Why Yellowstone's Geysers Erupt on Schedule (VIDEO)

First Posted: Feb 25, 2015 08:06 AM EST
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Some geysers, like Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park, erupt on a timer, keeping to a regular schedule. Now, scientists may have found out why. It turns out that these geysers have loops or side-chambers in their underground plumbing.

The key to geysers is an underground bend or loop that traps steam and then bubbles it out slowly to heat the water column above until it is just short of boiling. Eventually, the steam bubbles trigger sudden boiling from the top of the column, releasing pressure on the water below and allowing it to boil, as well. The column essentially boils from the top downward, spewing water and steam hundreds of feet into the air.

So how did the researchers learn about this loop? It took years of studying geysers in Chile and Yellowstone. In addition, the scientists built an experimental geyser in the lab, made with glass with a bend or loop. This artificial geyser erupts periodically, though not as regularly as a real geyser.

"At many geysers it looks like there is some cavity that is stuck off on the side where steam is accumulating," said Michael Manga, one of the researchers, in a news release. "So we said, 'Let's put in a cavity and watch how the bubble trap generations eruptions.' It allows us to get both small eruptions and big eruptions in the lab."

Studying geysers may actually tell researchers a bit more about volcanic eruptions, which bear many similarities to geysers but are harder to study.

"One of our goals is to figure out why geysers exist-why don't you just get a hot spring-and what is it that controls how a geyser erupts, including weather and earthquakes," said Manga.

These latest findings reveal a bit more about how geysers function. By creating an artificial geyser, they were able to see how it works, which could reveal further insights into other eruptions.

Want to learn more? Check out the video below, courtesy of YouTube.

The findings are published in the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research.

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