Great Fountain Geyser facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Great Fountain Geyser
Sunset eruption
Location	Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Coordinates	44°32′11″N 110°48′00″W / 44.536424°N 110.7998826°W / 44.536424; -110.7998826
Elevation	7,349 feet (2,240 m)
Type	Fountain geyser
Eruption height	75 feet (23 m) to 220 feet (67 m)
Frequency	9 to 15 hours
Duration	1 hour (2 hours max)
Temperature	49 °C (120 °F)

The Great Fountain Geyser is an amazing fountain-type geyser located in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. You can find it in the Firehole Lake area, which is part of the Lower Geyser Basin. This geyser is quite special because it's the only one in the Lower Geyser Basin that park rangers can predict when it will erupt!

Eruptions of Great Fountain Geyser

The Great Fountain Geyser usually erupts every 9 to 15 hours. When it erupts, the water can shoot up really high, from about 75 feet (23 m) (23 meters) to over 220 feet (67 m) (67 meters)! Each eruption typically lasts for about one hour, but sometimes it can go on for more than two hours.

Predicting Eruptions

Park rangers can predict when the geyser will erupt next. If an eruption lasts longer, it usually means there will be a longer wait until the next one. By watching how long an eruption lasts, they can guess the next eruption time within about two hours. They can even make the prediction more exact, down to about 15 minutes, by observing how much water overflows from the geyser's crater between eruptions.

Sometimes, the geyser enters a "wild-phase." During this time, its eruptions might last much longer than usual, or the time between eruptions could be as long as three days! When this happens, it's hard to predict when it will erupt next until it goes back to its normal behavior.

Nearby Geysers

From the same parking lot where you can watch Great Fountain Geyser, you can also easily see White Dome Geyser. White Dome Geyser erupts more often, but its eruptions are not as powerful. It has a large cone made of a mineral called geyserite.