9.54 Old Faithful Facts

Old Faithful is one of the most famous geysers in the country. In this lesson, learn the definition of a geyser, where Old Faithful is located, and what happens when this geyser erupts.

What Is a Geyser?

Have you ever heard someone say they were so mad that steam was coming out of their ears? It may sound crazy, but this is a little bit like the way a geyser works. A geyser is actually a hot spring of water flowing underground that periodically erupts. This eruption occurs because as the underground water gets hotter, it wants to turn into steam, but due to the pressure that the water is under, it can’t. However, eventually, the pressure just gets too great and water and steam are forcefully pushed out of the ground through an opening called a vent.

One of the most famous geysers in the world is Old Faithful. Let’s learn more about where Old Faithful is located and how it works.

Steam escaping from a vent in the Earth
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Home of Many Geysers

Old Faithful is located in a large protected area in the western part of the United States known as Yellowstone National Park. This was the first national park in the country, and it can be found in three states: Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. This park is home to over half of the geysers in the entire world! Out of the over 2 million acres in the park, the area around Old Faithful is one of the most popular for visitors.

Over half of the geysers in the world can be found in Yellowstone National Park.
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Why are so many geysers located in this one area of the world? Well, remember that the water escaping through a geyser is extremely hot. Therefore, geysers like Old Faithful, typically form in areas where there is volcanic activity, which means that there is a source of heat within the Earth which causes the water to become boiling hot.

1. Main points:

A geyser is a hot spring that periodically erupts, forcefully ejecting water and steam through a vent, often found in areas with volcanic activity, like Yellowstone National Park, which houses over half of the world’s geysers.

2. Questions:

• Content Analysis: What causes a geyser to erupt?
• Contextual Analysis: Why are there so many geysers in Yellowstone National Park?
• Thematic Analysis: What is the relationship between geysers and volcanic activity?

3. Further Discussion:

• If you could invent a machine that works like a geyser, what would you use it for?

4. Answers:

• Content Analysis: "This eruption occurs because as the underground water gets hotter, it wants to turn into steam, but due to the pressure that the water is under, it can’t. However, eventually, the pressure just gets too great and water and steam are forcefully pushed out of the ground through an opening called a vent."
• Contextual Analysis: "This park is home to over half of the geysers in the entire world!"
• Thematic Analysis: "Geysers like Old Faithful, typically form in areas where there is volcanic activity, which means that there is a source of heat within the Earth which causes the water to become boiling hot."

Old Faithful

There are two types of geysers. Fountain geysers have eruptions that come from pools of water, so they kind of look like fountains. Cone geysers have eruptions out of narrow cones or mounds in the Earth’s surface. Old Faithful is a cone geyser, which means it has a smaller opening at the top and the water can shoot out with a lot of force and travel to great heights in the air.

Old Faithful is a cone geyser that regularly erupts.
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What makes Old Faithful so special? Its name can give you a small clue. To be faithful means to be predictable, or counted on, and this geyser is pretty predictable. Old Faithful erupts between every hour and hour and a half, which equals around 17 times a day. This is one of the main reasons millions of visitors travel each year to check it out – they know they are guaranteed to see a show!

Each time Old Faithful erupts, the shooting water and steam last between 1 1/2 minutes to 5 minutes and reaches heights from 100 to almost 200 feet in the air! Now imagine this: in the two to five minutes that Old Faithful is erupting, between 3000 and 8000 gallons of boiling hot water and steam are shot up into the air! How hot? Well, if you get a chance to check out Old Faithful, you might want to watch from a safe distance because the water can be over 200°F and the steam can be over 300°F!

1. Main points:

Geysers are classified as either fountain or cone types, with Old Faithful being a predictable cone geyser that erupts regularly, shooting thousands of gallons of boiling water and steam to great heights.

2. Questions:

• Content Analysis: What are the differences between fountain and cone geysers?
• Contextual Analysis: Why is Old Faithful considered a predictable geyser?
• Thematic Analysis: What are the characteristics of Old Faithful’s eruptions?

3. Further Discussion:

• How do you think the predictability of Old Faithful’s eruptions helps scientists understand geysers better?

4. Answers:

• Content Analysis: "Fountain geysers have eruptions that come from pools of water… Cone geysers have eruptions out of narrow cones or mounds in the Earth’s surface."
• Contextual Analysis: "Old Faithful erupts between every hour and hour and a half, which equals around 17 times a day."
• Thematic Analysis: "Each time Old Faithful erupts, the shooting water and steam last between 1 1/2 minutes to 5 minutes and reaches heights from 100 to almost 200 feet in the air."

Lesson Summary

A geyser is created when hot water and steam escape from the Earth through an opening called a vent. Old Faithful, one of the most famous geysers in the world, is located in Yellowstone National Park. This cone geyser erupts on a regular basis and attracts millions of visitors each year to the park.