Yellowstone's Steamboat Geyser Erupts for Third Time in 2018

Yellowstone National Park’s Steamboat Geyser erupted three times between March and April, and the National Park Service released a timelapse video of the most recent eruption on Friday, May 4. The three eruptions are the first since 2014.

The video from April 27 incident condenses one hour of activity into under 30 seconds and shows a large steam cloud. Steamboat Geyser is the tallest active geyser – spewing steam up to 300 feet high – but it can go through long periods of inactivity and is erratic in its eruptions, unlike the well-known and more regular Old Faithful geyser in the park.

The first and second eruptions were detected on March 15 and April 19, though no one was in the vicinity to witness the eruption, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. An observer was in the vicinity for the third eruption.

It’s not the first time there have been multiple eruptions at Steamboat in any one year, according to the USGS. Activity in 2003 was during a thermal disturbance in the Norris Geyser Basin, but it’s unclear if there is a thermal disturbance currently in the basin, the agency said. Credit: National Park Service via Storyful