geyser Archives - Astrobiology

The painting on the left is an artist’s conception of a plume eruption on Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The image on the right is a photo of two researchers in the Utah desert collecting effluent from the Crystal cold-water geyser. The aim of their study is to understand if and how material is modified as it is transported from reservoir to the spray of a geyser. What they learn can be applied to the study of plumes from icy moons that might host life, or the components for it, in a subsurface ocean. Credit: PSI/William Hartmann/Morgan Cable

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

What Cold-water Geysers On Earth Reveal About The Habitability Of Ocean Worlds

by Keith CowingFebruary 18, 2026February 18, 2026

In the eastern Utah desert, carbon-dioxide-saturated water bubbles, sprays and foams from the ground. These cold-water geysers, sometimes called ‘soda pop geysers,’ are a new and reliable Earth-based analog for […]

The colorful Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the park’s largest and the third-largest spring in the world. Research by UW Professor Ken Sims and colleagues has provided new insights into Yellowstone’s hydrothermal system. -- U.S. Geological Survey Photo Larger image

Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Yellowstone Hydrothermal System Examined In Unprecedented Detail

by Keith CowingDecember 9, 2023December 9, 2023

University of Wyoming Department of Geology and Geophysics Professor Ken Sims made his mark as a National Geographic Explorer conducting research in some of the world’s most extreme locations, from […]

Eruption of Old Faithful geyser

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Extreme Habitats: Microbial Life In Old Faithful Geyser

by Keith CowingOctober 12, 2023October 12, 2023

An eruption of Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park is a sight to behold. Indeed, millions of tourists flock to the park each year to see it. Hot water […]

Spatial concentration map of the pores inside Enceladus (first column), Earth (second column) and Mars (third column) respectively. For Enceladus we plotted the map from the core to the surface. Advancing downwards, the pore surface area only reaches 50% of the value of the total pore surface area at the depth of 40 km. We can see that inside Earth and Mars the pores are strongly concentrated near the surface. This is mainly due to the shallow pore compaction depth, which is caused by the high surface gravity of the body. About 50% of the total pore surface area can be found above the depth of 1000 m. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Enceladus, Icy Worlds, Status Report

Investigating The Porosity Of Enceladus

by Keith CowingAugust 14, 2023August 14, 2023

The interior of Enceladus, a medium sized icy moon of Saturn hosts hydrothermal activity and exhibits tidal heating and related geyser-like activity.

Untrimmed, 3D view of the shallow geyser

Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Press Release

Geophysical Imaging of Yellowstone’s Spouter Geyser And Hydrothermal Reservoir

by Keith CowingMarch 12, 2023March 12, 2023

A University of Wyoming researcher led a five-year study that imaged the actual structure — at a level of detail not previously accomplished — of Spouter Geyser in Yellowstone National […]

enceladus

Enceladus, Icy Worlds, Press Release

A Mushy Source For The Geysers Of Enceladus

by Keith CowingSeptember 4, 2022September 4, 2022

Enceladus is a primary target for astrobiology due to the salty plume ejecta measured by the Cassini spacecraft and the inferred subsurface ocean sustained by tidal heating. Sourcing the plumes […]

Icy Worlds, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Transient Water Vapor at Europa's South Pole

by Keith CowingDecember 14, 2013

In November and December 2012 the Hubble Space Telescope maged Europa’s ultraviolet emissions in the search for vapor plume activity. We report statistically significant coincident surpluses of hydrogen Lyman-α and […]