Ear Spring facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ear Spring |
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Ear Spring in 2013
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| Location | Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Teton County, Wyoming |
| Coordinates | 44°27′50″N 110°49′51″W / 44.4638220°N 110.8307668°W |
| Elevation | 7,356 feet (2,242 m) |
| Type | Hot Spring |
| Eruption height | 1-30 feet |
| Frequency | rare |
Ear Spring is a special hot spring located in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park. This famous park is in the United States.
Ear Spring is found near Old Faithful, one of the most well-known geysers. Most of the time, Ear Spring looks like a quiet pool. But sometimes, it surprises everyone!
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What Makes Ear Spring Special?
Ear Spring is unique because it can erupt like a geyser. This is very rare for a hot spring. When it erupts, it shoots water, rocks, and even small bits of dirt into the air. These eruptions can last for a few minutes. The water and debris can go higher than 25 feet (7.6 m)!
The Big Eruption of 2018
On September 15, 2018, something amazing happened. Ear Spring had a huge eruption! People saw it on the National Park Service webcam. The eruption lasted for about a minute. The water shot up to 20 to 30 ft (6.1 to 9.1 m) high.
This was the biggest eruption for Ear Spring since 1957. During this event, it threw out small rocks. The very hot water also changed the area around the spring. It killed the colorful bacterial mats that usually grow there. These mats like cooler water.
Connected Thermal Features
After the big eruption, other interesting things happened nearby. A new "thermal feature" opened up. This is a spot where hot water comes out of the ground. It appeared under a walking path near Pump Geyser. Because of this, the park temporarily closed the path.
This new hot spot was spouting water on the night of September 18-19, 2018. Also, other hot springs nearby became more active. Doublet Pool and North Goggles Geyser showed more activity. This happened right after Ear Spring's rare eruption. It shows how connected the underground hot water systems are in Yellowstone.
Images for kids
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Ear Spring in September 2018. You can see areas where bacterial mats died. Rocks were also thrown out after the rare eruption on September 15, 2018.
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Ear Spring in August 2018, one month before its big eruption. Notice the white areas where bacterial mats used to be in the 2013 picture.
