Advertisement

Yellowstone geyser erupts, vomiting decades worth of trash across park

Click to play video: 'Ear Spring geyser in Yellowstone has rare eruption, spewing decades worth of trash'
Ear Spring geyser in Yellowstone has rare eruption, spewing decades worth of trash
WATCH: A rare eruption occurred on Sept.15 of the Ear Spring geyser in Yellowstone National Park, spewing up decades' worth of trash that visitors had thrown into it – Oct 4, 2018

A rare eruption of a thermal spring in Yellowstone National Park last month spewed more than just steam and water. It also coughed up decades’ worth of trash visitors have tossed down it over the years.

Ear Spring, a geyser located near Yellowstone’s famed Old Faithful, erupted on Sept. 15, sending water six to nine metres high, a height not seen since 1957.

The spring, named for its resemblance to the shape of a human ear, is one of dozens of geysers, pools and hot springs in Yellowstone’s Upper Geyser Basin.

READ MORE: Yellowstone supervolcano may erupt sooner than thought, potentially wiping out life

According to the national park, following the eruption, staff “found a strange assortment of items strewn across the landscape around its vent.”

An assortment of items spewed from Ear Springs in Yellowstone National Park. Handout

“Some are clearly historic: they’ll be inventoried by curators and may end up in Yellowstone’s archives,” the park noted on social media.

Story continues below advertisement

The United States Geological Survey Yellowstone Observatory said the eruption ejected “material that had fallen or been thrown into the geyser in years past, like coins, old cans, and other human debris,” including a pacifier, believed to be from the 1930s.

An assortment of items spewed from Ear Springs in Yellowstone National Park. Handout

Other items include a cement block, pop cans, pull tops, cigarette butts, a Pyrex funnel with tubing, plastic cups, Kodak yellow foil packaging, several pieces of glass, a pen, a plastic spoon, and a lot of coins, the USGS said.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“And some other stuff!” the USGS teased.

READ MORE: Yellowstone eruption could be 2,000 times larger than St. Helens, study

The agency said since the eruption of Ear Spring, thermal activity at surrounding geysers has increased and a new feature was formed, erupting on Sept. 18.

Story continues below advertisement
An assortment of items spewed from Ear Springs in Yellowstone National Park. Handout

“Several other thermal features are more active than usual, including geysering and boiling of Doublet Pool and North Goggles Geyser,” the USGS said.

However, officials noted that changes in Yellowstone’s springs are common “and do not reflect changes in activity of the Yellowstone volcano.”

Story continues below advertisement

The national park did warn, however, that trash can be very impactful to the park.

“Foreign objects can damage hot springs and geysers. The next time Ear Spring erupts we hope it’s nothing but natural rocks and water,” the park said. “You can help by never throwing anything into Yellowstone’s thermal features!”

Sponsored content

AdChoices