A hot spot is a part of the Earth’s crust where an area of magma (molten rock) is hotter than the surrounding magma. Hot spots form above particularly hot areas of the mantle, which is the hot and flowing layer beneath the crust. There are about 40 to 50 hot spots around the world, including in Iceland, the USA and New Zealand. Geysers may develop above hot spots. These are hot springs which intermittently send a tall column of water and steam into the air. Geysers are caused by hot magma heating underground water until it boils. Geysers are amazing phenomena however large or small, and often draw crowds of visitors.
Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park (USA) is probably the world’s best-known geyser. It erupts every 60 to 90 minutes, blasting thousands of gallons of boiling-hot water between 30 and 60 metres into the air. The world’s tallest geyser is Steamboat geyser, also in Yellowstone National Park. It has produced several eruptions between 90 and 120 metres in height, but it does not erupt either regularly or frequently.
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