Cold-water geysers have eruptions similar to those of hot-water

geyser A geyser (, ) is a spring characterized by an intermittent discharge of water ejected turbulently and accompanied by steam. As a fairly rare phenomenon, the formation of geysers is due to particular hydrogeological conditions that exist only ...

s, except that -bubbles drive the eruption instead of steam from the proximity to magma. In cold-water geysers, -laden water lies in a confined

aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials ( gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characteri ...

, in which water and are trapped by less permeable overlying strata. This water and can escape this strata only in weak regions like faults, joints, or drilled wells. A drilled borehole provides an escape for the pressurized water and to reach the surface. The magnitude and frequency of such eruptions depend on various factors such as plumbing depth, concentrations, aquifer yield, etc. The column of water exerts enough pressure on the gaseous so that it remains in the water in small bubbles. When the pressure decreases due to formation of a fissure, the bubbles expand. This expansion displaces the water and causes the eruption. Cold-water geysers may look quite similar to their steam-driven counterparts; however, often -laden water is more white and frothy. The best known of these are probably

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...

, or

Crystal Geyser Crystal Geyser is located on the east bank of the Green River approximately downstream from Green River, Utah, United States. It is a rare example of a cold-water carbon dioxide driven geyser; geothermal activity does not play a role in th ...

, near

Green River, Utah Green River is a city in Emery County, Utah. The population was 847 at the 2020 census. History The city of Green River is located in ancestral Ute lands, in the home locale of the Seuvarits/Sheberetch band of Ute people. The Old Spanish Trail ...

. Other cold-water geysers include one in Brazil, in the municipality of

Caxambu Caxambu is a Brazilian municipality in Minas Gerais. Its population in 2021 was estimated at 21,566. Caxambu is renowned for its spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal bath ...

.; two in Slovakia, one in the village of

Herľany Herľany (german: Herlein; hu, Ránkfüred) is a village and municipality in Košice-okolie District in the Košice Region of eastern Slovakia. History In historical records, the village was first mentioned in 1487. Geography The village lies ...

and a very small one in Sivá Brada; and three in Germany, named

Wallender Born The Wallender Born or Wallenborn (popularly known as the Brubbel) is a cold water geyser in the village Wallenborn (Eifel district, Germany). It is adjacent to the reactivated Andernach Geyser (aka ''Namedyer Sprudel'') an active cold water geyse ...

(a.k.a. ''Brubbel''),

Wehr Geyser Wehr may refer to: * WEHR, a former radio station owned by Penn State University * Wehr, Baden-Württemberg, Germany * Wehr, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany * Wehr, a village in Selfkant, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany People with the surname *Dick ...

and

Andernach Geyser Andernach Geyser (german: Geysir Andernach, previously ''Namedyer Sprudel'') is the highest cold-water geyser in the world, reaching heights of 30 to 60 metres. The geyser was first bored in 1903 on the Namedy Peninsula (''Namedyer Werth'') in ...

(a.k.a. ''Namedyer Sprudel'').

Notes

{{Reflist

References

Glennon, J.A. John Alan Glennon (born September 24, 1970) is an American geographer and explorer. His work has been mapping and describing caves and geysers. Discoveries and research Caves In 1996, Glennon and Jon Jasper discovered an entrance to the Martin ...

(2005).
Carbon Dioxide-Driven, Cold Water Geysers
', University of California, Santa Barbara. Originally posted February 12, 2004, last update 6 May 2005. Accessed 8 June 2007. *

, Pfaff, R.M. (2005). ''The operation and geography of carbon-dioxide-driven, cold-water geysers'', GOSA Transactions, vol. 9, pp. 184–192.

External links

''Cold-Water Geysers'' by Alan Glennon
Springs (hydrology) Bodies of water