A type of thermal spring which ejects water intermittently with considerable force This loss of water further reduces pressure within the conduit system, and most of the remaining water suddenly converts to steam and erupts at the surface
A geyser is a hole in the Earth's surface from which hot water and steam are forced out, usually at irregular intervals of time. (Icelandic geysir, "to rush forth") Any hot spring that discharges jets of steam and water intermittently, generally associated with recent volcanic activity and produced by the heating of underground waters that have come into contact with, or are very close to, magma. Geyser discharges as high as 1,600 ft (500 m) have been recorded, but 160 ft (50 m) is much more common (e.g., Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park). Occasionally, a geyser will adopt an extremely regular and predictable pattern of intermittent activity and discharge for a few minutes every hour or so