Skip to main content

Geyser

It is a spring characterized by an intermittent discharge of water ejected turbulently and accompanied by steam. In simple words, it is a hot spring that erupts under pressure. 
There are tube-like holes deep in the earth's crust from which the geysers are made. The tube is filled with water. There is magma (molten rock) near the tube that heats the water. As the water begins to boil, some of the water gradually rises. The water turns into steam or gas which jets toward the surface. Its powerful jet of steam ejects the column of water above it. The water comes out of the tube and into the air. This is what we see as the water geyser. The eruption continues till the temperature inside the geyser drops below the boiling stage (100C or 212F). People Call this the sneezing of the earth because of the pressure with which the water comes out.
Depending on the geyser size the eruption time and duration vary. If it is a small geyser the eruption is for only a few minutes, but if it is a large geyser the eruption can be there for few days. The geyser in the United States, Yellowstone National Park's Old Faithful, erupts every 50-100 mins. There are very few 100 geysers around the world.



Credits: Harini

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WHY ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC OCEAN ARE NOT MIXED?

Nearly 72% of the earth is filled with water and it is present with different names- oceans, seas, rivers. Why are they named differently? There are five oceans namely Artic ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian ocean and Antarctic ocean . All the oceans are different in their physical and biological character called ocean clines. When we look at the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean junction, they do not mix. Is there any invisible Wall in between them? Many scientists have conducted research to solve this mystery. The Atlantic and Pacific Ocean have different chemical composition. The salinity of the water in the Atlantic Ocean is five times more than the Pacific Ocean. The density of water is also different, so even marine animals in Atlantic Ocean will not go to the Pacific Ocean. They cannot survive in other oceans. Atlantic and Pacific Ocean meet at Cape Horn. The narrow straight line formed by the water bodies is called Drake Strait. The Pacific Ocean is ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Chemical Lake

 Spotted Lake or Lake khiluk in Canada is richly concentrated with various minerals. It contains dense deposits of magnesium sulfate, calcium, and sodium sulfates. It also contains high concentrations of eight other minerals and lower amounts of silver and titanium. Most of the water in the lake evaporates over the summer, revealing colorful mineral deposits. Large ‘spots’ on the lake appear and are colored according to the mineral composition and seasonal amount of precipitation. Magnesium sulfate, which crystallizes in the summer, is a major contributor to spot color.  Originally known to the First Nations of the Okanagan Valley (Native American Tribe) as Khiluk, Spotted Lake was for centuries and remains revered as a sacred site thought to provide therapeutic waters. It is the most mineralized lake in the world. Each spot holds a different cure due to the unique chemical content found within each puddle. Lake Khiluk is considered a saline endorheic alkali lake. The Okanag...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why is the Pacific Ocean shrinking and the Atlantic Ocean is getting wider?

Twenty million years ago there was no Atlantic Ocean. But then, thanks to plate tectonics, the South American and North American continents were separated by a rift valley that eventually turned into the Atlantic Ocean. The complementary shapes of the South American and African continents have long been noticed, but it wasn't until the 1960s that the theory of plate tectonics became accepted as the explanation. These days, the Atlantic Ocean is growing at a rate of five centimetres per year, as new sea floor is created by volcanic activity along its mid-ocean ridge.        On the other hand, the much older Pacific Ocean is currently estimated to be shrinking by two to three centimetres each year. Again, this comes down to plate tectonics because the Pacific Ocean has subduction zones on three sides - where the Pacific plate submerges beneath other plates.  Since there are very few subduction zones in the Atlantic, Indian and Arctic oceans...
Post a Comment
Read more