Excelsior Geyser facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Excelsior Geyser Crater |
|
|---|---|
Eruption, 1888 by F. Jay Haynes
|
|
| Name origin | Hayden Survey, 1871 |
| Location | Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Teton County, Wyoming |
| Coordinates | 44°31′35″N 110°50′13″W / 44.526321°N 110.8368778°W |
| Elevation | 7,257 feet (2,212 m) |
| Type | Fountain-type Geyser |
| Eruption height | Boil – 300 feet, and just as wide. |
| Frequency | When it was active, every 2 minutes to 5 hours |
| Duration | When it was active, 1–3.5 minutes |
| Discharge | 4,000–4,050 gallons per minute – when not erupting |
| Temperature | 199 °F (93 °C) |
Excelsior Geyser Crater is a huge, quiet hot spring in Yellowstone National Park, USA. It used to be a very active geyser that shot water high into the air! It's located in an area called the Midway Geyser Basin. The name "Excelsior" was given to it way back in 1871.
What is Excelsior Geyser Crater?
The Excelsior Geyser pool pours out a lot of hot water every minute. It releases about 4,000 to 4,500 gallons (15,100–17,000 liters) of water. This water is super hot, around 199°F (93°C), and it flows right into the Firehole River.
In the late 1800s, Excelsior was a very active geyser. It erupted often, shooting water high into the sky. Most of its eruptions reached about 100 feet (30 meters) high. Some even went over 300 feet (91 meters) tall and just as wide!
Scientists think these powerful eruptions might have damaged the geyser's underground "plumbing" system. Because of this, it now mostly boils like a very busy hot spring.
When Did Excelsior Erupt?
Even though it's mostly a hot spring now, Excelsior Geyser did erupt again in 1985. This happened for 46 hours, from September 14 to 16. These eruptions were smaller than the old ones, reaching about 30 feet (9 meters) high. However, a few eruptions were as tall as 80 feet (24 meters) and 100 feet (30 meters) wide. Each of these eruptions lasted about 2 minutes. They happened every 5 to 66 minutes.
Between 2004 and 2006, Excelsior also had some very strong boiling. This boiling was so powerful that it was almost like an eruption. The water would splash up between 5 to 10 feet (1.5 to 3 meters) high. These strong splashes only lasted for a few seconds.
|
