Old Faithful Geyser - why can it be made an attraction, and not other geysers

With an error of 10 minutes, Old Faithful will erupt 65 minutes after an eruption lasting less than 2.5 minutes; or 92 minutes after an eruption lasting more than 2.5 minutes. The reliability of Old Faithful can be attributed to the fact that it is not connected to any other thermal features of the Upper Geyser Basin.

This video clip was made by Tigerfish(me!) on 1 Sept 2007, ~1610hrs. You are never going to get another "twin", "copy-exact" eruption any other time.


If you can't make a trip to Yellowstone National Park, there is always a webcam for you to catch the action of Old Faithful. How thoughtful.

Old Faithful is not the tallest or largest geyser in the park. That "...est" title belongs to the less predictable Steamboat Geyser. Steamboat Geyser, in Yellowstone National Park's Norris Geyser Basin, is the world's tallest currently-active geyser. Steamboat does not erupt on a predictable schedule with recorded intervals between major eruptions ranging from four days to fifty years. Gosh, who is going to wait 50 years to see that eruption? It's just a matter of luck.

That is why Old Faithful Geyser can be made an attraction - because it is predictable (thus, tourist-friendly). Of course, it has to be a spectacular waterworks show.