Steamboat Geyser facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Steamboat Geyser
Major eruption, Steamboat Geyser, circa 1960s
Location	Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Park County, Wyoming
Coordinates	44°43′25″N 110°42′11″W / 44.7236795°N 110.7031823°W / 44.7236795; -110.7031823
Elevation	7,598 feet (2,316 m)
Type	Cone geyser
Eruption height	300 to 400 feet (91 to 122 m)
Frequency	3 days to 50 years
Duration	3 to 129 minutes
Temperature	71.3 °C (160.3 °F) on 1998-06-26
Norris Geyser Basin

Steamboat Geyser is found in the Yellowstone National Park in a place called the Norris Geyser Basin. It is known as the world's tallest active geyser. A geyser is a hot spring that shoots out water and steam into the air.

Steamboat Geyser has two openings, called vents. One is a northern vent and the other is a southern vent. They are about 20 feet (6.1 m) (6 meters) apart. The northern vent is the one that shoots water the highest. The southern vent's water columns are not as tall.

How Tall is Steamboat Geyser?

Before 1904, a geyser in New Zealand called Waimangu Geyser had some taller eruptions. It could reach up to 1,600 feet (490 m) (488 meters) high! But in 1904, a landslide changed how the water flowed, and Waimangu has not erupted since.

Other geysers in Yellowstone, like Excelsior Geyser and Semi-Centennial Geyser, were also reported to be very tall. They could reach 300 ft (91 m) (91 meters), just like Steamboat. However, Excelsior has not erupted since 1985 and now acts like a regular hot spring. Semi-Centennial only had one eruption of this height in 1922 and has been quiet ever since. This means Steamboat Geyser is the tallest active geyser today!

What Happens During an Eruption?

Major eruptions from Steamboat Geyser usually last from 3 to 40 minutes. Sometimes, during a very active period in 2018, they lasted even longer than an hour. After the water shoots up, powerful jets of steam follow. During these big eruptions, water can be thrown more than 300 feet (91 m) (91 meters) into the air. That's as tall as a 30-story building!

Steamboat Geyser does not erupt on a regular schedule. The time between its major eruptions can be very different. It has been as short as three days or as long as fifty years! For example, the geyser was completely quiet from 1911 to 1961. But from 2018 to at least 2021, it became very active, erupting more than 40 times each year in 2019 and 2020.

Besides the major eruptions, Steamboat also has smaller eruptions. These minor eruptions are much more common. They usually shoot water about 10 to 15 feet (3.0 to 4.6 m) (3 to 4.5 meters) high.

After a big eruption, the geyser often lets out a lot of steam for up to two days. Sometimes during this steam phase, water might flow back into Steamboat. This can cause it to shoot water again, but not as high as a major eruption. A nearby spring called Cistern Spring will completely empty after a major eruption. But don't worry, it fills back up within a few days.

Steamboat Geyser's Recent Activity

Steamboat Geyser has had some exciting times recently! Its most recent eruption happened on February 3, 2021. In both 2019 and 2020, the geyser set new records for the number of eruptions in a single year. It erupted 48 times in 2019 and again 48 times in 2020. This was the 129th eruption since it became very active in early 2018.

Many years can pass between eruptions, but sometimes there are many eruptions in one year. For example, in 1964, there were twenty-nine eruptions. Here are some of the eruptions from 1990 to 2014:

• June 4, 1990
• October 2, 1991 - (1 year 120 days later)
• May 2, 2000 - (8 years 213 days later)
• April 26, 2002 - (1 year 359 days later)
• September 13, 2002 - (140 days later)
• March 26, 2003 - (194 days later)
• April 27, 2003 - (32 days later)
• October 22, 2003 - (178 days later)
• May 23, 2005 - (1 year 213 days later)
• July 31, 2013 - (8 years 212 days later)
• September 3, 2014 - (1 year 34 days later)

A Busy Time for Steamboat

Steamboat Geyser, major eruption, August 4, 2018

In 2018, Steamboat Geyser became much more active. From March 15, 2018, to February 3, 2021, there were 129 eruptions! There were 32 eruptions in 2018, 48 in 2019, and another 48 in 2020. This broke the old record of 29 eruptions in a year, which was set in 1964. The 2018 record was broken on August 27, 2019, with the 33rd major eruption of that year. One eruption on August 27, 2019, even reached a record height of 403 feet!

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