Daily Nature Fix: A Geyser You Can Count On (Original Photos)

Good evening, Steemians.  Today's daily nature nugget is about the most famous geyser in the world: Old Faithful.  While it may not be the biggest and tallest geyser (that title belongs to another geyser in Yellowstone called the Steamboat Geyser), it is the most charming in my opinion.  Maybe it's the fame that precedes it, or maybe it's that it's been loyally entertaining park goers for over 140 years?  I've been lucky enough to watch Old Faithful's eruptions several times and it absolutely, positively NEVER gets old.  If you ask me, it's one of the things everyone should put somewhere on their bucket list, along with seeing the grand canyon and the northern lights.  On our last trip through Yellowstone National Park, this punctual old geyser gave us a display that was a little more special than previous ones, thanks to the aide of a clear, sunny, September day:

^^^Now as the recipe to create a rainbow is a simple one, I'm sure this happens all the time here... but I certainly never saw it before.  How cool is that!? 

^^^A wider show of the eruption and rainbow.

Believe it or not, Yellowstone has around 500 geysers in the park.  In 1870, Old Faithful here was the first one to be named though.  Approximately every 90 minutes an eruption takes place and blasts 8,000+ gallons of boiling water into the air. 

^^^An eruption later that same day.  You can see a person on the boardwalk in front for scale comparison.

And when I say it "blasts that boiling water into the air", I mean in a big way.  Sometimes photos make it look like that water column is maybe 40 or 50 feet tall, but it actually averages around 145 feet each eruption.  Some eruptions reach closer to 185 feet!  Each ones lasts around 2 to 5 minutes.

^^^A photo from my first visit to Old Faithful exactly three years before the above photos.

Since it's eruptions started being recorded, the down time between each one has been growing.  In 1939, the time between eruptions was approximately 65 minutes, compared to the 90 minutes today.  Some theories suggest that earthquake activity has effected this. 

 Hopefully, this thermal gem will keep doing it's thing for thousands of years to come (if the Yellowstone super volcano doesn't erupt that is).  If you ever go to Yellowstone, try to arrange your day plans so that you can see two eruptions.  At the first one, I'm sure you'll be excited and amazed and snapping your camera like crazy. (Okay, you'll probably do that every time you see it.) But with the second one, I don't know it's weird.... you get just as excited, but as you sit there waiting as the clock counts down to the 90 minute mark and the water starts to bubble at the crater, you get a slight sense that you're about to see an old familiar friend.  One that you know will just always be there.  

Thank you for reading and have a great night.  - Adam

***Daily Nature Fix is a daily blog showcasing the natural world.  It is all original content using photos, stories, and experiences from my own travels.***

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