黄石国家公园里的上间歇泉盆地，美国怀俄明州 Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming (© Ray Urner/Tandem Stills + Motion)

黄石国家公园里的上间歇泉盆地，美国怀俄明州 Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming (© Ray Urner/Tandem Stills + Motion)

水与火相遇的地方 Where fire and water meet

Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

The highest concentration of geysers and hydrothermal springs in the world are located here in this corner of Yellowstone National Park, called the Upper Geyser Basin. They include what is perhaps the most famous geyser of them all: Old Faithful. But the Upper Basin contains many other geysers as well, including the tallest predictable geyser (Grand Geyser) and the most voluminous geyser (Giant Geyser). Yellowstone contains about 300 geysers, about two-thirds the number in the entire world.

Geysers are essentially a rare form of hot spring—a water-filled tube that extends thousands of feet into the Earth's crust, so deep it makes contact with molten rock called magma. The water in the tube boils and under extreme pressure ejects the water column into the air, emptying the tube. After some time, more groundwater seeps into the tube, filling it, and starting the process over again. That's why geysers erupt at somewhat regular intervals. The bigger the tube, the more water, and the longer the eruption. Yellowstone is one of the few places in the world where you can safely walk among so many geysers and superheated springs, and view them close up. Trails and boardwalks guide the way, making the Upper Geyser Basin one of the star attractions of this famous national park.

黄石国家公园上间歇泉盆地

世界上最密集的间歇泉和热泉位于黄石国家公园的这个角落，被称为上间歇泉盆地。其中最著名的喷泉可能是：老忠实喷泉。但上盆地也有许多其他间歇泉，包括最高的可预测间歇泉（大间歇泉）和最大的间歇泉（巨型间歇泉）。黄石公园有大约300个间歇泉，大约是全世界的三分之二。

间歇泉本质上是一种罕见的温泉，它是一种充满水的管子，伸入地壳数千英尺深，与称为岩浆的熔融岩石接触。管子中的水沸腾，在极端压力下将水柱喷射到空气中，排空管子。一段时间后，更多的地下水渗入管道，将其充满，然后重新开始这一过程。这就是间歇泉每隔一定时间喷发的原因。管子越大，水越多，喷发时间越长。黄石公园是世界上为数不多的几个可以在众多间歇泉和过热泉水之间安全漫步并近距离观看的地方之一。小径和木板人行道指引着道路，使上间歇泉盆地成为这个著名国家公园的明星景点之一。