Sleeping Giant -- Tourists at Excelsior Geyser Crater in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming is a photograph by Darin Volpe which was uploaded on November 13th, 2019.
Sleeping Giant -- Tourists at Excelsior Geyser Crater in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Once upon a time, Excelsior Geyser was the largest geyser in the world. Between 1878 and 1890 it was known to blow columns of boiling water and rock... more
by Darin Volpe
Title
Sleeping Giant -- Tourists at Excelsior Geyser Crater in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Artist
Darin Volpe
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Once upon a time, Excelsior Geyser was the largest geyser in the world. Between 1878 and 1890 it was known to blow columns of boiling water and rock up to 300 feet into the air and 60-70 feet wide. John Muir called it "the greatest of all they geysers yet discovered anywhere." In 1890 it blew for the last time...or so we thought. It inexplicably awoke for 46 hours in 1985 with eruptions reaching a height and width of 75 feet, then stopped.
Although it no longer erupts, the 276x328 foot Excelsior Geyser Crater does discharge about 4,500 gallons of water per minute, which works out to be the same amount of water as nine Olympic swimming pools each day.
Uploaded
November 13th, 2019