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ACIDIC & NEUTRAL WATERS

Norris is a "mixed" water geyser basin. While the majority of its hydrothermal features are acidic, some with a pH less than 1, many other springs are neutral or even slightly alkaline. Scientists theorize that individual hydrothermal features draw water from different underground sources:

With a pH between 3.3 -3.6, Echinus Geyser is as acidic as vinegar. Acidic geysers are extremely rare because they eat away their own plumbing systems.

Steamboat Geyser’s unpredictable eruptions shoot water 300-400 feet (90-122 m) high—making it the tallest active geyser in the world. Steamboat’s water is neutral, with a pH of approximately 6.8.

A sulfate deposit exists closer to the surface; thermal water originating here would tend to be acidic.

The deepest rock underlying Norris Geyser Basin is rhyolitic, which is rich in silica and chloride. Thermal water passing through this rock would likely be neutral or alkaline. This water comes from a much greater depth than the waters in other major geyser basins and its underground source is one of the hottest in Yellowstone—about 570 °F (300 °C).

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