geyser

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Yellowstone National Park: Castle Geyser

A cross-sectional diagram showing how a geyser and hot spring form above a magma chamber. Arrows illustrate heat rising from magma, groundwater moving through porous rock, and steam or hot water reaching the surface as a geyser or hot spring. Labels identify each layer and process.

Yellowstone National Park: Castle Geyser

Geysers at Wai-O-Tapu

Iceland: geyser

Yellowstone National Park: Whirligig Geyser

Behold near-boiling water spurting from geysers and hot springs in Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park

Behold Yellowstone's hot springs and geysers, such as Old Faithful, and its various large animal species

geyser: References & Edit History

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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

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Article History

Type	Description	Contributor	Date
	Add new Web site: Scientific Reports - Experimental investigation on the hazard of geyser created by an entrapped air release in baffle-drop shafts.	Grace Young	May 15, 2026
	Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - An active microbiome in Old Faithful geyser.	Grace Young	Feb 21, 2026
	Add new Web site: PNAS - Spontaneous formation of geysers at only one pole on Enceladuss ice shell.	Aakanksha Gaur	Oct 11, 2025
	Add new Web site: USGS - Geyserswhat exactly are they made of?	Grace Young	Aug 14, 2025
	Add new Web site: Geology.com - What is a Geyser?	Grace Young	Jun 02, 2025
	Add new Web site: National Park Service - Geology - Hot Springs/Geothermal Features.	Emily Rodriguez	Jul 14, 2022
	Rearranged media.	Adam Augustyn	Nov 22, 2019
	Add new Web site: Science Kids - Fun Science and Technology for Kids! - Geyser Facts for Kids.	Gloria Lotha	Mar 07, 2017
	Add new Web site: Exploratorium - Geyser.	Gloria Lotha	Mar 07, 2017
	Add new Web site: Easy Science for Kids - Geysers and Hot Springs.	Grace Young	Sep 04, 2016
	Add new Web site: National Geographic - Geyser.	Emily Rodriguez	Jul 01, 2016
	Added video.	Robert Lewis	Aug 26, 2015
	Add new Web site: How Stuff Works - Science - How Geysers Work.	Swati Chopra	Jun 15, 2012
	Changed the number of geysers in Yellowstone National Park from 500 to more than 300.	Kenneth Pletcher	May 21, 2012
	Add new Web site: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum - Pocket Gopher.	Darshana Das	Feb 08, 2011
	Added new Web site: University of Michigan - Geysers and the Earth's Plumbing Systems.	Deepti Mahajan	Oct 04, 2007
	Media added.	Robert Curley	Oct 13, 2006
	Article revised and updated.	Robert Curley	Apr 27, 2006
	Article added to new online database.	The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica	May 03, 1999