Yellowstone's Steamboat Geyser, the world's tallest, erupted a record number of times this year
Harmeet Kaur, CNN • Published 25th December 2019
(CNN) — Another year, another record set by the tallest active geyser in the world.
The Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone National Park erupted 47 times this year, blowing past the record set in 2018 for the most eruptions recorded in a year.
Steamboat -- whose major eruptions shoot water more than 300 feet into the air -- broke a record in August when it erupted for the 33rd time. Since then, Steamboat has erupted 14 more times, bringing the total number of eruptions this year to 47, according to the US Geological Survey.
twitter.com/USGSVolcanoes/status/1166446466438782976
Like most geysers, Steamboat is known to be unpredictable. But this recent surge in eruptions is interesting because until 2018, the geyser had been mostly calm for about 15 years.
These periods of more frequent eruptions have happened before. Steamboat saw an uptick in eruptions in the 1960s after being dormant for about 50 years, and also saw increased eruptions in the 1980s.
Geysers are mostly random
Scientists aren't sure what's behind the recent increase in activity, but the short answer is that this is just how geysers work.
"They're mostly random and experience phases of alternating eruptive activity," Michael Poland, the USGS scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, wrote in an email to CNN earlier this year. "So while fascinating, it's not unusual, nor cause for concern."
Steamboat Geyser, pictured in the steam phase of eruption, on March 16, 2018.
Behnaz Hosseini/USGS/National Park Service
There are a number of possibilities why Steamboat is erupting more frequently, Poland said in July. One is that several heavy snow years in Yellowstone created more groundwater to feed geysers and hot springs. The Steamboat Geyser is starting to erupt more frequently just as spring snowmelt is at its peak, he said.
It's a popular misconception that geyser eruptions are related to earthquake activity, but Poland said visitors to the national park have nothing to worry about. Steamboat's frequent surges do not reflect any deeper changes in Yellowstone's volcanic system: Geyser plumbing systems are within a couple hundred meters of the surface, while the magma system starts several thousand meters below.
Yellowstone National Park is home to about 10,000 hydrothermal features, including hot springs, geysers and mud pots, the National Park Service says. It has about 500 geysers as well as the largest concentration of active geysers in the world.
"The recent activity does a great job of emphasizing a particular aspect of Yellowstone -- it is a dynamic place," Poland said.
#1: Horse To: BTP Holdings (#0)
https://freedom4um.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=234345
Not a good time to buy property near Yellowstone as a lot of billionaires are doing according to an article I recently posted.
Horse posted on 2020-03-22 22:47:03 Reply Private Reply
#2: NeoconsNailed To: Horse (#1)
How dumb can the 'elite' get!!! They've known the area was volatile for how long?
NeoconsNailed posted on 2020-03-22 22:48:12 Reply Private Reply
#3: Horse To: NeoconsNailed, BTP Holdings, (#2)
Horse posted on 2020-03-22 23:25:35 Reply Private Reply
#4: StraitGate To: NeoconsNailed (#2)
A stein full of silver makes the catastrophe go down
In the most delightful way!
StraitGate posted on 2020-03-22 23:44:21 Reply Private Reply
#5: NeoconsNailed To: Horse (#3)
Then a ragged drifter is spied making his way way across their part of the shoreline. Hepburn's father jumps out of his chair and runs out yelling "Hay, don't you know this is private property? Get off or I'll call the police!" etc. ;)
NeoconsNailed posted on 2020-03-23 00:11:43 Reply Private Reply
#6: NeoconsNailed To: StraitGate, All (#4)
Anybody who's up on this -- in an email one of you said gold and silver are easy to fake, and there was an article on it not long ago. Is there anything to this? Will there always be some sure-fire way to tell the real thing -- weight, conductivity or whatever?
Is the problem getting worse as tech advances and people sink ever lower-down?
NeoconsNailed posted on 2020-03-23 00:21:01 Reply Private Reply
#7: Esso To: NeoconsNailed (#6)
Issue came up during the last crisis in 2008. Tungsten can be gold- plated and virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. Probably the same for silver, I'd guess. Buy from reputable dealers, but they're out-of-stock right now. Look at texmetals.com
Avoid eBay. Always good advice unless you need something really obscure.
Yes, not something the average peon can afford.
Esso posted on 2020-03-23 01:06:42 Reply Private Reply
#8: NeoconsNailed To: Esso (#7)
What is it? Mebbe good reputable dealers will always be able to spot the fakes.
NeoconsNailed posted on 2020-03-23 01:21:21 Reply Private Reply
#9: Esso To: NeoconsNailed, 4um (#8)
You're asking some old man that can't even manage to get his hair cut? Just call me Farrah Fawcett- Willy Nelson Jr. :)
OK, it was some device that put a pulse of some kind into the object and was able to determine the exact density and composition somehow, don't remember the exact details, but it's there, non-destructively. As I recall, it measured the pulse going in and logged the time it reflected off the other side. High-tech bullshit-nonsense.
There's other ways, for example, the exact dimensions of an American Gold Eagle are: 32.7mm dia, 2.87mm thick, 1.00 Troy oz. Touchstones, etc.
They'd better be able to or they won't be in business long.
Esso posted on 2020-03-23 01:49:08 Reply Private Reply
#10: NeoconsNailed To: Esso (#9)
NeoconsNailed posted on 2020-03-23 02:44:31 Reply Private Reply