Illuminating the Voluminous Subsurface Structures of Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Park

Hurwitz, Shaul; Shelly, D. R.

doi:10.1002/2017gl075833

Cited by 5 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Geysers are small and erupt more often than volcanoes, which makes it easier to study their periodicity (Hurwitz and Shelly, ). For instance, the El Jefe Geyser at El Tatio, Chile, erupts as often as every 132 s (Munoz‐Saez, Manga, et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Eruption Interval Monitoring at Strokkur Geyser, Iceland

Eibl

Hainzl

Vesely

et al. 2020

Geophysical Research Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Geysers are hot springs whose frequency of water eruptions remain poorly understood. We set up a local broadband seismic network for 1 year at Strokkur geyser, Iceland, and developed an unprecedented catalog of 73,466 eruptions. We detected 50,135 single eruptions but find that the geyser is also characterized by sets of up to six eruptions in quick succession. The number of single to sextuple eruptions exponentially decreased, while the mean waiting time after an eruption linearly increased (3.7 to 16.4 min). While secondary eruptions within double to sextuple eruptions have a smaller mean seismic amplitude, the amplitude of the first eruption is comparable for all eruption types. We statistically model the eruption frequency assuming discharges proportional to the eruption multiplicity and a constant probability for subsequent events within a multituple eruption. The waiting time after an eruption is predictable but not the type or amplitude of the next one.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is composed of a conduit, a reservoir with water supply, and a heat source (Descloizeaux, 1847;Munby, 1902). No more than 1,000 such geyser systems exist worldwide (Hurwitz & Shelly, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eruption Interval Monitoring at Strokkur Geyser, Iceland

Eibl

Hainzl

Vesely

et al. 2020

Geophysical Research Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Yellowstone National Park (YNP), USA, is located at an average elevation of 2,300 m and is heated by a shallow volcanic rhyolite flow that forms the world's largest subaerial continental hydrothermal system, hosting nearly half of the geysers worldwide ( 2 , 8 ). This includes arguably the world's most iconic and well-studied geyser, Old Faithful geyser (OFG), which attracts millions of visitors annually ( 4 , 9 ). OFG is a cone geyser located in the Upper Geyser Basin of YNP, an area characterized by neutral to alkaline waters rich in dissolved silica and chloride (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…After an eruption and subsequent cooling of erupted waters, silica sinter precipitates from water and this process, following hundreds to thousands of years of repeated cycles, formed the several meter-tall vertical cone of OFG ( 11 ). Further, erupted waters collect in several sinter-encrusted splash pools near the vent of OFG ( 9 ). Eruptive activity at OFG is predictable, occurring every 91–93 min, on average, permitting its safe investigation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Eruptive activity at OFG is predictable, occurring every 91–93 min, on average, permitting its safe investigation. Although thermal geysers such as OFG have been extensively studied from geological, geochemical, and hydrological perspectives ( 4 , 9 , 12–18 ), to the authors’ knowledge, there have not been any studies of the microbiology of geysed waters originating from the subterranean aquifers that source thermal geyser systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

An active microbiome in Old Faithful geyser

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Natural thermal geysers are hot springs that periodically erupt liquid water, steam, and gas. They are found in only a few locations worldwide, with nearly half located in Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Old Faithful Geyser (OFG) is the most iconic in YNP and attracts millions of visitors annually. Despite extensive geophysical and hydrological study of geysers, including OFG, far less is known of the microbiology of geysed waters. Here, we report geochemical and microbiological data from geysed vent water and vent water that collects in a splash pool adjacent to OFG during eruptions. Both waters contained microbial cells and radiotracer studies showed they fixed carbon dioxide (CO2) when incubated at 70°C and 90°C. Shorter lag times in CO2 fixation activity were observed in vent and splash pool waters incubated at 90°C than 70°C, suggesting cells are better adapted or acclimated to temperatures like those in the OFG vent (∼92-93°C). 16S rDNA and metagenomic sequence data indicated that both communities are dominated by Thermocrinis, which likely fuels productivity through the aerobic oxidation of sulfide/thiosulfate in erupted waters or steam. Dominant OFG populations, including Thermocrinis and subdominant Thermus and Pyrobaculum strains, exhibited high strain level genomic diversity (putative ecotypes) relative to populations from non-geysing YNP hot springs that is attributed to the temporal chemical and temperature dynamics caused by eruptions. These findings show that OFG is habitable and that its eruption dynamics promote genomic diversity, while highlighting the need to further research the extent of life in geyser systems such as OFG.

show abstract

Eruptive Cycle and Bubble Trap of Strokkur Geyser, Iceland

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The eruption frequency of geysers can be studied easily on the surface. However, details of the internal structure including possible water and gas filled chambers feeding eruptions and the driving mechanisms often remain elusive. We used a multidisciplinary network of seismometers, video cameras, water pressure sensors and one tiltmeter to study the eruptive cycle, internal structure, and mechanisms driving the eruptive cycle of Strokkur geyser in June 2018. An eruptive cycle at Strokkur always consists of four phases: (1) Eruption, (2) post‐eruptive conduit refilling, (3) gas filling of the bubble trap, and (4) regular bubble collapse at shallow depth in the conduit. For a typical single eruption 19 ± 4 bubble collapses occur in Phase 3 and 8 ± 2 collapses in Phase 4 at a mean spacing of 1.52 ± 0.29 and 24.5 ± 5.9 s, respectively. These collapses release latent heat to the fluid in the bubble trap (Phase 3) and later to the fluid in the conduit (Phase 4). The latter eventually reaches thermodynamic conditions for an eruption. Single to sextuple eruptions have similar spacings between bubble collapses and are likely fed from the same bubble trap at 23.7 ± 4.4 m depth, 13–23 m west of the conduit. However, the duration of the eruption and recharging phase linearly increases likely due to a larger water, gas and heat loss from the system. Our tremor data provides documented evidence for a bubble trap beneath a pool geyser.

show abstract

Illuminating the Voluminous Subsurface Structures of Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Park

Cited by 5 publications

References 18 publications

Eruption Interval Monitoring at Strokkur Geyser, Iceland

Eruption Interval Monitoring at Strokkur Geyser, Iceland

An active microbiome in Old Faithful geyser

Eruptive Cycle and Bubble Trap of Strokkur Geyser, Iceland

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About