Geysers Up

The U. S. Department of Interior last week reported that Yellowstone Park's geysers have recently shown a remarkable increase of activity. Grand Geyser, which throws a column of steam and hot water 200 ft. high, used to erupt at intervals of 36 to 48 hours. Now it is running on a schedule of 30 hours. The Giantess (150-200 ft.), which erupts only at long intervals but once started keeps going for twelve to 36 hours, has been putting on its show once or twice a year; yet in the last nine months it has spouted at least three times, probably four.

Old Faithful, which erupts for five minutes once an hour, has not departed from its schedule. But it recently hurled its column 223 ft. into the air--73 ft. above its average and 32 ft. above its previous record.

Why Yellowstone Park's hot water fountains should thus be acting up, the Department of Interior's ranger-naturalists do not know.

The source of a geyser's energy is supposed to be hot volcanic rock not far from the earth's surface, and the eruption is a self-accelerating physical process. The geyser's tube or pipe fills up with ground water or rain water. At the lower end it is heated by the rock. Because of the pressure of the water column, the temperature rises above the normal boiling point before steam is liberated. Once steam begins to form against the pressure, it raises the column, spilling water on top. This reduces the pressure below so that steam is liberated with fast-increasing rapidity, and so with a rush the geyser erupts. When it is over the tube begins to fill with water for the next cycle.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.