Most people already know about Old Faithful. It's the most active thermal feature in Yellowstone National Park, erupting regularly every 30 to 90 minutes or so. Thus, why it earned the moniker. Many visitors see Old Faithful and assume it's also the largest geyser in the National Park. But they would be wrong because Steamboat Geyser in the Norris Geyser Basin is bigger, and it actually is the world's largest.
When Steamboat erupts, it's the most awesome spectacle in the park, shooting hot water 300 to 400 feet into the air. The most recent eruption was captured on video on September 18, and it makes for a beautiful sight. The spewing water creates a huge cloud of water vapor resulting in a beautiful rainbow far above the trees in the park.
Seeing an eruption of this geyser is a tricky prospect unless you have tons of free time to sit around and wait. Unlike Old Faithful, Steamboat is often wildly unpredictable. In the 1990s through around 2017, it only erupted 12 times! In 2018, activity picked up when it erupted for the first time in over three years. It has been steadier with the eruptions since then.
However, it's still a matter of luck, because the timing between recent eruptions has varied between three and 38 days. There are some Yellowstone Park Rangers with many years of service under their belts who have never seen Steamboat Geyser go off.
No one is quite sure what's going on with Steamboat's plumbing deep beneath the Earth. However, scientists have noted the nearby Cistern Spring drains completely whenever Steamboat goes off, so the two are connected somehow. Oh, and in case you're wondering, scientists don't seem to be concerned about Steamboat's new rise in activity. It's not likely it has anything to do with an impending eruption of the Yellowstone super volcano. Odds are they wouldn't be letting anyone into the park if that was about to happen!
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