Pink Geyser facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pink Geyser |
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| Location | Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Teton County, Wyoming |
| Coordinates | 44°32′36″N 110°47′47″W / 44.5433745°N 110.7963353°W |
| Type | Fountain-type geyser |
| Eruption height | 20 feet (6.1 m) |
| Frequency | 2 to 12 hours |
| Duration | usually 3 to 8 minutes |
| Temperature | 91.1 °C (196.0 °F) |
Pink Geyser is a special kind of hot spring called a geyser. It is found in the amazing Yellowstone National Park in the United States. This geyser is known for its beautiful pink colors.
Contents
Discovering Pink Geyser
Pink Geyser is located in the Lower Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park. It is a "fountain-type" geyser. This means it erupts by shooting water straight up into the air, like a fountain.
What is the Pink Cone Group?
Pink Geyser belongs to a family of geysers called the Pink Cone Group. Think of it like a neighborhood of hot springs! Other members of this group include Bead Geyser, Box Spring, Dilemma Geyser, Labial Geyser, Labial's Satellite Geyser, Narcissus Geyser, and Pink Cone Geyser. Even though they are close, they usually erupt on their own schedule.
How Pink Geyser Erupts
When Pink Geyser erupts, it shoots water high into the air. These eruptions usually last about 3 to 8 minutes. The water can reach heights of up to 20 feet (6.1 m), which is about as tall as a two-story building! After the water show, the eruption ends with a lot of steam.
Pink Geyser does not erupt all the time. The time between eruptions can be anywhere from 2 to 12 hours. On average, it erupts about every 3.5 hours.
Why is it Called Pink Geyser?
Pink Geyser gets its name from the pretty pink color around its opening. This color comes from special minerals called manganese oxide and iron oxide. These minerals stain the rock around the geyser.
You can see similar pink colors at other nearby geysers. This includes Pink Cone Geyser and Narcissus Geyser. The similar colors mean these geysers have similar water chemistry. However, their eruptions do not affect each other.
How Earthquakes Affect Pink Geyser
Pink Geyser can be affected by earthquakes. When the ground shakes, it can change how often the geyser erupts.
For example, before the 1983 Borah Peak earthquake, Pink Geyser only erupted twice a day. After that earthquake, it started erupting more often. The time between eruptions shortened to between 5 and 7 hours.
Later, the 2002 Denali earthquake caused the geyser to erupt even more frequently. This shows how powerful natural events can change geysers.
