyn Collins Petersen

Introduction

Author/co-author of seven books on astronomy and planetary science, including Astronomy 101 and Space Exploration: Past, Present, Future

CEO of Loch Ness Productions, a production company specializing in educational materials for planetariums and science centers

Member of the American Astronomical Society and International Planetarium Society

Experience

Carolyn Collins Petersen is a science writer, producer, and former research astronomer. She is the CEO of Loch Ness Productions, a production company specializing educational documentary shows for planetariums and science centers. She has published 7 books on astronomy and planetary science, including Astronomy 101, Space Exploration: Past, Present, Future, and Hubble Vision. 

In addition to her own books and articles on astronomy, Carolyn has written exhibition texts for the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, the NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, and the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

Previously, Carolyn worked on a Hubble Space Telescope instrument team and served as an editor for Sky Publishing, which publishes Sky & Telescope and Skywatch. Carolyn has written more than 40 documentaries and several webcasts on space science, and she regularly gives public presentations and lectures on topics in astronomy.

Education

Carolyn earned a master's degree from the University of Colorado – Boulder, where she studied astronomy, astrophysics, and science communication. She also received her B.S. from the University of Colorado.

Publications

Space Exploration: Past, Present, Future, 2017, Amberley Books

Astronomy 101: From the Sun and Moon to Wormholes and Warp Drive, Key Theories, Discoveries, and Facts about the Universe, 2013, Adams Media

Visions of the Cosmos (with J.C. Brandt), 2005, Cambridge University Press

Hubble Vision (with J.C. Brandt), 2003, Cambridge University Press (two editions)

The New Solar System (editor, with K. Beatty and A.C. Chaikin), 1999, Cambridge University Press and Sky Publishing

Jupiter! 1989, Facts on File.

ThoughtCo and Dotdash

ThoughtCo is a premier reference site focusing on expert-created education content. We are one of the top-10 information sites in the world as rated by comScore, a leading Internet measurement company. Every month, more than 13 million readers seek answers to their questions on ThoughtCo.

For more than 20 years, Dotdash brands have been helping people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired. We are one of the top-20 largest content publishers on the Internet according to comScore, and reach more than 30% of the U.S. population monthly. Our brands collectively have won more than 20 industry awards in the last year alone, and recently Dotdash was named Publisher of the Year by Digiday, a leading industry publication.

https://www.thoughtco.com/how-geysers-work-4154286

View of the Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park as it erupts against a dark sky, Wyoming, 1941. 

The mechanics of a geyser and how it works. Water seeps down through cracks and fissures, encounters heated rock, is heated to superboiling temperatures, and then erupts outward. USGS

Old Faithful geyser at Yellowstone National Park. This one erupts about every 60 minutes and has been probed with space-age cameras and imaging systems. 

 Valley of the Geysers in Kamchatka, Russia. This picture was taken just prior to a mudflow that engulfed some of the geysers. This remains a very active region. 

Strokkuer Geysir erupting, November 2010.

Plumes of water ice crystals, possible cryogeysers, jet out from cracks in Enceladus's south polar region.

 Europa may have a hidden ocean beneath its icy crust. We see a cutaway here, against a backdrop of Jupiter and the tiny volcanic moon Io. Geysers may well be erupting from deep beneath the surface. 

The Hellesheidi Power station in Iceland, which uses boreholes to capture heat from underground geothermal deposits. It also provides hot water to nearby Reykjavik.