[Rockhounds] When Steamboat goes WHOOSH, scientists look for answers

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

Steamboat is the world’s tallest active geyser, but unlike Old Faithful,
its eruptions are completely unpredictable.

Now, a new analysis suggests that at least one recent Steamboat eruption
got triggered by a small earthquake.

The 3.9 earthquake occurred in September of 2022, and its epicenter was
around 7 miles from Steamboat
<https://www.nps.gov/places/000/steamboat-geyser.htm>, which is in the
Norris Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park
<https://www.npr.org/2022/03/01/1083766901/yellowstone-150-park-history> in
Wyoming.

“Somebody ran down there immediately after the earthquake to see if
Steamboat was doing anything, and right after the earthquake, it looked
normal,” recalls Mara Reed <https://www.marareed.com/>*,* a graduate
student at the University of California, Berkeley.

About eight hours later, though—whoosh!

Steamboat had one of its major eruptions, which can send water hundreds of
feet up into the air.

Reed and some colleagues wondered if the two events were connected, and did
an analysis
<https://www.jvolcanica.org/ojs/index.php/volcanica/article/view/276/448> that
was just published in the journal *Volcanica*.

“We definitely think it's plausible. I would argue it's probably what
happened,” says Reed.

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/23/nx-s1-5157788/when-steamboat-goes-whoosh-scientists-look-for-answers