164 GEYSERS. 
Sixth. Geysers may originate in several ways, though most commonly 
produced by the opening of new waterways along fissure planes of the 
rocks, by a gradual eating out of a tube by ascending hot vapors. 
Seventh. The thermal activity of geyser regions is not rapidly dying 
out. The decrease of heat is very slow, and though changes take place 
from year to year, the establishment of new geysers and new hot springs 
offsets the decay or drying up of old vents. 
Attempts to solve the mysterious spouting of geysers date back to 
the earlier part of the present epoch of scientific research, and the 
genius of Bunsen and Deseloiseaux was devoted to astudy of the Ice- 
land geysers as early as 1847. The most important result of their ex- 
periments and observations was a theory of geyser action, now (with 
slight modifications) generally accepted, but other conclusions have 
lately been proven by observations made in the Yellowstone Park to be 
erroneous. Although numerous visits to the geysers of Iceland by 
later observers led to various ingenious speculations and theories re- 
specting geyser eruptions, the questions of geyser origin and the sig- 
nifigance of their occurrence and other questions of broader scope 
were not touched upon. 
The discovery of the geysers of New Zealand appears to have 
awakened interest, more because of the wonderfully beautiful terraced 
basins about the geysers of Rotomahana than from any appreciation 
of the opportunity afforded for a study of the geysers themselves, their 
relations to the geological structure of the country, or their raison 
WVétre; and not until the mapping and study of the Yellowstone geyser 
basins was made by the Hayden survey, was there the slightest attempt 
to look at the broader questions awaiting solution. In his final report, 
after giving an account of various theories of geyser action, Dr. Peale 
discusses very briefly various pecularities of geysers and the supposed 
influence of atmospheric charges and concludes with a statement of 
the three conditions he believes to be necessary to the existence of 
geysers which are essentially confirmed by the long continued study of 
the Yellowstone region by the writer. 
In looking at the distribution of geysers in various parts of the 
world one is quickly impressed with their great rarity. Hot springs 
abound in many countries, but boiling springs are characteristic only 
of regions of recent (that is geologically recent) volcanic activity; it is 
only in such regions that geysers occur. Until late in this century 
Iceland was the only land where geysers had been found. Less than 
forty years ago they were discovered in considerable numbers in New 
Zealand, and since then a few others have been reported from other 
parts of the world. The ‘ Geyserland” of the world is undoubtedly, 
however, the Yellowstone National Park, a region situated in the heart 
of the Rocky Mountains, at the head waters of the Missouri and Yel- 
lowstone, and discovered so late as 1869, 
