Photographs of Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

The deep, diamond-shaped pool of Spiteful Geyser measures 12 feet by 5 feet, containing clear, choppy, constantly boiling water, generally a few inches below the sinter rim, which is lined by a narrow band of orange brown algae. The pool is very close to the trail.Eruptions are infrequent and unpredictable - sometimes the feature is dormant for many years, but when active the geyser produces water and steam to a height of up to 15 feet, all across the pool, lasting for a few minutes. Spiteful is part of the same fault line as Fan and Mortar geysers but its activity is not obviously connected.

Back to map of the Upper Geyser Basin

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