What is Geyser Gazing?

Almost every facet of nature has a "fan club" or community of hobbyists associated with it: bird watchers, mycophagists, rockhounds, storm chasers, etc. In Yellowstone National Park (and occasionally other places with hydrothermal activity), you can find the geyser gazers. 

The author and another gazer enjoying an eruption of Fan and Mortar Geysers in 2014. Photo by Mara Reed.

People who identify themselves as geyser gazers have a variety of reasons that they enjoy spending long periods watching and studying geysers. Some do it for research purposes, collecting and analyzing data on behavior, patterns, and connections with other features unofficially or officially. Others do it with a camera in hand, always striving to get a great shot of these geologic fireworks. Some are in it mostly for the social aspect, hanging out with good friends and enjoying camaraderie while waiting for nature's show. Adrenaline junkies are present, chasing the adrenaline-fueled pandemonium during eruptions of massive and rare geysers. And some people practice the hobby as a way to enjoy a unique aspect of nature. But, to put this all together in a simple sentence, being a geyser gazer boils down (pun intended) to being someone that has a specific passion for geysers. This manifests itself in the many ways listed above, and others.

One of the now-extinct geysers at Steamboat Springs, Nevada. Photo by Rocco Paperiello.

There are many reasons why geysers are probably one of the unique geologic features on the planet and deserve attention. There are fewer than 3,000 of these erupting springs on the globe. Naturally, their numbers wax and wane almost weekly, with new geysers forming and erupting and others ceasing activity and going dormant or extinct. But, in addition to their natural fluctuations, recent human developments also severely threaten geysers. Drilling for geothermal power and oil, the construction of hydroelectric dams, as well as other projects, have destroyed or severely impacted several hydrothermal fields around the world in the past several decades. Geysers over 30 feet high were present above highway 395 in Nevada, just outside of Reno, before the Steamboat Springs geothermal powerplant went online in 1986 and snuffed them out forever. Their rarity, combined with the current anthropogenic threat, is what makes geysers the endangered species of geology.

Castle Geyser erupts at Sunrise. 

It's impressive enough that, in specific instances, the laws of physics and geology operate in such a way to propel boiling water into the air, it's even more fascinating when you realize that many of these features have discernable patterns to them. Some geysers erupt so regularly that you can nearly set your watch by them. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some geysers seemingly operate on a geologic coin flip, erupting erratically and seemingly randomly. But the latter chaotic side also gives them an allure. Most geysers do not play on a predictable schedule; some erupt days, weeks, months, or even years apart. The high regularity of Old Faithful is the exception rather than the norm. Another level to this is that this irregularity my be in part because many geysers are connected with other hydrothermal features, creating fascinating interplay, like a pool draining during an eruption, or activity in one geyser heralding, or even triggering, the eruptions or activity of another.

Every 200-foot major eruption of Giant Geyser (The huge cone) is preceded by a Giant Hot Period (surrounding activity), but not every hot period ends in a Giant Eruption. Talk about suspense!

There are persons from many walks of life in the geyser gazing community; teens, college students, moms and dads, retirees, etc. Gazers often congregate while waiting for the next geyser eruption, whether it be large or small, common or rare. Those times are frequently filled with laughter and happiness, stories and data are exchanged, jokes are quipped, and theories debated while waiting for the eruption. But gazers will have their specific individual interests as well. Some go towards Geyser Hill near Old Faithful or watch a particular geyser or several related ones. Others are content to go off into the far corners of the basin to wait on more erratic and unpredictable, but relatively quiet, geysers. Still, others prefer specific geyser basins around the park.

Gazers wait for an eruption of Steamboat Geyser.

Standing or sitting for long periods watching a geyser or other hydrothermal feature tends to attract attention, especially when you have a radio and notebook in your hands. Of the plethora of questions you receive, many commonly revolve around the theme of: "Why are you doing this?" Which is essentially asking, "What is geyser gazing?"

Geyser gazing is the person screaming for the big geyser, the person in the hat and sunglasses quietly sitting with a notebook by a spring, It's the person pulled over off the side of the road staring at some steam in the distance. Or it's the person leading an energetic explanation to a group of visitors about why they need to wait five more minutes and get the show of their lives. Geyser gazing is a passion for geysers and any form that takes. If you look for it, you'll see it, and maybe you'll become a part of it.