How Geysers Work
For geyser to occur there must be heat,
water, and a plumbing system. A magma chamber provides the heat,
which radiates into surrounding rock. Water from rain and snow
works its way underground through fractures in the rock.
As the water reaches hot rock it begins
to rise back to the surface, passing through rhyolite, which is
former volcanic ash or lava rich in silica. The hot water
dissolves the silica and carries it upward to line rock
crevices. This forms a constriction that holds in the mounting
pressure, creating a geyser's plumbing system.
As superheated water nears the surface,
its pressure drops, and the water flashes into steam as a
geyser. Hot springs have unconstricted plumbing systems. |
