Geology 



welled out continuously, and from some of these occasional 

 spouts of water were thrown several inches into the air 

 by escaping steam jets. Near the centre of the basin 

 was a raised mound of travertine, as the deposit of silica 

 is called, and in its centre was a crater-like hollow 10 

 feet in diameter, in which the water was boiling freely 

 some 3 feet below the lip. While we were watching 

 this we noticed that the level of the water was rising, 

 and as, in all probability, it would soon overflow, we 

 made a hasty retreat from the mound and struck out for 

 higher ground. 



We had gone only about a hundred yards, when we 

 heard behind us a gurgling sound, and, on looking back, 

 saw the water was being expelled from the crater in a 

 series of gushes accompanied by much steam, and then 

 without further warning a column of water and steam 

 shot up to a height which we estimated at 100 feet. 

 This boiling fountain continued to play for several 

 minutes, and then suddenly subsided after a final burst 

 of steam. We had been fortunate in making our hasty 

 retreat to windward, as had we been on the other side 

 of the vent we should, in all probability, have been 

 badly scalded by the boiling spray. 



The Dome Geyser, as we christened this spring, was 

 now shrouded in steam which was rising in clouds from 

 the hot water in the surrounding pools and rivulets, but 

 when this subsided, as it did in the course of half an hour, 

 we again ventured to approach the crater. There was 

 now no water visible in the funnel, and we could see to 

 a depth of about 15 feet, beyond which the view was 

 obstructed by vapour. On walking farther up the valley 

 we found numerous hot springs and several other geysers. 



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