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Old Faithful Geyser

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  Location: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, U.S.A. (Continent of North America)
• Built by: There is a supervolcano under the park at Yellowstone. The volcano heats underground water, and when there is too much pressure, it causes the water to erupt.
• Date created: About 15,000 years ago
• Size: It shoots water 130-140 ft (39-42 m) into the air
• Water volume: It sprays about 3,700-8,400 gal (14,006-32,000 L) at a time (about 3,700-8,400 plastic gal (L) of milk)
• The water that comes out is about 204° F (96 C), and the steam is about 350° F (178 C).
• It erupts every 91 minutes on average, about 20 times daily, lasting between 1.5-5 minutes.
• This volcano erupted three times; the last time was about 640,000 years ago. Scientists believe there will not be another eruption for another 100,000 years, but there will be global devastation when it does happen. 1 in – 4 ft (3 cm-1.5 m) of thick poisonous ash would cover hundreds of miles (kilometers) in the Northwestern part of the US and the Southern part of Canada. The ash will also lead to much colder weather and less crop production.
• Around the park, at Yellowstone, you can see many kinds of animals, like bison, wolves, bears (black and grizzlies), eagles (bald and golden), elk, moose, and moose many more. Do not feed these animals; you could get a $5,000 fine and maybe even prison time.
• There are trails throughout the area where you can hike. There are other lesser-known geysers, and you can fish in nearby lakes.
• Old Faithful was named in 1870 by Henry Washburn, who was on an expedition to explore the western territory of the US. He noticed the eruption’s consistency and named it “Old Faithful.” Before the current name, the Native American tribes had different names; the Crow Tribe called it “The land of burning ground,” and the Blackfeet called it “The place of hot water.” Each tribe also had multiple names, which depended on which area the tribe members lived in.