Tallest geyser ever

The tallest recorded geyser ever was Waimangu Geyser, located near Rotorua on the North Island of New Zealand. First documented erupting in 1900 – probably a result of the Mount Tarawera volcanic eruption of 1886 – its jets were reaching heights in excess of 460 metres (1,500 feet) by 1903. However on 1 November 1904 it fell dormant and has remained so ever since.

Waimangu fell dormant in November 1904 and the site was subsequently buried by debris from numerous hydrothermal explosions. Little trace of the geyser remains today, but parts of the plumbing system may still be intact – scientists in 2010 detected tiny ground motions from boiling water close to the surface.

Waimangu translates as "black water" from the Māori language.

At its peak, the frequency of Waimangu Geyser's eruptions was every 30–36 hours.

Today, the tallest active geyser is Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA, which often reaches in excess of 90 m (295 ft); its largest measured eruption on record was 137 m (449 ft) on 19 July 2020. Since the late 19th century, intervals between major eruptions have been anything from a few days up to as long as 50 years!