Fumaroles, often known as steam vents, are a familiar attraction at Yellowstone National Park. Steam vents are technically hot springs, but the small amount of water boils away before it reaches the surface causing extreme amounts of steam. Steam vents are known for their hissing sound, similar to that of a tea kettle.
Other Pages That Use This Item
When a Sleeping Giant Awakes Article
Best For
6-12+
Subjects
Geography, Science
Appropriate For
- Educators
- Families
- Students
Past volcanic eruptions that have taken place at Yellowstone National Park have been global disasters. Today, scientists are trying to predict how this ticking time bomb will explode—or fizzle out.
Media Credits
The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.
Photograph by Debra Jones, MyShot
For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact natgeocreative@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please visit our FAQ page.
Media
Some media assets (videos, photos, audio recordings and PDFs) can be downloaded and used outside the National Geographic website according to the Terms of Service. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the lower right hand corner (
) of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.
Text
Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.
Interactives
Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives.