The geyser is one of the most unusual and fascinating natural phenomena. This is a source that ejects hot water and steam with different frequency, height and power.
Yellowstone park
The largest number of geysers are found in Yellowstone National Park, located in the United States. This park was founded in 1872 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among the park's 300 springs, many have been named for their unusual properties.
For example, the Old Faithful, which was discovered in 1870. Before the start of its activity, splashes of water are heard, then it is thrown 55 meters upward, the release lasts for several minutes. This happens every hour and a half, for such accuracy the geyser got its name.
The most famous Mammoth Spring is located in the northern part of the park. It is interesting because for many hundreds of years of eruptions with admixtures of chemicals, picturesque terraces of various shapes and colors - yellow, green or terracotta or white - have been formed.
"Colored" geysers. One is called the Red Well, its color is due to an admixture of red mud - beating out of the bowels along with boiling water, it gives a red-brown tint. Another, called the Lake of Morning Glory, is considered one of the most visited because of its beauty. The algae living in the source gave a bluish color and made it look like a fabulous plant.
The world's highest geyser is the Steamer, its height reaches 100 meters. Many tourists come to see this extraordinary sight, unfortunately, you can watch it only twice a year.
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The Valley of Geysers is a unique place in Kamchatka
It seems that our planet gave up all its secrets and new discoveries are no longer possible, the times of Columbus and Vasco da Gama are over. This is not true. Of course, it is unlikely that lands equal in size to the continents are hidden somewhere, but scientists from all over the world delight lovers of geography with interesting and breathtaking finds in our time.
In the early forties of the last century, the Valley of Geysers was discovered in Kamchatka. This discovery belongs to the workers of the Kronotsky Reserve Ustinova and her assistant Krupenin. This grandiose event in the field of geography might not have happened, since the goal of the scientists was to study the Shumnaya and Tikhaya rivers, the sources of which were lost in the calderas of the Uzon volcano. During the expedition, the staff of the reserve discovered a waterfall, and on the other side there were traces of thermal springs. One of them threw out a stream of hot water right in front of the astonished people. This is how an amazing area was discovered, called the Valley of Geysers. It is located in the eastern part of Russia and is the largest in Eurasia - its length is 4 km. In total, there are 50 thermal springs and 40 geysers in this area. Kronotsky Park has a variety of vegetation and rich fauna,which is represented by 58 species, some are listed in the Red Book of Russia. It is a biosphere reserve and is protected by the state.
Another discovery of recent decades - "Black smokers". This is the name given to narrow volcanic pipes through which columns of dark matter are ejected, reaching temperatures of 400 ° C. The first hydrothermal vents were discovered in 1977 near the Galapagos Islands, and the deepest massif is located in the Cayman Trench at a depth of 5000 km.
The interest of underwater hot springs is that by studying them, biologists have understood how life can exist at depths, where sunlight does not penetrate and photosynthesis is impossible. It turns out that some bacteria use sulfur compounds for their vital activity, which is spewed out by "smokers".
Interesting
Not only can bacteria survive at these temperatures, other organisms have adapted perfectly well. For example, thermophilic blue-green algae are ancient organisms of the Earth, for their vital activity they need a temperature above 45 ° C. The hot springs are inhabited by the larvae of lion flies and shore flies. These insects are activated from high temperatures.
One of the myths about the geyser is that the water in them must be very clean and useful to people, on the contrary, it can be harmful, since it contains many chemical impurities harmful to the human body, in particular, arsenic or antimony.
Secrets of Antarctica - hot springs
Antarctica was discovered back in the first third of the 19th century, when the navigators Bellingshausen and Lazarev. In 1820 they approached the mainland and bypassed it on the sloops Mirny and Vostok. Now on its territory there are scientific stations from many countries of the world. Some people think there is only ice and penguins. It turns out that Antarctica has mountains, fumaroles, lakes.
In 1841, researchers Crozier and Ross approached Antarctica and noticed an active volcano. The travelers named it Erebus, after one of their ships. Erebus is the highest active volcano on the mainland, its last eruption occurred in 2006, and in just a hundred years there were almost 10. During eruptions, hot pieces of lava are thrown into the air, creating an unforgettable sight.
Around the volcano, you can see many white towers up to 20 m high, with the most intricate shapes. These are icy geysers or fumaroles that are constantly gushing from the bowels. The internal heat of the mountain melts the ice and forms the so-called "chimney". The steam escaping from it freezes in the cold air. From this, an extraordinary phenomenon occurs - moss, algae and microorganisms grow on frozen lava under the ice. "Chimneys" are strictly protected from tourists, so as not to disturb the fragile relict biocenosis (a collection of animals, microorganisms and plants) of this land. The volcano and the surrounding areas are the object of observation of scientists, they come to these places to study them.
One of the myths about the geyser is that the water in them must be very clean and useful to people, on the contrary, it can be harmful, since it contains many chemical impurities harmful to the human body, in particular, arsenic or antimony.
No matter how our Earth keeps its secrets, man conquers them. Each year brings something new and interesting, making it possible to better know her past and predict the future.