While Yellowstone attracts millions of people every year who want to see the closest living relative of the buffalo, the bison, in its native environment, the national park is also home to countless unique environmental phenomena, like the geyser.
The term refers to a natural hot spring that emits a stream of water into the air through the power of geothermal heat that reaches a tipping point; some of the most frequently visited geothermal geysers in Yellowstone are Steamboat, Castle, and Old Faithful. Old Faithful's neon blue, green, and yellow colors make it an especially popular stop for visitors.
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Yellowstone National Park hit by 3.9-magnitude earthquake
On Jan. 28, an area in Yellowstone National Park was hit by a 3.9-magnitude earthquake. The quake's epicenter occurred near Norris Geyser Basin, which is frequently called the "Yellowstone Volcano" due to its propensity to reach extremely high temperatures and set off streams of water in the air more frequently than others.
Yellowstone National Park spans 3,471 miles, mainly in Wyoming but extending into parts of Montana and Idaho.
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The temblor reported by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) occurred at approximately 6 p.m. Mountain Standard Time on Tuesday. While anything below four on the Richter scale is considered to be a minor earthquake, this one was felt by several park visitors and locals in the area — particularly those who were near the Norris Geyser Basin.
"The earthquake is typical of the Yellowstone region and not a sign of any significant unrest, and it was reported felt by a few people in the Yellowstone region," USGS wrote in a post Facebook (META) . Those who felt anything can fill out an online form detailing their experience to help USGS keep records.
People often make one dangerous mistake when visiting geysers
While the quake did not affect Norris Geyser Basin in any way, Yellowstone is a seismically active area in general — National Park Service data shows that the park sees an average of between 1,500 and 2,000 earthquakes per year (the vast majority of these are not strong enough to be felt by visitors).
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As the geysers can reach extremely high temperatures of up to 400°F (204°C), a more immediate risk is of stepping outside the designated area (either accidentally or by disregarding the rules for a photo opp) and getting scalded.
In September, a 60-year-old Yellowstone visitor from New Hampshire suffered second- and third-degree burns to her leg after walking into a thermal area off the Mallard Lake Trailhead she was hiking through. The burns were so severe that the visitor had to be moved from the park's medical center to the larger Eastern Idaho Regional hospital by helicopter.
The NPS guidance is to "exercise extreme caution" around geysers and waterways marked as geothermal as water one comes across could look like a regular lake or stream but actually be at heats high enough to cause third-degree burns.
"The ground in these areas is fragile and thin, and there is scalding water just below the surface," NPS writes.
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