The impressive hot spring, in the Norris Geyser Basin, can shoot boiling water 91m (300 ft) high, a feat unrivalled by any other geyser except for New Zealand’s Waimangu Geyser.
Major eruptions can last between three and 40 minutes, while the steam phase can continue for days.
Explosions are often unpredictable but scientists say activity has ramped up in 2018 as Steamboat Geyser “appears to have entered a phase of more frequent water eruptions, much like it did in the 1960s and early 1980s”.
In comparison, eruptions between 1990 and 2013 were few and the geyser lay completely dormant between 1911 and 1961.
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Impressive video footage shows the geyser rocketing huge dark steam clouds high into the air.
Yellowstone National Park Service (Yellowstone NPS) shared Steamboat Geyser’s spectacular blast on Twitter, with photos of a delighted group of people waving and cheering in full view.
Yellowstone NPS: “It’s so hard to put into words how infectious the enthusiasm of a Steamboat Geyser eruption is. Laughing, crying, hugging, and cheering were almost non-stop during today’s 1 hour and 15 minute eruption. Were you there? Share your photos, videos, and stories!”
People were luckily not drenched in steam or water as the wind was blowing in a different direction.
The height of the eruption has not yet been revealed but a geyser eruption on June 4 scaled 60 metres (200 ft).
What dates did the geyser erupt in 2018?
This is the entire list of eruptions by Steamboat this year in MDT:
March 15, 5.37am
April 19, 4.30pm
April 27, 6.30am
May 4, 11.50pm
May 13, 3.54am
May 19, 9.49pm
May 27, 7.33pm
June 4, 9.05am
June 11, 1.06am
June 15, 4.55pm
July 6, 1.38pm
July 20, 10.36pm
August 4, 2.10pm
August 22, 11.44am
August 27, 9.30pm
September 1, 11.21pm
September 7, 10.20am
September 12, 4.23am
September 17, 9.38am
The geyser usually rotates between periods of intense activity before becoming dormant again.
So, this means scientists are unconcerned about the prolific resurgence of eruptions.
Geysers tend to explode when water gets trapped deep underground where it hits hot rocks.
The water and steam then build in pressures until boiling water is rocketed out of the blowhole into the sky.
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