A Big Yellowstone Geyser Is Back After 6 1/2 Years (VIDEO)
6 1/2 years of silence. It's been that long since one of the largest geysers in Yellowstone has shown us what's she's got.
The national park calls Giantess Geyser one of its largest in the park.
According to yellowstonegate.com, when this one erupts it will cause the ground around it to shake and can be heard over a mile away.
The Giantess Geyser, which is located on the Wyoming side of the park, used to erupt two to six times per year, according to the National Park Service.
According to YellowstoneGate , when this one erupts it will send up jets that can go for as long as 24 to 48 hours. Then there will be a pause, and it will begin again.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) explains that the Giantess Geyser used to erupt more frequently in the past. There is a report from 1938 recording events every 20 to 30 minutes.
Then there are the steam eruptions with jets lasting 30 to 45 minutes.
The park service website does not describe this site as 'an Old Faithful.' They describe the eruptions as 'infrequent but violent'.
Eruptions may occur twice hourly, and continue for four to 48 hours, according to the park service.
Should it erupt when you are there, expect to see a stream that is 100-200 feet high.
There have been pauses in the past. This 6 1/2 year gap was the longest since the 1980s, but this one has been dormant for long periods of time before.
"Why geysers turn off and on is something that is not well understood," the USGS tweeted. "They are very fragile systems."