Spewing scalding water in all directions, the aptly named Fly Geyser sits about 16 kilometers from the site of Burning Man, the annual counterculture art festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. This geological curiosity was formed accidentally in 1916, when ranch owners drilled a well in the area. They hit water – it’s just too bad that it measured a piping 93 degrees Celsius! The drilling crew plugged the well, but the geothermal water seeped through, leaving behind calcium carbonate deposits that continue to accumulate, forming a 3.6 meter high bulbous mound resembling a scoop of rainbow sherbet.
In 1964, a crew drilled a second hole near the first, and once again found hot water, which this time erupted from multiple spots. The tie-dye stains dripping down Fly Geyer’s surface are actually thermophilic algae, which thrive in hot, moist environments.
Fly Geyser is unfortunately off-limits to the public, but at least there’s nothing stopping us from marveling at photos of it this unusual natural wonder.
Related Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fly_Geyser