Massive Yellowstone geyser sat dormant for 6 years. It just exploded, video shows

After sitting dormant for 6 1/2 years, a massive geyser in Yellowstone National Park has finally erupted.

“On Tuesday, August 25, Giantess Geyser roared back to life after a period of more than 6-1/2 years without erupting,” Yellowstone National Park tweeted Saturday.

The Giantess Geyser is a “fountain-type geyser” that can erupt in bursts up to 200 feet high, according to the National Park Service. During an eruption, the area around the geyser can shake from “underground steam explosions.”

Some people worry that earthquakes and new seismic activity in Yellowstone are a sign that the “supervolcano” that lies beneath the park will soon erupt, which could have regional and global consequences.

“Such a giant eruption would have regional effects such as falling ash and short-term (years to decades) changes to global climate,” USGS said on its website. “Those parts of the surrounding states of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming that are closest to Yellowstone would be affected by pyroclastic flows, while other places in the United States would be impacted by falling ash (the amount of ash would decrease with distance from the eruption site).”

The U.S. Geological Survey, however, said the Giantess Geyser’s behavior is pretty typical for geysers, and this eruption isn’t a sign that 2020 will bring anything to worry about in Yellowstone.

“This is what geysers do,” USGS said. “2020 or not, Yellowstone remains calm in terms of volcanic activity.”

There is no true way to predict how frequently the Giantess Geyser will erupt. Most geysers “don’t follow even loose schedules,” USGS said.

“Will the eruption a few days ago be the start of a new phase for Giantess?” USGS asked. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 1:14 PM with the headline "Massive Yellowstone geyser sat dormant for 6 years. It just exploded, video shows."